hlt temp control?

[jaymondo]

i've been thinking about adding temp control to my hlt, its a 50l pot with a 3kw immersion heater. i've found this on ebay and just wanted to check whether its suitable before i buy. :thumb:

 

[keith1664]

Though I use a PID and 2 SSR's myself it's overkill really. However if you decided to use one I'd recommend using a PT100 sensor and compatable PID for improved accuracy at the temperatures we're interested in (k type thermocouples are more suited to higher temps). If I were to do it again I'd probably keep it simple and go for one of THESE.

I use mine with a timer so that when I drag myself out of bed in the morning the water is ready, I mash in, up the setting to sparge temp, take the kids to school, have a coffee then sparge. It's one less thing to have to faff about with.

 

[jaymondo]

thanks keith, i'll have a look at the pt100 probe. can they be fitted straight through the pot or would i need to fit a thermo pocket?

 

[evanvine]

Both Ebay items are at very good prices!
A thermowell would be preferable as only the probe tip to body is waterproof.

 

[keith1664]

My probe came from Auberins.com in the U.S. it's liquid tight so no thermowell required, however they're not as cheap as the eBay items.

 

[hairybiker]

I use an ST100 same as the one in Keiths post. I just drop the sensor in the water and set it to strike temp +4 deg.
The one you posted seems to be a pid with RELAY o/p not SSD o/p so you would need additional power to supply the SSD.

I have a couple of those probes to try out, once I test one to see how waterproof they are. (one for the hlt and one for the MT)

 

[keith1664]

The one I linked to isn't an STC 1000 even though it looks like one. It heats OR cools and is rated higher than the STC which would be on it's limit running a kettle element.