Should I be using a magnetic thermometer?

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Jimmcg

New Member
Oct 12, 2011
8
Long Island New York
I have a question. I have not used a thermometer since getting my insert a few years ago, and have run my I300 similar (if not identically) to others here. I have never seen mine glow, then again I have not been looking for it. With that said, the idea of using one would give me a warm and fuzzy (yes pun intended). There have been mentions of Rutland magnetic/stove top units. I seem to read mixed reviews on them. Some say they are the next best thing to a cold beer on a..well lets just say a cold beer and others say they are not worth the metal they are made of. Thoughts, opinions, insight, just plain old incoherent ramblings?


Jim
 
Welcome Jim. Yes, thermometers are very important. Regardless of their acuracy, they are a good tool to help you run the stove correctly and avoid costly repairs. Lets face it, today's stoves are not a set it and forget it like those huge basement boxes of the past. They are more efficient but not always as easy to just load and let it rip! They take some getting used to, maintenance and operation wise. Thermometers are a good tool to help with that.
 
Mine is made by Condor I think. It seems to be pretty much in line with what my IR gun reads. I do scan the top of my stove with an IR gun quite often as I'm a new woodburner and I'm learning.
 
velvetfoot said:
You can see the fire, so what's the big deal about a thermometer?
Sort of like running a car without a tack or temperature guage. You can do it but why not do it with certainty.
 
The normal stove top or flue meters made by companies like condar and rutland are all of similar quality. I might trust their accuracy enough to bake cookies but not enough to make fudge. I just replaced my condar because it self destructed over the summer. These aren't high quality or high price instruments. However, they work.

I wouldn't be without one when you are asking for real heat from your stove.
 
I have the Condor Inrerno, and Medallian. The Inferno is spot on with my IR meter, but the Medallian is reading high, I think that I read on the forum that they can be adjusted, I will have to look into that, but they are great to know when up to temp to cut back on the primary air.
 
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Big believer in thermometers . . . like others have said . . . I wouldn't say they're accurate to the Nth degree . . . but I use them as a general guide.

I use them both for safety purposes and to burn more efficiently . . . Safety -- to avoid overfiring the stove or burning at too hot a temp which could cause any creosote to catch on fire. Efficient burn -- to know when I can start adjusting the air . . . if I try to adjust the air before the stove has reached temp I find the fire just kind of starts to die out and if I adjust the stove well after the stove has reached temp . . . well I've just wasted time and heat by letting the heat go up the chimney.

For the stove (or insert in your case) I use my thermometer to know when the stove has reached the temp at which it should be hot enough so that I can start cutting back the air . . . and to know if my temps are close to over-firing the stove.

For my stovepipe (which would not work for you in all likelihood with an insert) I use my thermometer to both know when to start adjusting the air and to know if I'm burning in the Goldilocks Zone where the temp is not too cool and not too hot, but just right.

I think one thing that you should bear in mind is that these devices are not all that fancy . . . and the price reflects it . . . that's why I say I use them as a general guide.

I will say that I have found my Condar magnetic thermometer for my stove to be pretty close in temp to the temp I've shot my stove at with an IR thermometer. Hard to say how accurate the probe style thermometer is though without setting up a separate probe style method of measuring the interior stove pipe temps.
 
For the record . . . just because some folks might try searching for "Condor" thermometers . . .

Condor = bird
Condar = brand of thermometer
 

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I'm new to this and I am installing my NZ3000. I hope to have it up and running by this weekend. It has been a little bit since I read the section on operating it but I do not remember any mention of any particular temp range it should be run at. Is there such a thing published or is there just a rule of thumb on these new stoves? Also how and where is the best way to monitor this on a zero clearance fireplace? Its not like I can put one on my stove pipe or the top of the stove........ I do have a IR temp gun but I don't really see any place that would be a good spot for a reading like the top of a regular stove. Any tips would be appreciated. Thanks

Sorry if I stole your post.
 
velvetfoot said:
Then, I would suggest an IR thermometer. You could at least use it for other stuff.
I've nerver used one, but they sound like a great tool to have. Lots of people here use them. I'm going to purchase one to use with the pellet stove just to see how hot the air is coming out of the tubes. Some guys test out pellet quality with this method. I was a prior wood burner but had to convert to pellets in this new rental.

