Digital thermometer probe placement

[StrontiumDog]

Hi all.

I have an Inkbird ITC-308 (sorry it's a stock photo, I'm at work so can't take a pic) and I'm mainly using it to heat sparge water. I was wondering if any one has any advice for securing the probe in the HLT rather than just letting it dangle as it's not really heavy enough to sink and the wire is zigzagged from where it was packaged.

I'd like something so I can take it out and use it in other things (mash tun, boiler etc) so not sure a thermowel would work. I was thinking perhaps feeding it in to some copper pipe or something?

Would be grateful for any tips or genius ideas

[guypettigrew]

Surely a thermowell would be ideal?

This one from the Malt Miller even says the sensor from an Inkbird fits! It's out of stock, unfortunately, but it would be worth checking to see when the next delivery is due.

If you fitted thermowells to the rest of your kit you'd be able to move the Inkbird sensor wherever you wanted to.

Guy

[StrontiumDog]

Surely a thermowell would be ideal?

This one from the Malt Miller even says the sensor from an Inkbird fits! It's out of stock, unfortunately, but it would be worth checking to see when the next delivery is due.

If you fitted thermowells to the rest of your kit you'd be able to move the Inkbird sensor wherever you wanted to.

Guy

Thanks guy, I didn't know they could be moved around. I guess the biggest thing putting me off has been the thought of trying to drill the hole

[Fil]

tie the probe to a stainless steel teaspoon or fork to weigh it down

there is a major drawback with a static probe which you dont usually notice until you fall foul of it which is too late for that brew.

with a static probe position the liquor in the hlt can layer out, there is probably a technical term for it but im ignorant if that if it exists.. this means at the probe point the temperature is generally spot on, however below and above the probe the temp can vary significantly, cooler below warmer above..

with a probe that can move up and down within a pot such a variance will become evident as you pull the probe and you can stir the pot to normalise the temp but if you dont realise you can find yourself dumping cool strike or sparge liquor onto your grains..

so if you go for the thermowell just remember to give the pot a good stir prior to drawing off strike or sparge liquors to ensure the temp is correct its also why you will find some hlts fitted with recirc returns..

[guypettigrew]

Thanks guy, I didn't know they could be moved around. I guess the biggest thing putting me off has been the thought of trying to drill the hole

It's the probe you'd be moving from vessel to vessel, not the thermowell. You'd need thermowells in each pot then stick the Inkbird probe into whichever pot you wanted to.

Guy