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So I can anticipate mine packing in soon? I have the trusty liquid one to hand if this occurs.

"bigears":1i9449nv wrote: I now have a dial thermometer poking through my mashtun, a floating "mash thermometer" which I use to measure sparge water etc. and the trusy bog standard one, all of which read differently. Makes you wonder how we can control mash temperature doesn't it?[/quote:1i9449nv]
That does worry me. My two glass ones disagree by about a degree and a half.

I had some problems initially using Promash to calculate strike water amd such, but since I sussed it, it is eerily accurate when I homogenise the mash and stick in the thermometer. The first time I thought it was a fluke, but if you give it accurate grain and water temp, and preheat your mash tun it comes in every time (assuming my thermomter is working correctly of course...)

[quote:12zwbxd8]assuming my thermomter is working correctly of course...[/quote:12zwbxd8]
Which is a big assumption in my experience. I haven't had two thermometers agree yet. It does prove at least that your thermometer is consistent <!-- s;) --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/icon_wink.gif" alt="" title="Wink" /><!-- s;) -->

But to expand on this, how do you know if you're mashing high to achieve a fuller, maltier beer when your thermometer tells you the temp is 68 degrees. It could be 66 or 70. 4 degress (or even 3) can make a difference. What compounds it is I drop the little glass thermometers and smash them about twice a year, so even my record keeping is subject to the variations of a new cheapy thermometer (not that I'm suggesting price and accuracy are linked)

I'm reasonably confident that my thermometers are accurate. They read the same ambient as the one on the wall and it reads what the Promash calculations suggests it should when I dunk it in the mash. A few degrees could make all the difference to our beer so it is worth checking to see if it is accurate.