What kind of thermometer do you use?

[kingmatt]

I recently purchased this model from amazon: http://www.amazon.com/CDN-Digital-Programmable-Probe-Thermometer/dp/B00046YFHE/ref=sr_1_24?s=home-garden&ie=UTF8&qid=1305325395&sr=1-24
and after only once use for all-grain the probe stopped working correctly and read over 100 degrees higher than the correct temp

I am now in the market for a new thermometer for brewing and wanted to get HBT member recommendations on a good one...

 

[rcrabb22]

Answered many times the same way

Thermapen!

Yes it's expensive, Yes it's expensive, Yes it's expensive

BUT

if you take care of it, it will be the last thermometer you will ever buy and you will have peace of mind knowing what it reads it what the temperature is!

 

[chapa]

Anything by Taylor seems to be pretty accurate. I definitely want a thermapen though.

 

[ajwillys]

I use a Fluke 52. Yes, its also expensive but it has two Type K thermocouples, is SUPER accurate, and can record the min, max, and average of both probes over multiple days. That last feature is super nice for fermenting, one probe in the wort, one in the ambient air nearby. It's also super rugged and comes NIST calibrated. It can also be re-calibrated professionally or "adjusted" manually, which basically just sets an offset.

I promise its the last thermometer you'll ever buy. I use it for brewing, in the kitchen, at the barbecue, everything.

 

[northernlad]

My experience with these prompts me to ask you if you are absolutely certain you have it on the right setting. I have worked with a different brand that is a serious POS to get set right and it gives totally wrong readings until you do.
I use a Comark DT400

 

[JuanMoore]

As you learned, the type of thermometer you bought will stop working correctly as soon as even a tiny amount of liquid gets inside the probe. The good news is that you can probably fix it by unplugging the probe and baking it in the oven at a very low temp for a few hours to dry it out. You can then waterproof it with some silicone aquarium pump tubing and a couple of o-rings. BobbyM has a write up somewhere around here on how to do that.

Yes the thermapens and Fluke's are very nice (and expensive), but as long as you keep them calibrated (and dry) the cheap ones will work just fine.

 

[ajwillys]

I'm not sure I agree. When mashing, we are talking about a range of about 149-159. Being just a couple degrees off can make a big difference in the overall mouthfeel and maltiness of the beer. The original thermapen has an accuracy of +/- 1% which means if it reads 150, its somewhere between 148.5 and 151.5. As far as I'm concerned, that's bare minimum accuracy. Especially when you throw in other things such as temperature stratification and the fact that it might not be calibrated. The super accurate thermapens are much more accurate (+/- .8* F) which means that same 150 reading is between 149.2 and 150.8. This is much more acceptable. The Fluke that I have is +/- .05% + .5*F. This is very similar to the super accurate thermapen and a reading of 150 could be between 149.425 and 150.575. Now, if the original thermapen is has a 3 degree temperature range and costs as much as it does, imagine what the accuracy of a Target thermometer is.

I'm not saying all this to say that you HAVE to get a super expensive thermometer. It might not be in your budget or being super accurate might not be a big deal to you. To say it doesn't matter though, I think is wrong.

 

[samc]

I have that CDN thermo that I've used for BBQ, cooking and mash temps. You probably needed to waterproof the probe where it meets the cable. Some silicone tubing as detailed elsewhere on HBT, can't find link when I need it. I'd take the probe and bake it in the oven to get rid of the moisture and see if it works after that.

I also have another CDN probe thermo that works well, the one recommended by Cooks Illustrated. Been using it for more than a year.

For the Mash I recently bought a floating mash thermo from the LHBS and it is dead on accurate with the digital probes.

 

[rico567]

Answered many times the same way

Thermapen!

Yes it's expensive, Yes it's expensive, Yes it's expensive

BUT

if you take care of it, it will be the last thermometer you will ever buy and you will have peace of mind knowing what it reads it what the temperature is!

+1 is all I can add to this. Thermapen all the way!

 

[Ace_Club]

Thermoworks makes a lot of different styles of thermometers with the Thermapen being one of the most expensive. I went with this style, here, and have been happy with it. It is still fairly quick, cheaper than the thermapen, and made by the same company so the quality is still there.

