Thermowell and probes - to grease or not to?

[nosnhojm20]

Do people just stick the probe in the thermowell or do they grease it? What's the best method? Looking for opinions. Thanks!

Context: I'm building a herms and want to semi-automate with temp controllers (pump for herms in particular). Same goes for fermentation controller.


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[hunter_le five]

I greased mine with a food-grade silicone grease (the same stuff I use to lube my keg-posts). Not sure if that's best practice or not, but it seems to work okay.

Edit: I use this method in my fermenter thermowell, so it's always at cool (32*F-68*F) temps. No idea how well this stuff would work at high temps.

I guess ideally I should be using some sort of thermal paste, but I don't have any, nor do I know where to get it.

 

[nosnhojm20]

Thanks! You reapply every time? Or is it a one and done scenario.

I just recently heard if people using a similar medium but don't find any threads or literature on if.


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[hunter_le five]

I haven't needed to reapply yet, but I've only been using this thermowell for a few months.

 

[nosnhojm20]

Do you remove the probe each time and just slide it back it? (That's what she said)


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[hunter_le five]

Do you remove the probe each time and just slide it back it?

Yup. I greased the hell out of it the first time, and that doesn't seem to have changed since then.

(That's what she said)

Hehe

 

[nosnhojm20]

So lubing from the get-go has worked for ya. Thanks, I really appreciate it.


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[crane]

Using thermal paste will help significantly to reduce the lag time between water/thermal well wall changing temp and the probe catching up to the change. All of mine have the sensor permanently mounted in the thermal well with a disconnect so I don't have to worry about reapplying thermal paste. You can buy some from here.

http://www.digikey.com/product-sear...poxies-greases-pastes/1179754?k=thermal paste

 

[nosnhojm20]

Crane, what kind of sensor you using? I am going to rock the Ranco. I guess I could permanently mount it. How did you seal it into the thermowell? Some silicone I assume?

I appreciate the link, homie. Makes life a lot easier.

 

[crane]

I am using the Auber ins RTD probes but I swapped out the RTD for a thermistor cause I switched to using the BCS. For a ranco sensor in a thermal well I would use thermal paste in the bottom of the thermal well and then use epoxy to seal up the end of the thermal well.

 

[nosnhojm20]

Thanks. I may permanently attach to the mash, and hope for the best with the HLT and bk. I want to run the whirlpool on the bk with the controler and hook a light to it (controller turning on light and pump simultaneously). This way I'll know when it's done chilling even if I'm not right next to it.


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[nosnhojm20]

For whatever reason the mash is measuring 6-8 degrees while the same Ranco in the HLT is spot on. I'm guessing it's time to order thermal paste!

Would this work? Much cheaper than the previous link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009PTBZ6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[crane]

For whatever reason the mash is measuring 6-8 degrees while the same Ranco in the HLT is spot on. I'm guessing it's time to order thermal paste!

Would this work? Much cheaper than the previous link.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009PTBZ6/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I don't see any reason why that wouldn't work.

 

[nosnhojm20]

Fantastic. I was quite disappointed in the fact that it wouldn't hold the correct temp as that is the beauty of a herms system. Ill chalk it up to working the kinks out though. Thank you my good man. Cheers!


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