Speidel Fermenter Mod???

[HopSong]

I have one of the 5+ G Speidel Fermenters and would like to add either a thermowell for a "deep probe" or even simply a "grommet" that would allow me to insert my turkey fryer thermometer into the top few inches. I think either will work well.

Any creative ideas? I'm looking at going down through the large plastic cap. I'm not sure if I could drill a 2nd hole in the stopper to make that work. Don't have lab cork borers available any more.

Guess I'm thinking there must be some sort of grommet I can fit to the cap.. or some sort of stainless item that has an o-ring that can be tightened around either the thermowell or even the turkey thermometer?

All thoughts welcome.. thanks guys n gals.

 

[uberg33k]

If it's just a turkey fryer thermometer, why not just tape it to the outside or better yet, just get a fermentometer strip and stick that to the outside?

Drilling holes and dropping probes just sounds like you're opening the path for possible infection.

 

[HopSong]

I have an eBay C* thermometer with a probe on a wire.. I have taped that to the outside under a piece of closed cell foam.. that's not bad. I have a strip fermometer stuck to the outside.

Two problems with both of those..
1. If I try to raise the water level around the fermenter.. both the strip thermometer and the ebay thermometer would either be under water or with the ebay unit.. would likely be above the beer level.
2. The plastic, IMO, will insulate the thermometer from the real beer temp.. I'm really getting to the point where I believe the temp inside during active fermentation is hotter than my strip therm shows.

But, thanks for the thought..

 

[HDIr0n]

I'll post up a pic here in a bit.

 

[HDIr0n]

I put a 12" 1/2" NPT thermowell using weldless techniques. So I got 2 silicone o-rings and a lock nut with the groove in it, and put one on top and one on the bottom and just tightened it up.


Untitled by HDIr0n, on Flickr


Untitled by HDIr0n, on Flickr

Hope that helps.

-G

 

[HopSong]

Thats about the idea I had in mind.. Where did you get that particular thermowell?

Thanks

 

[HDIr0n]

http://www.mainlandvalveandfitting.com

They are local for me, and have always hooked me up whenever I need anything.

-G

 

[HopSong]

So, did you already have the thermowell and bring it to the place for the fittings?

What size thermowell is it? 1/4" ID or ??OD

 

[HDIr0n]

The thermowell is 1/4" ID, I took my temp probe from my STC-1000 and made sure it fit snug in the thermowell and purchased the thermowell from those guys.

-G

 

[HopSong]

I've got a buddy from TX who is a Wallace.. funny if there is a relationship.

So you have a 1/4" ID probe.. What is the rest of it if I want to order? Thanks, Bill

 

[pfgonzo]

I just pondered some similar options for getting a thermowell into my Speidel 30L fermenter.

The thermowell I use is the 16" from Brewershardware: https://www.brewershardware.com/16-Stainless-Steel-Thermowell.html The end is spun shut and looks very fancy. But how to get it into my Speidel?

Option 1: Drill two 3/8" holes in a (previously undrilled) No. 9 stopper. That stopper will replace the red stopper the Speidel comes with. You can place a standard airlock into one hole (ditch the giant Speidel airlock), and the thermowell into another.

Option 2: Drill a 1/2" hole in the side of the Speidel lid, which is what HDIr0n ended up doing, but instead of gaskets/washers I fit a rubber grommet into the hole that the thermowell fits into.

I ended up going with Option 2 because I can't seem to get my drill to core out the rubber stopper. Supposedly if you get it super cold, you can drill it like wood, but my freezer wasn't up to the task, and I didn't feel like finding dry ice to really freeze it down. When I get home, I'll post a picture of option 2 on my Speidel. It's simple and air tight which is all you can ask.

[Edit] I went to MoreBeer this afternoon (their Concord showroom is 3 miles from my house... score!!) and tested stoppers. That's how I settled on the No. 9 stopper as replacing the Speidel stopper if you want to use a standard airlock. The 8.5 also seems to fit, but I liked the No. 9 better... just FYI if you want to go that route.

Here are the pics (zoomed shot of the grommet and a long view of the whole lid):

 

[balrog429]

Pfgonzo, I was doing some searching and found your thermowell solution. How did it work out? Was the lid able to stay sealed? I was thinking about the contraction of the rubber when cooled. If it did shrink it seems like that wouldn't seal right.