 

[Bitterbrush]

I have been using a Thermoworks RT301WA for awhile now. It works so good that my wife made me buy her one for the kitchen. Super fast and a GREAT price. Testing them in ice water shows them right on from the factory. These aren't as fast as a Thermapen, but at 6 seconds or so it's fast enough for anything I need.

http://thermoworks.com/products/low_cost/rt301wa.html

 

[dflipse]

I eventually found the best thing for us at Cole Parmer.

Coated Flexible Wire Probe
Workhorse Thermocouple Thermometer

Got those and calibrated with a glass lab thermometer and was very happy. Works out to a price in the neighborhood of the Thermapen. However, I can just leave it in the kettle, mash tun, snaked into the output hose of the CFC, or wherever, and I like that functionality.

Of course, for the sake of completeness, I should mention that our main temp sensor now is the Auber Liquid Tight RTD that's installed in my boil kettle.

 

[Jota21]

I've seen pictures of people who have the probe-style thermometers clipped to the sides of their brew kettles for steeping tempuratures, but i've never actually seen the clips available. Are these rigged up at home, or am i missing a readily available item because i dont know what it's called?

 

[nefarious_1_]

I've got a Taylor candy thermometer I use for steeping and a cheap instant read for checking the temp on cooling wort. Both are quite accurate. And of course, a stick on Fermometer for the carboy.

 

[rico567]

I've seen pictures of people who have the probe-style thermometers clipped to the sides of their brew kettles for steeping tempuratures, but i've never actually seen the clips available. Are these rigged up at home, or am i missing a readily available item because i dont know what it's called?

I've got one of the probe dial-type with a clip, very nice for keeping it on the side of any pot, probe is about 12" long. It came with my Midwest kit, but I'm sure they sell it separately. I use a Thermapen for just about everything other than measuring the progress of chilling.

 

[MazdaMatt]

How interested would you all be in battery powered thermometer that you can read via smartphone/blackberry/laptop with bluetooth, that will fit inside a carboy? Either a gumball floating model, or a pen-shaped model with the sesor in a boyant end and weights in the other end to suspend the sensor a few inches above the bottom.

This would allow you to sanitize it and drop it into a carboy for the duration of ferm, or perhaps drop it into your mash.

Edit - with datalogging for hourly temp readings in the ferm.

 

[Catt22]

How interested would you all be in battery powered thermometer that you can read via smartphone/blackberry/laptop with bluetooth, that will fit inside a carboy? Either a gumball floating model, or a pen-shaped model with the sesor in a boyant end and weights in the other end to suspend the sensor a few inches above the bottom.

This would allow you to sanitize it and drop it into a carboy for the duration of ferm, or perhaps drop it into your mash.

Edit - with datalogging for hourly temp readings in the ferm.

I would be interested in something like you describe. I'd like to see it as a stand alone unit rather than requiring a smartphone etc to use. Both options would be really cool. I'm doing a hillbilly version of this with a wireless indoor/outdoor thermometer. I put the transmitter in a zip lock bag, sanitize itand put it in the keg or fermenter. This has been working very well for me.

I would like to see the following features:

1. One receiver with multiple transmitters available and separate channels for each.

2. USB interface for the receiver would be cool.

3. Transmitter must be small and waterproof. It would be OK if it simply floated on the surface like a floating thermometer.

4. Must be inexpensive. Homebrewers are very stingy.

5. Must be accurate. I'd say +/- 1*F or maybe slightly more would be doable and acceptable.

6. Minimum/maximum resettable memory would be a nice feature. Detailed data tracking would be nice fluff, but not absolutely necessary.

I think you could sell a zillion of these units if the price were right and the quality good. Maybe offer a bare bones version with options for the data tracking, smartphone interface etc. I would prefer not to have to haul out my laptop just to get a reading and I only have a dumb phone right now.

 

[ajwillys]

I would also be very interested. In addition to the above requirements, I think you'd have to ensure that the "wet side" consisted entirely of food grade materials, could withstand near-boiling temperatures (for the mash), and was accurate/reliable. A wifi version that logs to a listening pc (lots of protocols you could use) would be very cool.

As far as floating/sinking. It would be very cool if it was close to neutrally buoyant in wort. I know this would be very difficult since the density decreases as it ferments. My concern with it floating at the top or sinking to the bottom would be it would be inaccurate due to being stuck in the krausen or the trub.

