Monmouth00
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2019
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Got my new electric BIAB rig today, and had to run some tests before I started brewing. I have some questions for you folks, and appreciate your feedback.
I’ve got a 15 gallon aluminum kettle, outfitted with two 1650 watt elements. One element is plugged directly to the socket, the other is running through my new Inkbird IPB-16S PID. The temp probe is in a thermowell below the false bottom. I’ve also got a small pump that’s recirculating through a port on the lid.
So far, so good. The temp in the garage was about 42 degrees. I brought 8 gallons of water from 46 degrees to 160 in about 50 minutes. Then went from 160 to boiling in about 30 minutes.
The temp reading on the Inkbird was reading about 2 degrees below the separate thermometer I was using.
But, I am having some problems keeping the boil going well. Despite setting the Inkbird at 220, the temp probe never got above 208, and while the water was very slowly rolling, it was never vigorous. I set the Inkbird manually to 100% output but it didn’t make a difference. Other than that, all went well with the test.
So, here begins my questions:
Is there a good way to calibrate the Inkbird temp probe? The directions are kind of crap. It seems like plug and play, but are there initial set up steps I should be taking?
Any reason the two elements aren’t giving me a good boil? Was it the ambient temperature? Should I add some insulation to the kettle?
Any feedback you guys can give is greatly appreciated. Cheers!
I’ve got a 15 gallon aluminum kettle, outfitted with two 1650 watt elements. One element is plugged directly to the socket, the other is running through my new Inkbird IPB-16S PID. The temp probe is in a thermowell below the false bottom. I’ve also got a small pump that’s recirculating through a port on the lid.
So far, so good. The temp in the garage was about 42 degrees. I brought 8 gallons of water from 46 degrees to 160 in about 50 minutes. Then went from 160 to boiling in about 30 minutes.
The temp reading on the Inkbird was reading about 2 degrees below the separate thermometer I was using.
But, I am having some problems keeping the boil going well. Despite setting the Inkbird at 220, the temp probe never got above 208, and while the water was very slowly rolling, it was never vigorous. I set the Inkbird manually to 100% output but it didn’t make a difference. Other than that, all went well with the test.
So, here begins my questions:
Is there a good way to calibrate the Inkbird temp probe? The directions are kind of crap. It seems like plug and play, but are there initial set up steps I should be taking?
Any reason the two elements aren’t giving me a good boil? Was it the ambient temperature? Should I add some insulation to the kettle?
Any feedback you guys can give is greatly appreciated. Cheers!