18 replies to this topic

[brewskee]

I was just wondering what everyone's favorite thermometers to use are? I'm about to re-build my system, and need to invest in a digital thermometer. The one's at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with the long wire probe tend to break for some reason (I've had 2 break on me).

[VolFan]

They will cost more, but you may want to look into getting a thermocouple.

[brewskee]

They will cost more, but you may want to look into getting a thermocouple.

Do explain...

[xd_haze]

Thermocouple thermometers measure temperature based on the voltage produced at the junction of two dissimilar metals. The meter measures the millivolt output at a thermocouple junction (the tip of the probe) and displays it as a temperature.They are accurate and the probes are durable -- they are just welded bits of wire. But I think the primary advantage is that they are swappable -- I have a bunch of probes and a couple meters. I can use any combination. The only caveat is that there are different kinds, which aren't swappable. There are, for instance, K, J, and T types. They are different pairings of metal. I use all K type meters and probes. J type are nice because you can easily solder your own probes, but K seems to be the most ubiquitous and available on ebay.They are expensive, but if you look around you can find a thermocouple meter and probe for not much more than they kitchen probe type.mike

Do explain...

[MakeMeHoppy]

I was just wondering what everyone's favorite thermometers to use are? I'm about to re-build my system, and need to invest in a digital thermometer. The one's at Bed, Bath, and Beyond with the long wire probe tend to break for some reason (I've had 2 break on me).

I have one of these. The problem wasn't that the probe wire broke, but unstead that the probe got immersed in liquid. You would think they are waterproof looking at them, but they are not. I wrote to the manufacturer and they sent me a replacement probe. I've been using for over a year now making sure when I stick it in water, wort or mash that the probe tip is immersed, but never up to the junction with the braided wire.

[ThroatwobblerMangrove]

I use a digital meat thermo that I bought at target or something. It seems accurate enough to put out good beer so I continue to use it.

[Mindblock]

I got tired of replacing probe thermometers every time the probe got a bit too wet, so I got one of these after seeing it recommended on a brewing forum somewhere:https://vwrlabshop.c...ters/p/0013422/I have been very pleased and have used it to recalibrate all of my analog thermometers and lent it to members of my local club for them to do the same.

[djinkc]

Even with shipping these are a great deal. I find them to be pretty accurate too.Just be certain a Total Immersion is what you want. Also, don't set a converted Sanke HLT on one though - had to order a couple today.

Edited by dj in kc, 24 August 2009 - 03:53 PM.

[Mindblock]

Even with shipping these are a great deal. I find them to be pretty accurate too.Just be certain a Total Immersion is what you want. Also, don't set a converted Sanke HLT on one though - had to order a couple today.

Nice find.....I may get a couple of those.....how precise are they??.....can you mash knowing you are at 153F and not 155F???.....I am all about reproducability (the hobgoblin of a tiny mind I guess).....

[djinkc]

Nice find.....I may get a couple of those.....how precise are they??.....can you mash knowing you are at 153F and not 155F???.....I am all about reproducability (the hobgoblin of a tiny mind I guess).....

Well, sometimes you get what you pay for, sometimes you don't. I've been brewing for a while and have brewed a lot. I think these are a good value. OTOH, by the time you have determined that the mash is at 153df it's almost done anyway. It takes a while to let the temp equalize and some think that most of the good stuff already happened in the first 20 minutes. One school of thought is it takes at least 10 minutes to get an accurate settled in reading. Just throwing stuff out to discuss..........

[stellarbrew]

I mainly use my Fluke multimeter these days, with a thermocouple. I have thoroughly verified the accuracy, and it reads instantly. I use the unsheathed thermocouple that came with the meter (the wire has a plastic insulation, but the thermocouple is unsheathed). It has held up well to mashes, boiling water, and boiling wort, and I don't have to worry about the thermal mass of a sheath delaying a steady reading.

[Salsgebom]

I use a lab thermometer sold at the LHBS. It's a really long, glass mercury thermometer (I think they're still using mercury on these, I'm not totally sure). It's very fragile and unfortunately it can't be used to automate your system, but it does a fantastic job at pin-pointing my strike/sparge water and mash temps quickly. Always check for bubbles in the mercury, but as long as you don't bang it around- it's super reliable. Costs about 5 bucks.

[brewskee]

I feel like temp control is something you shouldn't cheap on...

[Mindblock]

Well, sometimes you get what you pay for, sometimes you don't. I've been brewing for a while and have brewed a lot. I think these are a good value. OTOH, by the time you have determined that the mash is at 153df it's almost done anyway. It takes a while to let the temp equalize and some think that most of the good stuff already happened in the first 20 minutes. One school of thought is it takes at least 10 minutes to get an accurate settled in reading. Just throwing stuff out to discuss..........

