The novelty of the IR gun has passed.

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ckarotka

ckarotka

Minister of Fire
Sep 21, 2009
641
Northwest PA on the lake
After a year and then some the novelty of constantly checking temps has passed. With the birth of #4 and the daily chores of a growing family I really don't have the time or even worry about temps all that much anymore. I'm not saying I leave the stove unattended, but I do check/adjust much less these days compared to years past.

Now-a-days it seems after things get going a quick look at the mag thermo and more looking at the fire and I walk on past. If things in the box are looking under control and the thermo reads 575 and the air is still open a tad..........yep it's good and off to whatever.

I still use the IR gun for the hearth mount stove, but it's really to small to put in enough wood to do any damage. I've accepted an every 2-3 hour reload for the little girl and put in all the smaller splits I can find and call it a night.

Even the 13 has been much easier to let go of once we came to an understanding. By that I mean, I now know how much to feed her with out issue and when she needs watched. Cruising at 550 with a full load and the air open about 1/4in above 20*F outside and she'll peek out around 650 depending on the fuel (oak,cherry), but will also burn the entire load to coal loading E/W. Below 20*F and we need to watch and close it more when she's ready.

Just my observations this year. Again I still pay attention to whats going on, I just understand what and why things happen better.
 
This year gotta have a decibel meter, or at least an iPhone. :)
 
It's funny, not to down play safety, (that's my constant disclaimer) but the phrase "whatever" seems to come to mind while tending the stove more, and more.
 
BeGreen said:
This year gotta have a decibel meter, or at least an iPhone. :)
Click to expand...

Yeah, there's gotta be something!

Agreed that it seems like you got your use out of it.

Thanks for your topic title--it made me laugh out loud.
 
Take the battery out and put it in a drawer. You may find a new use for it yet.
 
As with any new purchase, there always seems to be a learning curve with the "gotta have this" syndrome. I bought an IR Temperature Gauge, and other "tools" that seemed to be so valuable at the beginning. In the end, the fire itself tells you plenty, and a good Flue Pipe Thermometer and stove top Thermometer tells you the rest of the story.

Not to take anything away from a "moisture meter" (another seemingly "must have" tool) but even THAT is not absolutely necessary. I have gotten better at looking and listening to the wood itself, to determine condition.

Gadgets are fun, and I suppose all newbies try all the gadgets, just like me; but at some point, you develop instinctive responses and the gadgets become toys for the grandkids to play with. (One of my grandsons gets a big kick outa freakin out the dogs with the little red light on the wall, or watching the numbers change on the moisture meter).

One of my OTHER grandchildren got a remote controlled Jeep for his birthday the other day. Now "I" want one! My Son-In-Law and I had more fun playing with it than HE did. (But THAT will pass too, so recognizing that, I probably WON'T buy one for myself).

-Soupy1957
 
See, what you REALLY need is this remote control helicopter set and they have LASERS so you can shoot the other one down! Too awesome if your kids are gadgety.

Pretty much the only "gadgets" I wanted from the beginning were basics tools (shove, rake, broom, ash can), an axe, a chainsaw, and a stovetop and pipe thermometers. I can't imagine what an IR gun would tell you that a basic thermometer couldn't.

~Rose
 
Yah, I don't use mine on the stove much anymore, but it has other uses...

Just yesterday I used it in my attic to find some more air leaks in the attic floor (which showed up clearly as +5°F areas on the floor/insulation).
Beyond that it is useful for fever screening the kids (from across the room), or keeping kids entertained (educationally!) on a rainy afternoon...
It is also a cat toy--but I don't have cats.
 
Sort of similar here. Although this is my first year burning the stove, I was thinking the other day how it was becoming fairly routine. more constant worrying about how the fire would perform after each load, no constant checking, etc. I seem to be learning how the stove will perform under 'normal' conditions. Still A LOT to learn, but it feels good to be getting the hang of it. Still haven't turned on the oil furnace, so I'm pretty happy! Glad you have reached the zen zone of burning! Cheers!
 
SpeakEasy said:
I guess the point of having the tool is to learn, and that's what you did: you learned. Now it's more or less internalized.

-Speak
Click to expand...

Up until two weeks ago I didn't even know IR temperature meters existed, but then again I've been living in a tent in the desert for the past +5 years. So yes, of course I absolutely had to have one, being on sale and all. Primarily as you note, the idea was to learn a little more about what temperatures I was reaching given that the stove is a closed combustion type unit. With no easy means to meter, I needed to know if I was burning to hot, to cold, or just right... Alternately though I also utilized the IR temp meter to check the insulation around the house. Excellent for identifying cold areas and insulation problems around the new house. What I thought was a moisture problem in the bath has turned out to be a small cold spot.

So I continue to play and learn, but eventually I can see the meter as being just one more tool laying around the house. Thanks to the experience within this forum though, I've learned a great deal more information that has helped me to tweak my fires and burn just a little better.
 
Woodgeek: You said, "Beyond that it is useful for fever screening the kids."

I question whether or not the IR's are safe to be using on people? The other concern would be if you let them play with it, and they are putting the red dot in their eyes. THAT can't be good either, yes/no?

