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Digital Temp. Controller quesions

Northern Brewer General
#1

Hey -

I just got a 7+ cubic foot chest freezer and a digital controller:

http://www.northernbrewer.com/shop/brew ... oller.html )

I adjusted the set point to 50 degrees, and the Differential to 1 degree. I left the other settings at the factory set value

I hooked it up, and it settled in at 50 degrees over the course of the night. But, I went back down to put some bottled beer in it, and noticed it was at 42. I opened it up, and warmed it up. Let it go again, and it dropped all the way into the upper 30’s.

Basically, I think what is happening is that it is cooling down so quickly, that by the time the temp. probe registers that it should shut off, the temp. it cold generated continues to lower the temp. well past the set point. Then, it slowly creeps back up to set range. When it hits the setpoint, it comes back on, overshoots the temp and cools down a lot lower than it is supposed to.

One main question - where do you put the probe? I just have it running in and hanging from the basket. So, it is just sort of hanging in the air in the middle of the freezer - should I put it somewhere else?

Or, is this just normal, and if you avoid opening and closing the freezer, it just settles in and stays there. Whereas anytime you open the freezer and it kicks on it is going to tend to overshoot the temp? Any thoughts? Am I doing something wrong?

#2

I keep the probe taped to the side of one keg, covered with bubble wrap, because what I care about is the beer temp.

#3

Mine just hangs kinda in the middle of the fridge. But I then know my beer will be fermenting just a few degrees warmer than what my temp is set at. So I always set my temp a few degrees cooler.

#4

+1 It’s all about the beer.

#5

Measure what you want to control, and that is the beer. Secure the probe to the vessel and cover it with really anything you have laying around. I use a bungee cord and a washcloth regularly.

These probes don’t take but a fraction of a second to sense the temp, so see what happens after you secure it to the vessel. If the fridge doesn’t shut off when it gets to the temp you set, you might have it set wrong.

Are you sure you don’t have it set to the “heating” setting?

If you did, the controller will kick on below your set temp, and shut off when it gets warmer that that temp.

#6

I to tape the probe to my fermenter and cover with bubble wrap. I never experienced huge swings in temp, but I was going a few degrees below from where I wanted. My bucket shop solution, was to have a heating pad on a timer run every few hours for about an hour.

#7

I tossed a few 1 gallon water jugs in mine as well as taping to the side of my fermenter. Adding the mass seemed to help slow the heat/cool cycle.

#8

Thanks for all the info. I definitely have it set on the cooling vs. the heating. And, I think a lot of it was due to the fact that the freezer was empty when I first was checking the temps. I put a couple cases of beer in there for now, as I do not have any lagers to ferment, and that has made a difference in the temperature swings.

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