[abraxas]

http://www.sciplus.com/search.cfm?utm_source=internal&utm_medium=search&utm_content=cf&utm_campaign=celsearchtest&formfield1234567891=138&formfield1234567892=11&formfield1234567894=&term=thermostat&btnHand.x=0&btnHand.y=0

Found these in store during my lunch break today.  Thought they might be useful for controlling a kegerator for a reasonable price.

[enso]

I love American Science and Surplus.    I would get one of these but I just bought one of those $30 2 stage temp controllers off ebay and don't even have a system to hook is up to yet!  

Although, it would be a nice controller for that beer "cellar" I plan to build when we finally have a home again...   

I wish Sciplus had more of the $6 perlick secondary regulators they had a few years back.  Ah, surplus.  Get it while you can.  

[abraxas]

Yea, I missed out on those secondary regulators myself.  It's a great store though, I go in with one project and come out with three.

[abraxas]

I've got a temp controller with a copper bulb similar to the one above I'd like to use to control a brand new chest freezer.  Will the lid pinch the copper tubing?  I don't want to drill holes in the freezer till I figure out exactly how I want to use it.  I suppose I could put the controller in the freezer, I'm less worried about pinching that.  Anybody have any advice?

[beerocd]

Anybody have any advice?

Don't pinch anything with the gasket. It will permanently become dented, become a cold air leak, form ice, overwork your compressor, kill your cooler long before it should die. I had small freezers I used to tote around, the cords were a pain so I would toss the cord in and shut the lid to hold it out of the way - very bad Idea.

[abraxas]

Anybody have any advice?

Don't pinch anything with the gasket. It will permanently become dented, become a cold air leak, form ice, overwork your compressor, kill your cooler long before it should die. I had small freezers I used to tote around, the cords were a pain so I would toss the cord in and shut the lid to hold it out of the way - very bad Idea.

Thanks for the advice...  Looks like a hole it is.  I just cringe a little at the thought of drilling a hole in a brand new freezer.

[jwaldner]

If you concerned about damaging your freezer, you could always build a wooden collar for it and then drill through that for your probe.

[abraxas]

 

If you concerned about damaging your freezer, you could always build a wooden collar for it and then drill through that for your probe.

I've considered this, I just don't think I'll have enough time between now and when I want to use it. 

I'm thinking the copper tube is thin enough that I'm not really worried about permanent deformation, not for a few days anyways till I can build a collar.

[k4df4l]

I'm a noob to the temp controller end of the pool...could someone explain the pros & cons of this controller over something like the $60 Johnson analog that NB sells?

[abraxas]

I have both, this one is very similar to the other.  The one at NB will have a plug that the refrigerator plug will plug into, the AS&S one will have some electrical crimp connectors like this: http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2104091, which on my kegerator happened to be the exact ones on my compressor.  Besides drilling the hole for the bulb it was a two minutes electrical connection.

The AS&S one might not be in as nice of condition and might be missing a screw or something else.  It helps that they have a retail store locally and I could test them and pick out a few with better, at the store some of the copper capillary's were a little uncoiled and a few were missing the screw holding the body together.

I'm not sure about the NB one, but the surplus one can always be easily wired to turn on below the set temperature.  This will be nice in the winter in my basement.

[k4df4l]

Thanks for the reply.  I went and ordered one...can't be too difficult to get installed on my fridge.

[rabid_dingo]

Bought one. I don't have room for a ferm chamber but I want one soooo. Might as well be ready, especially for that price.

[ryang]

got 3 of these... planning ahead.

thanks for the link