Well folks, I am not sure if this is where my problems are, but I went to check my Gas One 10 gallon kettle thermostat today and found the needle to be at around 120 empty and stored in a shed in San Francisco. I am pretty sure it was not 120 in the shed, as it has been overcast and foggy all day. So, I figured maybe it needed to be reset, so I loosened the small nut on the back of the dial that should allow me to turn the dial and reset the needle. Nope, stripped. Well heck, so I put it in hot water and used a meat thermometer next to it to see what happens, thinking the thermometer will reset. Nope, it just kept turning to the bottom of the dial and was at about 60 degrees when my digital thermometer said it was at about 145. Damn, ok. Well, there is a nut on the stem, so I turned that thinking I could get the ring to turn and reset the dial. Well, I got the ring to turn, but when it did, the darn seal came loose and wrapped around the middle of the needle stem, rendering this thing useless. If I would have known, I would have told her to just buy me a kettle with no valves or anything. That would have been a ton cheaper and I could have bought a cheap digital thermometer to use during the mash. I am not happy, and have sent an email to Gas One to see what they say. If they don't make good, I am going to plug the hole where the temp thermometer goes and use a digital anyway. I am already into this thing way more than I should be, but that is how it goes. Anyway, just giving all a heads up that, while I felt the kettle was cool, and my wife paid more to get something nice, it seems it is not working out that way. So now, I am wondering if the thermometer was off on my last 2 brews and that is why they are messed up? Only time will tell.
Anyway, take it for what it is worth.
RR