 

[jaw94087]

I used one of the brewers hardware thermowells along with a rubber stopper with a hole in it. Then I drilled a hole in the top cap similar to HDIr0n shown above. Works great...

 

[pfgonzo]

Pfgonzo, I was doing some searching and found your thermowell solution. How did it work out? Was the lid able to stay sealed? I was thinking about the contraction of the rubber when cooled. If it did shrink it seems like that wouldn't seal right.

I had to test fit a number of grommets before I found one that worked with the thermowell and the 1/2" hole I drilled. The one i went with is super, super tight at room temp. As in I tore through several grommets getting the thermowell in, it was so tight. Next time, LUBE!

Anyway, I have no sealing issues at any temp. Works like a charm. I love it and am adding a thermowell to my second spiedel.

Note: some folks here find they get too much of a temp swing when using a thermowell in the fermenter in conjunction with a temp controller. In other words, they find that by the time the center of the liquid hits the set temp and the cooler/heater shuts off, they get carry over where the temp dips even further (assuming cooling was on) than they liked. I had not had this problem, and love my thermowell being in the fermenter.

 

[balrog429]

I've put a few batches through my 30l one and have been attaching the probe to the outside of it. The issue that was concerning me was the thickness of the plastic. It's way thicker than something like a better bottle.

Lol....lube.

 

[grathan]

I had to test fit a number of grommets before I found one that worked with the thermowell and the 1/2" hole I drilled. The one i went with is super, super tight at room temp. As in I tore through several grommets getting the thermowell in, it was so tight. Next time, LUBE!

Anyway, I have no sealing issues at any temp. Works like a charm. I love it and am adding a thermowell to my second spiedel.

Note: some folks here find they get too much of a temp swing when using a thermowell in the fermenter in conjunction with a temp controller. In other words, they find that by the time the center of the liquid hits the set temp and the cooler/heater shuts off, they get carry over where the temp dips even further (assuming cooling was on) than they liked. I had not had this problem, and love my thermowell being in the fermenter.

Where do you get the grommets?

 

[pfgonzo]

Bought a multi pack of different sized vinyl grommets from Radio Shack when I made my STC-1000 box (to make the cord-through-box transition look professional) and the biggest ones were just right for this project.

 

[HDIr0n]

Had I known about these I would've used this on a new solid stopper and had a port for blowoff and a thermowell.

https://www.google.com/search?q=RUB...08,d.aWM&fp=6ca84d98d48f74bf&biw=1366&bih=653

I hope that helps somebody.

-G

 

[grathan]

Looks like a sharpened piece of pipe.

 

[jsmoon888]

So have you guys found a big temp difference reading in your new thermowell vs your old external method?

 

[pfgonzo]

Don't beat yourself up HDIr0n. I asked my LHBS guys about cork borers before engaging in my project. Consensus seems to be that they don't work that well. I'm sure there are quality ones out there, but the under ~$20 seem to be more trouble than they're worth.

JSmoon888, I have an external aquarium sticker thermometer as well as my internal thermowell on my Speidels. Bear in mind, there will always be a temperature differential between the middle of the vessel and the outter edges. Before I was looking at and controlling things to the outter edges, and now I use the center.

Warnings about carryover temperature drops when measuring from the center (in other words, if you use a temperature controller and measure the center temp, by the time it gets cool, the outter edges of the vessel will get too cold and the temp will continue to drop past where you want it) to be a boogeyman. Not real. I've never seen bigger than a 1-1.5 degree difference between the sticker and the internal temp, with no carryover problems. Besides, I do most ales at 68, and if the center occasionally drops to 67, or even something extreme like 64-65, that's ok with me (though I've never seen it happen).

Now, that said, I'm using a fridge as my fermentation chamber, not a chest freezer which is more powerful, and I'm only doing 5ga batches. Bigger batches, or using a powerful cooler like a chest freezer, and I'm sure the thermal carryover from cooling would be more noticeable. How much, I cannot say.

 

[jwbeard]

Option 2: Drill a 1/2" hole in the side of the Speidel lid, which is what HDIr0n ended up doing, but instead of gaskets/washers I fit a rubber grommet into the hole that the thermowell fits into.

Sorry to resurrect this topic, but what kind of grommet did you end up using? I imagine I could find a store nearby with some and buy a number to try, but it looks like you got a very snug fit and that it's airtight (I imagine it's a true grommet and not a pair of o-rings?)...