 

[Catt22]

I would also be very interested. In addition to the above requirements, I think you'd have to ensure that the "wet side" consisted entirely of food grade materials, could withstand near-boiling temperatures (for the mash), and was accurate/reliable. A wifi version that logs to a listening pc (lots of protocols you could use) would be very cool.

As far as floating/sinking. It would be very cool if it was close to neutrally buoyant in wort. I know this would be very difficult since the density decreases as it ferments. My concern with it floating at the top or sinking to the bottom would be it would be inaccurate due to being stuck in the krausen or the trub.

I think the conventional methods of monitoring mash temperatures are satisfactory, so it might be better to lose the near boiling temp specification. That could increase the cost substantially. Perhaps not, but I bet it would.

Regarding floating the transmitter in a fermenter. The fermenting wort should be warmest near the surface as heat rises. Measuring the temp at the surface should give you the maximum temp which is what I think we would want. With all the turbulence going on in an active fermentation I would think it would stay pretty well churned up and not stratify too much. I'm sure it would be close enough for my purposes.

 

[ajwillys]

Regarding floating the transmitter in a fermenter. The fermenting wort should be warmest near the surface as heat rises. Measuring the temp at the surface should give you the maximum temp which is what I think we would want. With all the turbulence going on in an active fermentation I would think it would stay pretty well churned up and not stratify too much. I'm sure it would be close enough for my purposes.

I understand that. I was more concerned with it actually getting stuck "in" the krausen. It depends on how thick/dense it is, but I've seen several that you would not have a hard time setting a golf ball on and having it sit there without sinking in.

 

[MazdaMatt]

Great feedback and my slacking... er... research at work so far today is very much inline with all of these needs.

A separate standalone reciever with multiple channels is a perfectly reasonable addon and could be built for a perfectly reasonable price and sold seperately.

All the parts I've seen are -40C to +85C, so mash (and even sparge water) is perfectly acceptable, but obviously can't be left in when you're heating sparge in case you overshoot. Even applejacking would be in range.

Foodgrade plastic casing would be easy enough, stainless would be awesome if the signal can get out.

I worried about floating catching air temp instead of liquid temp, but it could be floating with a weighted end containing the sensor part, just as the bottom method could be sinking with a boyant end containing the sensor part.

it would be QUITE rugged based on what I've seen so far, so if you pour out your fermenter and it is stuck in the sludge you can just swish it around with water and get it out in your normal cleaning routine.

...You may hear more about this in the future from me.

Throwing out what I think is a reasonable price for the technology:
Android/iPhone/PC application - free
sensor 29
sensor 4-pack, 95
multi-channel receiver 40 (not required with smart device or PC).
reciever for computer without it built in - go to ebay, they're cheap, i wouldn't resell.

battery life is expected to be >1yr with warning well in advance of dead battery, accuracy approx 1F, operable from -40C to +85C, durable perhaps through a wider range.

 

[TopherM]

When it comes to thermometers, don't be an a** - just stay away from the brand name RECTAL.

When I ordered from this company, I didn't know that this brand is mostly marketed to kids, so boy was I the butt of everyone's jokes. When I finally got my thermometer, I was rearing to try it out, but my keister of a SWMBO (Fanny) said that I wouldn't get any tooshie if I used that thing for brewing and pointed to her waste basket. So I tossed it in her can, but as soon as she closed her eye, I digged it out of the bottom under some moldy buns, wiped it off (three second rule), took a seat, and brewed with it anyway. That batch of brown turned out a bit darker than expected with some nutty notes on the tail, but not complete waste. Anyway, I had to dispose of the evidence before SWMBO saw anything, so I passed that thermometer to another bum. He told me it wasn't worth poop after a few more uses.

Oh, and don't get me started on their customer service. RECTAL service was nothing but abrasive and uncomfortable. You'd think they'd take it easy on their new customers and ease you into their product line, but no....nothing but force-fed sh*t!

Hope that helps.

 

[Catt22]

I understand that. I was more concerned with it actually getting stuck "in" the krausen. It depends on how thick/dense it is, but I've seen several that you would not have a hard time setting a golf ball on and having it sit there without sinking in.

I don't think the krausen would interfere with anything. The upper level of the wort, the krausen froth and the head space should be close to the same temperature I would think. You could probably anchor the bag mid depth with a weight and some line. I just don't think it's that important to bother with.