DJ,I agree, it has been my experience that with each temperature step it takes ~10 minutes to equilibrate the temp between the center of the mash and the recirculating wort output in my RIMS system.....but early this spring I also found that my thermometers (I have them on the HLT, mash tun, and a thermocouple for the RIMS control) were in need of calibration.....three batches in a row finished quite sweet, with a high FG.....I tracked the problem back to the thermometers being off by ~4F.....so while I THOUGHT I was mashing at 151F, I was actually mashing at 155F. The difference was not subtle!!We have all heard it before, but temperatures make a BIG difference.....we need to make sure we are measuring them correctly.

[djinkc]

DJ,I agree, it has been my experience that with each temperature step it takes ~10 minutes to equilibrate the temp between the center of the mash and the recirculating wort output in my RIMS system.....but early this spring I also found that my thermometers (I have them on the HLT, mash tun, and a thermocouple for the RIMS control) were in need of calibration.....three batches in a row finished quite sweet, with a high FG.....I tracked the problem back to the thermometers being off by ~4F.....so while I THOUGHT I was mashing at 151F, I was actually mashing at 155F. The difference was not subtle!!We have all heard it before, but temperatures make a BIG difference.....we need to make sure we are measuring them correctly.

I have a lab grade mercury thermometer that I use to check the cheapo Nova-Techs with. FWIW I've probably been through 4 of them and they have all matched the lab thermo spot on for brewing temperatures.

[Salsgebom]

I feel like temp control is something you shouldn't cheap on...

That said, you can also spend $300 on a crappy thermometer. I've got dials and digitals that I use for commercial brewing since I can't reach the mash with my arm, but I consider my homebrewing setup to have an advantage since it's small enough for me to use my trusty lab thermo.

[Mindblock]

That said, you can also spend $300 on a crappy thermometer. I've got dials and digitals that I use for commercial brewing since I can't reach the mash with my arm, but I consider my homebrewing setup to have an advantage since it's small enough for me to use my trusty lab thermo.

In your commercial brewing experience, how often do you calibrate your dials and digitals??Given the experience I had with homebrew size batches and thermometers which had drifted out of calibration, I am thinking I need to pay attention and calibrate them more often than the NEVER that I was doing it <G> ..... BUT I acknowledge that I run the risk of getting TOO compulsive about stuff sometimes.

[Darterboy]

The digital oven thermometers from places like Bed Bath and Beyond are great. The one I use is branded Pyrex (this is meaningless-- I'm sure they're all made in the same factory in China) and seems indestructible. I constantly drop it on concrete and leave it out in the rain and it keeps chugging along. I've used it for almost 5 years and am only on the second battery. I don't think I payed more than $20 for it.As was mentioned earlier, if you get liquid in the probe or get the braided metal line that attaches the probe to the display unit wet, it will read about 40F high. (if this happens, it's not ruined forever- put the probe and all of the line except the plug end in a low oven overnight to dry it out) Some easy modifications will prevent this, though:1. Put a tiny little dab of silicone at the junction where the probe and the line join.2: Go to an electronics supply store and get some heat-shrink tubing. Work this over the probe and up the braided line as far as you can, being sure to leave about an inch of it on the probe in front of the junction. Use a hair dryer set on high or a candle flame to shrink the tubing tightly onto the probe and line. Mine's never gotten wet since I did this, even with the line and probe submerged in boiling wort.3: Take a wine cork and drill a hole lengthwise down the center, slightly smaller than your probe. Put your probe through that and PRESTO! floating remote digital thermometer.I also check my thermometer reading against a couple of others reading ambient air temp before I start my brewday, to make sure they're close and the readings make sense. If I'm shivering and the thermometer reads 94F (this has happened to me) sumpin' ain't right!

[VolFan]

OTOH, by the time you have determined that the mash is at 153df it's almost done anyway. It takes a while to let the temp equalize and some think that most of the good stuff already happened in the first 20 minutes. One school of thought is it takes at least 10 minutes to get an accurate settled in reading. Just throwing stuff out to discuss..........

I fully agree. I underlet the strike water which I think helps reduce the amount of doughballs and really stir the mash well once I get my approximated volume of water in the mash. I still get varying temp readings from one side of the tun to the other. I am now using two thermocuoples that are fed into my PIDs and they both agree with one another.I'm with dj on this one, it takes about 10 good minutes for the temps to equalize.