Mash and HLT temp monitoring

[Ciaran12s]

What do you all use for monitoring your mash and sparge water temperature.

I got a digital one from Tesco with a cabled thermocouple probe. Cooked that.

Got one from Amazon, same idea but two jacks for two cabled thermocouple probes. I've cooked one of them as well.

They've never hit anywhere near the upper range and all I can think is they're no good for measuring liquid temperatures.

So any recommendations? I do like it being on a cable for continuous monitoring.

 

[britton]

I use STC 1000

 

[Dutto]

I use an Inkbird BBQ probe.

To keep it dry:

o In the Mash Tun, before attaching the lid, I shove the probe through a plastic board that sits on top of the grain.

o In the Sparge Water Heater (a modified FV) I drop the probe through the hole in the bung at the top and fill the vessel so that only the end of the probe sits in the water.

The first two probes supplied by Inkbird burned out when they got really damp but their replacements are working well after use in my smoker and more than a dozen brews. :thumb:

 

[JapanBrew]

I used to use a STC 1000 but I built a PID system that controls the temp. One of my probes is set in the wort output on my recirculating system. This gives me a more accurate reading of the wort actually in the mash. The other is just in a thermowell in the HLT but doesn’t control anything. Just for seeing the temp in the HLT. I’m working on another PID that’ll be used to get the HLT to strike temperature separate from the mash system so I can run continuous brews. My FV is rather large and I don’t have the cash to up my boil kettle, mash tun and hot liquor tank. So I will have to do at least 4 runs to mostly fill my 160 liter FV.

 

[Ciaran12s]

Thanks for the info chaps! It's maybe been water ingress that's done it then. I'll just have to keep a better eye on that in future.

A PID sounds good! I'll have to stick with turning the elements off and on for the time being though

 

[Sbond10]

Thanks for the info chaps! It's maybe been water ingress that's done it then. I'll just have to keep a better eye on that in future.

A PID sounds good! I'll have to stick with turning the elements off and on for the time being though

Inkbird have released a device called an engbird which is a blue tooth temp logger.

Ive recently ask about using a pid to control an element in a hlt and basically got told its abit overkill unless your planning on a constant recirc. If your element is under 10amp then a prebuilt inkbird 308 ( you can get the long probe for going thru lid if you want. Then theres the bog standard st1000 you can get cheap chinese crap with a 30amp relay for around ten quid or a branded one (like inkbird ) with an enclosure for about 15 but these are only 10 amps.

Could the solution be a thermowell as well

 

[Ciaran12s]

Mine is a gravity fed system. I've started insulating it whilst on use and to be fair the temperature does hold quite well.

I might try again with the type I've got. It might be quite easy to get replacement probes. I'll just have to be more careful with them.

 

[photek1000]

I use an Inkbird ITC-306 for controlling the temperature of my HLT for Mash and Sparge water and I also use cheap digital thermometers to just give a second opinion, and my Glass thermometer pokes out of my Mash tun when mashing.

 

[Bigjas]

I use a 300mm Dial Thermometer like one of these https://www.tester.co.uk/eti-heavy-...MI67a57vn31wIVFRMbCh109gt3EAQYASABEgIFCvD_BwE

Not sure if it will suit your set up? But I use a coolbox mash tun and I just drilled a hole in the lid and the probe sits in the middle of the mash. It works brilliantly and has done 20 brews. I even managed to drop it in to the Boiler full of wort (don't ask) and it still works perfectly. Sometimes old school is better than digital, I have got through 3 digital thermometers in a year before getting one of these. For my HLT, I have made a spider and just hang it from that.

 

[Ciaran12s]

That does look good bigjas! Might be an option

 

[Clint]

Bigjas and his doctor who prop!
I too use technology inkbird bbq probe...works great and nice big red display so it's easy to keep an eye on while doing stuff...

 

[Ciaran12s]

Do you find you have to keep the probes dry at the joint clint? I'm thinking that's where I've ballsed these other ones up

 

[Fil]

check out the eti thermapen, UK made Very fast to zero in on a reading, Large clear lcd display, certified (by manufacturer) to be accurate, and it costs a bit more than a cheap chinese import but refurbed jobs appear on ebay for circa £25 iirc every now and again.

Its manual easily found with the google search term "eti thermapen manual pdf" contains detailed instructions for a 2 point calibration test using ice water for a close to 0C reading and boiling water for a close to 100C reading (not as simple as you may think) well worth doing with every thermometer you rely on..

Be warned if you buy a thermapen you may need to buy a 2nd as the first invariably ends up in the kitchen,

 

[Clint]

I only dangle the metal bit in....

 

[GerritT]

Inkbird. Readable from 5 yards, i.e. kitchen table behind books, laptop and brew :mrgreen: