RTD probes and placement?

[gerard weyns]

I'm in the middle of ordering parts for my 3-vessel eHERMS build. I've seen a lot of guys put Auber PT100s in-line before or after the ball valve on their pots. http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/temperature-probes
Are people liking this style of RTD? I like the quick disconnect at the probe, but I would really like to be able to remove the probe as well. I've been hunting around a bit but can't find a thermowell RTD small enough to fit in the 1/2" T. Should I just install thermowell RTDs in the pot walls or is there a big advantage to having them in-line?
https://www.omega.com/pptst/PR-31SL.html
Looking at something like this.
Using an EZboil DSPR310D power regulator, so I'm limited to PT100 RTDs.

 

[TexasWine]

Why do you want to remove the probe?

 

[gerard weyns]

Why do you want to remove the probe?

Not sure just seems like it would be convenient. I suppose if there is a quick disconnect there is no need for the probe to come out.
I guess my question is is there an ideal spot to install temp probes? If there isn't an advantage to installing them in-line I'd like to install them in the wall of the pots.
Also is the auber PT100 liquid tight RTD a quality product? It looks a little cheap to me, but I have never seen one in person.

 

[BeardedBrews]

No simple answer here... In the wall gives you a good reading for the temp in the kettle, after the valves gives you a reading in the tubing and you don't have to put an extra hole in your kettle, if you are pumping then the two readings are pretty close.

Kal goes into some detail about the location choice on his site, in the end most will go with what's convenient.

 

[augiedoggy]

Not sure just seems like it would be convenient. I suppose if there is a quick disconnect there is no need for the probe to come out.
I guess my question is is there an ideal spot to install temp probes? If there isn't an advantage to installing them in-line I'd like to install them in the wall of the pots.
Also is the auber PT100 liquid tight RTD a quality product? It looks a little cheap to me, but I have never seen one in person.

theres simply no advantage that I can come up with to removing the probe... they should be calibrated to work with a single pid for a certian purpose and not swapped around and removing them only increases the chance of them being accidently swapped... They dont need to be removed ever.. and in the kettle is the best place for the most accurate reading. in a tee will only work accurately if the if the liquid is recirculating through itat that time. (depends on which purpose its for here) I mounted mine on level with the element but not so the probe is too close to the element .. you want a couple inches at least.

aubers rtds are chinese probes just like these.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/RTD-Pt100-...650012&hash=item33d94a9e5f:g:FDIAAOSwEWJZyHFS

I have some but prefer these below which are better built IMO stay away from the cheap stainless braided cables like the ones auber offers as an upgrade. ptfe or teflon coated cables are much better.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/RTD-PT100-...431862?hash=item28339a24f6:g:59QAAOSwaZdZv08r

 

[Ozarks Mountain Brewery]

I have them from Auber and personally cant stand the cheap quick connects, more trouble than their worth. I've had to re-solder mine a few times and thats not fun for a half blind guy and yes each wire needs to be calibrated to each probe and marked to stay there. I have to remove mine to clean the pots and to move the control panel inside, I brew on the deck

 

[slowbrew16]

I'm in the middle of ordering parts for my 3-vessel eHERMS build. I've seen a lot of guys put Auber PT100s in-line before or after the ball valve on their pots. http://www.theelectricbrewery.com/temperature-probes
Are people liking this style of RTD? I like the quick disconnect at the probe, but I would really like to be able to remove the probe as well. I've been hunting around a bit but can't find a thermowell RTD small enough to fit in the 1/2" T. Should I just install thermowell RTDs in the pot walls or is there a big advantage to having them in-line?
https://www.omega.com/pptst/PR-31SL.html
Looking at something like this.
Using an EZboil DSPR310D power regulator, so I'm limited to PT100 RTDs.

I have my Auber PT100 inline after my ball valve and before my recirculating pump. My last brew, I got a stuck sparge from milling my grains too fine. With the RTD being in line and no flow, I could not control my mash temps very well. ( I brew with a electric system ) When I checked my FG last night, I was way too high. 1.028. ( should of been 1.020) And that was 2-1/2 weeks in the fermenter. So now I am rethinking my placement. Or I'll just do a standard mill and add more base grains. Hope that helps.

 

[augiedoggy]

I have my Auber PT100 inline after my ball valve and before my recirculating pump. My last brew, I got a stuck sparge from milling my grains too fine. With the RTD being in line and no flow, I could not control my mash temps very well. ( I brew with a electric system ) When I checked my FG last night, I was way too high. 1.028. ( should of been 1.020) And that was 2-1/2 weeks in the fermenter. So now I am rethinking my placement. Or I'll just do a standard mill and add more base grains. Hope that helps.

How are you heating the mash? directly, herms, or Rims?
If rims the temp probe should be almost touching the end of the rims element, if herms at the outlet of the herms coil would be best for accurate and quick control and compensation... If direct in the mt wall below the false bottom near the element is best. In a tee will only read correct mash temps while its moving and there will be large temp delay in any change with herms or rims this way.

BTW if you add a secondary braided line or even a bazooka tube to the drain undr your false bottom it should eliminate your stuck recirculation... also you want it to be under like 2.5gpm flow rate for opimum results.. I use 1.8gpm which seems to eliminate channeling and increased my efficiency (92.7% on last brew session)..

 

[Smellyglove]

One for controlling the HEX right on its output, and another one to monitor temp in mash, is how I do it.

 

[mabrungard]

I have my Auber PT100 inline after my ball valve and before my recirculating pump.

As already pointed out, this placement doesn't allow your PID to sense your wort temperature where it really counts....right after the heating element. One of the messages above suggests that the sensor should almost touch the element. I'm not sure I would get that close, but it should be pretty close...within a couple inches downstream of the element so that it will sense when the wort is getting too hot and the PID will properly shut off the heating.

Enzymes reside in the wort, not in the mash. If you overheat the wort at any time, you are accelerating the denaturing of the enzymes. That low attenuation you experience is likely due to the denaturing by wort overheating.

Move your sensor.