-Soupy1957
 
My dad still calls his cell phone the "radar phone" once in a while. Thats all I got, 26 years in the bizz and never owned an IR gun
 
soupy1957 said:
Woodgeek: You said, "Beyond that it is useful for fever screening the kids."

I question whether or not the IR's are safe to be using on people? The other concern would be if you let them play with it, and they are putting the red dot in their eyes. THAT can't be good either, yes/no?

-Soupy1957
Click to expand...

For fever screening, the biggest issue is accuracy...need a non-fevery reference kid (or yourself)--wouldn't want a 'false negative'. Not sure your concern here--the thermo is non-contact and doesn't emit IR, it receives it.

Staring at the laser pointer is prob not great--but I know there are power limits placed on such things (for the idiocracy) to protect us. Likely less dangerous that staring at the sun, which comes without a warning label.
 
I still find uses - like checking the temp of oil before I fry up that walleye fillet. Or pointing it at outlets to find the cold air leak. I use it as a checks/balance to other thermometers around the house as well as the furnace thermo. The beer fridge gets checked against the thermocouple and its controller as well (big stainless industrial bastage with external thermo controller). Mmmmm....cold beer.
 
I don't have a thermometer on my stove and it runs great. Use it if you need it, but I think that they quickly turn from tools to fun toys.

I used to have a compost thermometer. Got it to almost 170F one time. Composted a woodchuck to little identifiable remains in just a few days. It was fun, but maybe not necessary :)
 
I still use my IR gun for temp checks but I have also started looking for thermal leaks around my place with this unit. It seems to work pretty well.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1292947258&sr=8-1

Once you set a baseline temperature by pointing at a surface it will display temperature and also shines a green light on spot. As you move around to cooler or warmer areas the light will change to red or blue accordingly on the surface you are pointed at. It also allows you to detect these differences at three set levels (1'F/0.5'C, 5'F/3.0'C,10'F/5.5'C)

41l+qy9imdL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
 
SpeakEasy said:
I guess the point of having the tool is to learn, and that's what you did: you learned. Now it's more or less internalized.

-Speak
Click to expand...

+1 . . . I use mine once in a blue moon to confirm things . . . but don't use it on a regular basis.
 
Jags and Treacherous have the right idea: Use the IR thermometer to do a rudimentary home energy audit. And keep it in the kitchen drawer for cooking and baking. You'll soon know EXACTLY when it's best to slice that pizza without making the cheese slide.
 
Jake: Since it was a RED moon last night.........what did you use then????? (lol)

-Soupy1957
 
woodgeek said:
Yah, I don't use mine on the stove much anymore, but it has other uses...

Just yesterday I used it in my attic to find some more air leaks in the attic floor (which showed up clearly as +5°F areas on the floor/insulation).
Beyond that it is useful for fever screening the kids (from across the room), or keeping kids entertained (educationally!) on a rainy afternoon...
It is also a cat toy--but I don't have cats.
Click to expand...

+1

I use it to find drafts in my house and then seal them up
 
Well, all of this boredom has caused me to want one, so I ordered a Kintrex just now. I already have one of them helicopters.
 
woodgeek said:
soupy1957 said:
Woodgeek: You said, "Beyond that it is useful for fever screening the kids."

I question whether or not the IR's are safe to be using on people? The other concern would be if you let them play with it, and they are putting the red dot in their eyes. THAT can't be good either, yes/no?

-Soupy1957
Click to expand...

For fever screening, the biggest issue is accuracy...need a non-fevery reference kid (or yourself)--wouldn't want a 'false negative'. Not sure your concern here--the thermo is non-contact and doesn't emit IR, it receives it.

Staring at the laser pointer is prob not great--but I know there are power limits placed on such things (for the idiocracy) to protect us. Likely less dangerous that staring at the sun, which comes without a warning label.
Click to expand...

+1 I used to be an optical research scientist, and there's no danger.

I worked with much more powerful lasers, and my vision is just as good as it ever was, and my typing ke' ke'k kkek;a0k lelll kek ;kdksl;;ee.
 
One additional use for IR thermometers.. checking for uneven heating on disc brakes after driving, which can indicate a sticky caliper.
(*everyone grabs their IR, checks their cars*)
 
Treacherous said:
I still use my IR gun for temp checks but I have also started looking for thermal leaks around my place with this unit. It seems to work pretty well.

http://www.amazon.com/Black-Decker-...1?ie=UTF8&s=electronics&qid=1292947258&sr=8-1

Once you set a baseline temperature by pointing at a surface it will display temperature and also shines a green light on spot. As you move around to cooler or warmer areas the light will change to red or blue accordingly on the surface you are pointed at. It also allows you to detect these differences at three set levels (1'F/0.5'C, 5'F/3.0'C,10'F/5.5'C)

41l+qy9imdL._SL500_AA300_.jpg
Click to expand...

Thanks for the tip, Treacherous.

What's the temperature range on it? I didn't see any listed on Amazon, and it would be nice if it were useful for stove temps too.

Thanks!
 
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