Inkbird probe - using on the outside?

[Random Badger]

Just playing with testing my new brewing equipment, which includes an Inkbird ITC-308S Temperature Controller. To keep the infection risk to a minimum I was hoping to stick this to the outside of the fermenter and use it to control a heat pad. However, initial measurements seem to indicate that the temperature shown by the probe on the outside of the fermenter is about 5 degrees C less than that when it is dangled into the liquid. This leads me to wonder what other people do?

1) Is there a safe temperature adjustment that can be made to account for the probe being on the outside e.g. setting the Inkbird to 28C rather than 23C for beer, or is that too unreliable/risky?

2) Is there a good way to improve the accuracy of the temperature reading on the outside of the fermenter e.g. with foil or other insulation around the "outside" of the probe?

3) Any other tips please?

 

[SPRAGGYY]

Hi Badger,

I normally tape a prob the outside of my FV then tape a folded microfibre cloth over that then a layer of bubble wrap over that for good measure!

So far I haven’t found any discrepancies with the temps,

hope that helps!

 

[Random Badger]

Hi Badger,

I normally tape a prob the outside of my FV then tape a folded microfibre cloth over that then a layer of bubble wrap over that for good measure!

So far I haven’t found any discrepancies with the temps,

hope that helps!

I will give that a go!

 

[Random Badger]

Hi Badger,

I normally tape a prob the outside of my FV then tape a folded microfibre cloth over that then a layer of bubble wrap over that for good measure!

So far I haven’t found any discrepancies with the temps,

hope that helps!

I've added more insultation to the probe and now the difference between being in the liquid or taped to the outside of the FV seems to be about 1 degree C.

So I'm thinking that should hopefully be ok with the Inkbird set to a 24C target (which in reality may be up to 25C in the wort) with a 1 degree range for heating and cooling. I've got a small desk fan as the potential cooling option, but I doubt it will be needed in the next week or so. Or should I set the target to 23C to be safe?

I've had it plugged into a heating pad for a few hours and although the Inkbird shows as "heating" the heat pad doesn't seem to be doing much to actually raise the water temperature from 23.4C to the target of 24C. It actually went down to 23.2C instead for a while and is now back at 23.3C Possibly I'm misunderstanding something about how it operates, or the room is cooling enough to have an impact. Better give it another hour and check again.

 

[MiAlBrew]

I use my probe on the outside of a plastic FV under a block of foam (a sanding block with the abrasive peeled off). I haven't actually compared inside and outside temps, but it seems to do the trick. I also aim to set it in the middle of the reccomended temperatures on the yeast packet to avoid "off" flavours.

 

[SPRAGGYY]

I don’t have any experience with the ink bird temperature controller, I only have an inkbird X4S temperature probe kit to monitor the temp.

I find my wort is typically 1 degree higher than the ambient temperature during initial fermentation, I assume the heat mat feels hot? Maybe try standing the heat pad / FV on some polystyrene to ensure the heat only goes upward? I did find my brew belt takes a while to heat the wort as it’a a fair mass.

 

[Random Badger]

I don’t have any experience with the ink bird temperature controller, I only have an inkbird X4S temperature probe kit to monitor the temp.

I find my wort is typically 1 degree higher than the ambient temperature during initial fermentation, I assume the heat mat feels hot? Maybe try standing the heat pad / FV on some polystyrene to ensure the heat only goes upward? I did find my brew belt takes a while to heat the wort as it’a a fair mass.

Yes the heat pad feels warm. However it seemed odd that the temperature was going down rather than up when the target temperature hadn't been reached, although admittedly we are only talking about fractions of a degree.

Unfortunately another issue cropped up and put an end to my brewing plans for tonight. On assembling and cleaning my new fermenter it became clear that the tap was leaking. I thought the thread seemed rather loose in the hole when I fitted it and after several more goes (even tried the washer on the inside which didn't help) there still seems to be a bit of moisture appearing under the tap. My assumption is that the supplier has drilled too large a hole and so I will be having words.

 

[Benfleet Brewery]

Hi Badger,

I normally tape a prob the outside of my FV then tape a folded microfibre cloth over that then a layer of bubble wrap over that for good measure!

So far I haven’t found any discrepancies with the temps,

hope that helps!

I do similar but I just use a few sheets of folded kitchen roll to insulate and then sellotape it to the FV.
Ive also now learned to be more patient and don‘t keep opening the door to the brew fridge which helps a lot