Aiming IR Thermometer at Hampton HI300

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velvetfoot

Minister of Fire
Dec 5, 2005
10,202
Sand Lake, NY
I think I found a place to aim the IR gun on the Hampton HI300 that's a easier than trying to get a reading through the air outlet holes. There is a (painted?) black section at the top of the door that seems to give similar numbers. If this indeed works out, it'd be way easier.
 
velvetfoot...just saw your avatar and saw you are from sand lake. i used to live over in the alps, past the split between 66 and 43 and went to averill park high graduating in 70. i went into the military after that and ended up down here working for the gub-menent. some family is still around in the area. good to see ya. :)

cass
 
Hi cass. We moved here about 7 years ago now.
I'm about your vintage, but not originally from around here.
I'm on Taborton Mtn. now.
It's a little cool outside, but nice and toasty in here.
 
taborton mt, how far up....bowman?. i used to run back and fourth along the kipple and walk roads when they were a little more than a dirt roads. i have a brother on the mountain but town of nassau side. he took over the old homestead and another brother over in stephentown. we went over the mountain the a couple of weekends ago. we were up for a wedding that was up in grafton. we took my wife on a shortcut. Welcome to the area. i'll be back up in a month. i normally come up every deer season. didn't mean to hijack but i didn't see how to do a pm.
hago

cass
 
I just shoot the glass. Even if it's not the same temp as the firebox, it's very easy and consistent, which is the important thing. I know that the glass temp peaking at 700-750 is good for me. Reload when the glass is 200-300.
 
cass, started a conv.


I think you might be shooting the flames rather than the glass. With the glass painted black, that might be the true temp of the glass, in the upper part of the door, anyway. I've tried to take the temp of some galvanized oil flue pipe and it didn't work unless it was black. I just noticed, so far, that that glass measurement is close to what I'm able to get from on top, through the holes and at an angle.
 
I think you might be shooting the flames rather than the glass.
No. Glass is mostly opaque to the infrared wavelengths used in an IR thermometer (10-20 microns or so). If you point the thermometer at the glass, you will get a decently accurate reading of the temperature of the glass itself. The IR thermometer can't "see through" the glass. You don't have to paint it black - it effectively already is black from the perspective of an IR thermometer.

The temperature of the flames is well above 1000F. That's why they glow reddish orange. If you open the door and point the IR thermometer directly at the coal bed, or at the flames you most likely won't even get a reading because it will be hotter than the thermometer is designed to register. Close the door and then point the IR thermometer back at the same spot on the coal bed and you will get a reading, but it will be the glass temp.

-Jim
 
Jim & Velvetfoot:
Thanks for the info!

Jim if you are shooting the glass and get a 750* reading, do you think that the stove top is also 750?

Velvetfoot that metal bar you are shooting, is that the bar with the holes in it?
What temps should I be looking for? High and Low?

Thanks
Frank
 
There have been other threads on measuring temps. on a HI300. I think at least one person puts a magnetic temp. gauge in one of the holes where the air comes out, on top of the stove. It's hard to read though, I've read. Trying to shoot that spot with the IR thermometer is also hard. I just thought that the painted glass might be an easy alternative. I've let the top glow once, (very short), and I want to avoid that in the future. I'm getting the hang of things, so that I can do it by the looks of the flames, etc. I'm not sure what would be a good stove top temperature to stay under. 600?
 
http://woodheatstoves.com/images/stoves/HomeSaver-Stove-Thermometer.jpg

I have this installed on the left front/top of the shelf. It's hard to read the top. So I marked the side which is easy to read. I find keeping it between 475 and 500 seems to be perfect cruise temp for my set-up. Never had the shelf turn red on me "yet". But I try not to go pass 575.

My auto fan will kick on at 400 and kick off at 325.

Burn Safe:
Frank
 
Thanks Frank. So, you put the thermometer on the cast iron shelf, or on the stove top that you can see when you look in the holes? That's what turned red briefly on me once. I just want to get a feel for things, maybe for pushing it during a cold spell, and just getting used to it. Judging from this spring and now, I really like the stove. Are you liking yours after 3 years?
 
Directly on the area that turned red on you, stove top.
My wife had the top start to turn pink on her once and the gauge was reading 675.

I'm pretty much content with just walking past the unit and hit the glass with the infrared and readings 800 or under, good to go.

I have a 35' Masonary chimney with a ss liner. And yes I will get 1 hell-off a draft when temps go to the teens and the wind is a howling. I have a past post on this I'll dig up and post again.

I'm I happy with this unit: F/Yeah.

Live Well:
Frank
 
Jim & Velvetfoot:
Thanks for the info!

Jim if you are shooting the glass and get a 750* reading, do you think that the stove top is also 750?

I have never tried to calibrate the glass reading vs. a stove top reading. I am sure they would correlate well, but there could be a significant offset. It would be interesting to know, I agree. But I have monitored enough fire cycles keeping track of the glass temperature and watching what's going on in the firebox to be comfortable, even though I don't really know the temp. of the firebox itself.

-Jim
 
Frank, that's good info about the stove top starting to turn pink at a 675 reading. I might try one of those magnet thermometers, even if I wind up not using it too much, they aren't too much $. I haven't had any issue with not being able to control it on low, but I haven't gone through a whole winter. If there are problems, I know what to do. :)
 
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