Waiting for my Speidel 60L to be delivered and would love to do this to my new fermenter - thanks!

Edit: I presume you had a 3/8" ID grommet based on the thermowell, and the OD is less important, but if you determined the panel thickness for the Speidel's lid, I'd be most grateful... I.e., value (D) in this image

 

[pfgonzo]

Your image is exactly the type of grommet I used. I just went to Radio Shack and bought a small $2 (if memory serves) bag of misc sizes. I ended up using the largest in the bag, and the fit is nice and snug. In fact, I just Googled it: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103392

That's the pack I bought, but bear in mind, the size I used was perfect for my specific thermowell. https://www.brewershardware.com/16-Stainless-Steel-Thermowell.html

The grommet size, per Radio Shack's description is 1/4" panel hole size, 1/16" panel thickness, 1/4" total grommet depth, 9/16" total grommet width.

If you have a different thermowell, your grommet size will have to adjust accordingly. Both the largest, and the next size down in the Radio Shack pack (and perhaps even one further size down), fit the width of the Speidel lid perfectly (Value D from your image).

As another option, someone in another thread claimed that the threads on a carboy cap fit the speidel top perfectly, and you can get carboy caps with built in thermowells. No drilling required, no grommets.

If I can find that thread, I'll edit my post to include the link.

[edit, here it is: https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/30l-speidel-fermenter-417864/ See posts by fpweeks on page 2 (for me), posts 12, 14 and 17.]

 

[jwbeard]

Thanks so much! I ordered the grommet and thermowell, and while I'm a little worried about it being airtight (easier to do a pressurized transfer to a keg without lifting the thing out of my freezer), but figure I can save my back by spending $5 on a replacement lid (sans-thermowell) for racking time.

Awesome and clean solution.

 

[grathan]

Where do you get the lids?

 

[jwbeard]

I ordered a replacement spigot as part of my original Speidel order (link)...

You can also get a locking cap that seals the port completely.

 

[jwbeard]

For those of you who have purchased the 60L Speidel, which uses a different spigot lid than the 30L in pfgonzo's method, you can still drill the thermowell port into the spigot lid without drilling it into the lid of the Speidel itself (potentially an expensive mistake), with a little creativity:

Sorry, I neglected to take pictures while I was doing this, and it's really hard to explain without those images... but:

I used a rubber mallet to remove the spout (orange) and disassemble the spigot assembly. I then drilled a hole 3/8" hole in the white plastic, and enlarged it until I could fit the grommet (size-matched with the thermowell before drilling) into the hole. Measure three times, drill once - it's a very precise fit, and if you drill too close to the port itself you could compromise the spigot.

I had to shave a little of the plastic on the upper-inside portion of the spout-holder (you can see a little shaved off in the image), so that I could push the thermowell into the grommet. Once it was secure in place, I put the spout back in and made sure it was secure.

Doesn't appear to have compromised the spigot's function at all, and now I have a thermowell I can use (and swap out for another spigot when I need to pressure-transfer the beer). The temperature probe (STC-1000) can be easily fitted behind the faucet, and it should work perfectly for my brew this weekend ::

 

[Carlscan26]

I use one of these http://morebeer.com/products/hood-thermowell-65-gallon-threaded-neck-carboys-15.html - it fits tightly so no air leak worries.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[Carlscan26]

On another mod tangent - what brand and size tubing are you all using for the Spiedel spigot? I can get 3/8" ID on but it doesn't stay on well and I end up holding it the entire time I'm draining to the keg.


Sent from my iPhone using Home Brew

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

I found the easiest way to get a thermowell into a bucket or something like this that has a large hole is to just drill a 1/2" hole, and buy an appropriately sized drilled rubber stopper and shove the thermowell down the hole...I know the thermowells at brewershardware fit snuggly inside of a standard drilled stopper and dont leak CO2.

I have two i use for my big 8 Gallon buckets. I tried the whole drilling the hole the same size of the thermowell it just doesnt work. The biggest issue is the leverage that gets put on the connection when you take it out ...once that extra weight dangling below gets leverage it just breaks any kind of seal you have usually. Weldless setup would probably fix this but its also probably quite a bit more expensive than a 25-50 cent rubber stopper that you can easily take apart and clean.