STC1000 Temp Sensor - Where do you put yours?

[RNVET]

As the Title asks. I have mine taped to the side of the FV under a piece of camping mat but have a feeling that it's not giving me a true reading of the brew inside. Doe's any body suspend in the brew itself and if so how?
Cheers

 

[winelight]

Suspending in the brew results in the greatest temperature variation. But really it doesn't matter. Free air, side of FV, in the brew - all will be good. I just have mine in free air inside the fridge.

 

[baggybill]

Bubble wrap pouch, side of FV. Tried free air, tended to fluctuate a bit as heater kicked on and off (time taken for FV to adjust). Happy where it is now and have another probe from a separate temp monitor that records min/max, in same bubble wrap pocket. Very little fluctuation now.

 

[IronBlue]

You will receive several opinions on this, I offer the following:

I have a larder fridge controlled by an STC1000 with 2 tube heaters etc. It takes two 50 litre FVs. I originally put the sensor in a beer bottle full of water in the bottom of the fridge.

A week into the first (double) fermentation with this setup I discovered the beer in the bottom FV was at 12.5C and the top FV was at 14.5C whilst the bottle was sat happily at the thermostat setting of 19C!

I now tape (or strap) the sensor to the side of the top FV and cover it with layers of neoprene and get about 0.2C variance to the actual beer temp, with the bottom FV about 0.5c lower. It is also a lot more static meaning a lot less compressor cycles.

 

[Fil]

my view is to palce the temp probe close to where any temp change is being applied.

if in a fridge with the air transferring the change in temp from the outside in, the placing the probe on the side behind insulation so it picks up the bucket temp not the air temp is the best as any change will be registered quickly, if the bulk normalises and indicates more change is needed so be it - its working.

however if u place the probe centraly in the beer the temp change needs to penetrate the whole bulk of the beer and May be overapplied at the edge?


So measuring closer to where any change is applied should help guard against overshooting and the system chasing itself.

If however you apply temp change via a hex coil in the beer then i would suggest measuring the temp closer to the coil in the beer centre would be best.

I appreciate fermenting beer should be a dynamic fluid in motion due to the yeast activity, i just dont know if we can rely on that dynamism to transfer temp change thru the bulk instantly

hope that makes sense as ive had a few..

 

[devexwarrior]

I tired bubblewrapped to the side of FV, next I built a little housing from polystyrene then I put it in the brew and now I have settled for keeping the sensor in a beer bottle filled with water. I can move things round without getting tangled up and as I ferment for two weeks everything evens out nicely.