Stopper Thermowell for temp control question.

[Tankard]

I want to buy a stopper thermowell to use with my digital temp controller, but I'm not sure if they are compatible with the ranco that I bought.

http://www.northernbrewer.com/temp-control.html

You can find the thermowell on that page. It's also on midwest and morebeer, but they are sold out. I guess the way it works is you put the temperature probe from the controller into the thermowell, and it more accurately gauges the temperature of the wort. When fermentation starts, it can generate a lot of heat, and if the temperature probe is sitting outside the carboy, it won't be able to measure the internal temperature of the wort, increasing the risk of off-flavors.

The NB site says that it works for the digital johnson controller, but does anybody know if this will work for the Ranco?

[mdd134]

I just ran in to this issue, they say it will work with the ranco but the prob on my ranco did not fit

here is a pic of the type of ranco I have http://www.automatedaquariums.com/ranco1.jpg

I bought #40054 Stopper Thermowell from northernbrewer.com

now the prob did not fit, but I took a razor blade and trimmed it down till it would fit with ease. rooster45 did the same thing, and we are both using them with no problem now.

[mr x]

I used to use insertion probes, but now I just use the probe taped to the side, and well insulated with bubble wrap. I measured the difference at between .5-1 C when fermenting heavy, so I just adjust for that.

[Tankard]

I emailed Northern Brewer a few days ago and I just got an answer back. It won't fit the Ranco. Thanks MDD for confirming this.

I guess I'll just wait til the 18th when MoreBeer is supposed to get a new shipment of the thermowells in.

[pahiker6]

+1 on taping the probe to the side of your fermenter. I'm not sure if Mr.X was Jamil Z's source, but I heard Jamil mention the same thing (.5 - 1 degree difference) during a podcast before.

[Tankard]

This there a reason to not put the thermowell inside the wort? I think it would be the best way to gauge the actual fermentation temperature.

[mr x]

It is an excellent way to gauge the temp as accurately as possible, and sometimes it may be useful in stirring up the wort without introducing oxygen. But taping to the side is also very repeatable. Just assume a .5-1 degree diff. I did hear that on a podcast, and verified it myself. After I discovered this, I stopped using my insertion probe.

[rooster445]

Yep mdd and I had to trim the rubber from the end of ours