Where do I place the temp probe in a chest cooler?

[boochuckles]

Title pretty much says it all... Where do I place the temp probe in a chest cooler?

I just got a Haier 7.1cu chest freezer and I am going to add a STC-1000 as an on/off switch. I'm going to use this diagram and an extension cord to function as the temp controller. I'm using an extension cord rather then hard wiring because my wife does not want me to F#@%-up a new $200 item. I used this in the past for a water heater for a HLT and it worked great. I just don't have a clue where the probe should be in a cooler. Top? Bottom? Side? Dangling? Away from the compressor bump? Close to it?

I'm just looking for the place to put it to get the best use of it.

Thanks

 

[kh54s10]

Kegerator or Fermentation chamber?

Either way, I would do similar to a fermentation chamber where you want the liquid at a certain temperature. Insulate the probe from ambient and have it tight against the side of a keg or fermentation vessel.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

Taped to the bucket and insulated or using a themowell will be your 2 awswers.I found a themowell the easiest,,the goal is to be reading the beer temp and not the ambient air temp.If your using a bucket just drill a hole in the lid,put stopper in hole and thermowell in stopper.If using a carboy I believe they make a stopper with to hole,one for the airlock,one for the themowell.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct...LDziqCoyQPmimDI1g&sig2=wxlslsIsY18_SOpPqgby6w

I assume this is for a ferm chamber as its brand new and your wife might kill you if your started disassembling a brand new fridge for a kegerator.Thats something you do in the basement and tell her your making her a planter

 

[boochuckles]

Kegerator with just party taps for now. I have a separate mini fridge for fermentation that i just jerry rigged the thermostat on

 

[wisconsinitebrewer]

For my keezer, I have the thermostat sitting in a small glass of water on the bump. Seems to work great for me

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

In the cold part.

 

[boochuckles]

In the cold part.

Rimshot...

 

[doug293cz]

For a keggerator/keezer, hanging the probe in the ambient air is fine. Just make sure the probe is not touching the wall of the cooler. No need to put the probe in a vessel of liquid, or tape to the side of a keg. There are no heat generating processes in finished beer, so the kegs will equilibrate at the air temperature. Thermally coupling the probe to the liquid is only necessary if the liquid is generating heat (fermenting.)

Edit: Also, be sure to set your compressor delay to 10 minutes. This will help keep your compressor from short cycling, which would reduce its life.

Brew on

 

[kh54s10]

For a keggerator/keezer, hanging the probe in the ambient air is fine. Just make sure the probe is not touching the wall of the cooler. No need to put the probe in a vessel of liquid, or tape to the side of a keg. There are no heat generating processes in finished beer, so the kegs will equilibrate at the air temperature. Thermally coupling the probe to the liquid is only necessary if the liquid is generating heat (fermenting.)

Edit: Also, be sure to set your compressor delay to 10 minutes. This will help keep your compressor from short cycling, which would reduce its life.

Brew on

Hadn't thought about the fact that the beer will equilibriate given time. But, will it get there sooner if it is the beer that you are regulating to.

Also measuring temperature of liquid will warm up and cool more slowly so the 10 minute delay would be less necessary.

 

[doug293cz]

Hadn't thought about the fact that the beer will equilibriate given time. But, will it get there sooner if it is the beer that you are regulating to.

True, but if you have multiple kegs (as likely in a chest freezer), you always need to move the probe to the warm keg you just put in the cooler to take advantage of this effect. Then what happens is the chamber cools way below target temp in order to get the warm keg down to target temp, and the other kegs get over cooled. Things will eventually equilibrate, so it's not a disaster.

Also measuring temperature of liquid will warm up and cool more slowly so the 10 minute delay would be less necessary.

Only takes about 30 seconds to set the compressor delay, and you only have to do it once. You can also minimize compressor cycling by not using the minimum temp hysteresis settings (use 0.5˚ - 0.7˚C instead of 0.3˚C.)

Brew on

 

[kh54s10]

True, but if you have multiple kegs (as likely in a chest freezer), you always need to move the probe to the warm keg you just put in the cooler to take advantage of this effect. Then what happens is the chamber cools way below target temp in order to get the warm keg down to target temp, and the other kegs get over cooled. Things will eventually equilibrate, so it's not a disaster.

Again, I wasn't thinking of all the possibilities. If you have several kegs in the keezer the new one will be cool long before it is ready to tap. You also have the others while the new one is getting ready. Even if you force carb it is likely to be at temperature before it is properly carbonated.

So I guess either ambient or on a keg that is already cooled.

 

[JONNYROTTEN]

I your concerned about air movement I just got this for the ferm chamber.Its also going to double as my stir plate...Not bad for $12 https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00080G0BK/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

But WAIT theres more...In your case you could use it in the keezer,take it out for a week when your fermenting AND use it as a stir plate....all for the low low price of $12 (in my best infomercial voice)

 

[boochuckles]

Oh No! The cord i got i can not tell which is the black and which is the white wire. There is the green ground in the middle but the outer wire one has writing and the other has solid raised lines!! Both could be the black wire. Inside there is no color other then the green ground wire. Help!

 

[boochuckles]

A picture may help...

View attachment 1464987841748.jpg