Temp Probe Pass-through In Fermentation Freezer

[rdshup01]

Hi all,

My 7.0 ft^3 GE chest freezer (model FCM7SUWW from Home Depot, $178) just arrived today! I'm currently located in Tucson, AZ and our temps are scorching at the time, hence the need for this appliance. It will primarily be used to control fermentation temperatures, not keg temps. My home temperature is maintained around 80 deg F at all times.

To control temperature, I am using a Johnson Controls A419 digital temperature controller, which I am more than pleased with. The probe for this controller has a 6' wire with the ~.3" diameter metal probe head on the end. My current quandary is deciding how to route the probe into the freezer itself. I dislike the idea of simply shutting the wire into the lid seal and allowing it to be pinched, but I dislike the prospect of drilling into the freezer without building from others' experiences first even more!

Does anyone have personal experience routing a probe that I could learn from? Many thanks ahead of time!

Rion

 

[sketerbuck]

I just shut it in the door.

 

[rdshup01]

So I ended up running the probe in through the defrosting drain in the bottom of the freezer. This fridge comes with a cap on this drain that I then drilled a small hole into to pass the wire into it. I then stuffed the drain loosely with cotton balls and closed off the interior hole with some tape. Ended up working perfectly.