Temperature Equation?

[Bobo1898]

I brewed an American IPA a week ago and set my wort chiller to go. Apparently my digital thermometer was off. It read 80 so I tranferred it to the fermenter. But my fermometer, which goes up to 78, didn't have a reading and the carboy was very warm.

It took 5 or 6 hours to drop to 78 degrees in an evironment that was 64 degrees. Is there a way to determine my initial temp? Because of how high the temp was, my gravity reading was off. Which also throws off my efficiency.

 

[Bobo1898]

This was a 5.5 gallon batch

 

[barleywhore69]

Check your digital thermometer's reading of boiling water or ice water. Then go from there. Math is hard.

 

[shortyz]

Check your digital thermometer's reading of boiling water or ice water. Then go from there. Math is hard.

lol crack ipe:

 

[govner1]

Easiest thing to do is put a fermometer strip on your carboy to confirm your temp.
Calibration of your other thermometer(s) is also a very good idea.
Last if TP is high it will take it a lot longer to cool inside the ferm bag

 

[tsl346]

Yes there are very complicated equations to figure that out but its really not worth it. Get some boiling water, 212 degrees, and see how far off your thermometer reads. Then do the same thing with ice water, 32 degrees, if your thermometer reads that low. Knowing how far off your thermometer is at those readings should give you a good idea how far off your thermometer is in the 80 degree range.