EDIT: I've adjusted my thermometers before. They are easy to adjust just by tightening the coil. It may not be as accurate as originally but again they are simply a guide not a completely guaranteed to be accurate to a T! You just can't tell if your stove is overfiring by just looking at it, with a thermometer, you may be able to correct it before it's too late and the damage is done! Stay away from the 750+ zone on any thermometer! Metal will not be glowing but damage may be occuring in the firebox before you can tell!
 
thermometers are great, for a free standing stove. I havent found a useful place to put it on the insert... I cant get to the stack, it should be on the top of the stove, but that is cooled by the blower and very hard to see. putting it on the face of the insert gives you numbers that dont indicate how hot the hottest parts of the stove are getting, but can at least provide good guidance for if you are operating it correctly...

I have an IR thermometer, but dont use it much.
 
I still make the claim they should be built into some stoves. An insert is a prime example of this. The built in looks like it belongs, not just thrown up on there. And would eliminate the where do i put it....just my thoughts...but im still stuck on that dutchwest 207...
 
VCBurner said:
velvetfoot said:
Then, I would suggest an IR thermometer. You could at least use it for other stuff.
I've nerver used one, but they sound like a great tool to have. Lots of people here use them. I'm going to purchase one to use with the pellet stove just to see how hot the air is coming out of the tubes. Some guys test out pellet quality with this method. I was a prior wood burner but had to convert to pellets in this new rental.

EDIT: I've adjusted my thermometers before. They are easy to adjust just by tightening the coil. It may not be as accurate as originally but again they are simply a guide not a completely guaranteed to be accurate to a T! You just can't tell if your stove is overfiring by just looking at it, with a thermometer, you may be able to correct it before it's too late and the damage is done! Stay away from the 750+ zone on any thermometer! Metal will not be glowing but damage may be occuring in the firebox before you can tell!

IR gun is good for the pellet stove to measure surface temps. To measure air temp, you must use some sort of cooking (electric/digital) thermometer or a K type thermocouple. I just ordered one off of amazon.com. There is a pretty good one for $26.00. Put it in a heat exchange tube and make sure it does not touch the steel..

To the OP. Would there be a good spot on the front of the unit (magnetic thermo)? Otherwise a IR gun is the best route. I bought one, but mainly use it for finding in efficiencies throughout my home (because I have 2 thermo units on all my stoves)
Its always a good idea to know what temp your stove is at. Will help you a lot with knowing when and what to do a certain temps (like firefighterjake stated above).
 
I bought this one a few weeks back and like the look and it seems to read more accurately than the rutlands it replaced which were about 5 years old.

At 12 bux I think the price is right. Not sure if it's made by condar or not, but when I ran the patent number for the thermometer it came up as being owned by condar.

http://store.woodstove.com/product.php?productid=16283&cat=298&page=3 Only problem I see is the shipping cost might be high.
 

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Stump_Branch said:
they should be built into some stoves. An insert is a prime example of this. The built in looks like it belongs, not just thrown up on there. And would eliminate the where do i put it....

GREAT IDEA

no idea why they didnt do it
 
maverick06 said:
Stump_Branch said:
they should be built into some stoves. An insert is a prime example of this. The built in looks like it belongs, not just thrown up on there. And would eliminate the where do i put it....

GREAT IDEA

no idea why they didnt do it

My guess is cost. That and they make stoves not thermos. Maybe absolves them over overfire liability...well your thermo never said_____.
 
My K type thermocouple came in from FedEx today.. Wow is it fast. The second you touch something it shows the temp.. Search amazon. Lots of them out there. For about $40 (some cheaper, some much more expensive) May be what you are looking for..

Just went downstairs and touched the stove top next to the magnetic thermo (reading about 550) and got 581. Oonly took about 3 seconds for it to get that temp and hold.

Only thing that I see replacing is the actual thermocouple. Only supposed to go to 550 or 650 intermittent temp.. The unit will read to over 1300* . Any K type thermocouple will fit the bill (as long as its reads high enough for your liking)

I want to be able to stick it into the hole that my Condar double wall flue probe is in. To see exactly how accurate it is. I guess I have to wait a little longer.
 
I have the rutland placed in the hot air outlet of my insert. Also bought an IR from Harbor Freight. I'm still in the learning stage (hopefully always will be) and I'm a fan of the thermometers. When I make an adjustment I can objectively determine what the effect is.

As far as accuracy the magnetic only needs to be accurate +/- 20 degrees IMO and the IR seems to confirm the rutland is at least that close.
 
I have a Ryobi IR that I picked up at Homedepot. I got it when I was insulating with two part spray foam and had to be sure the tanks and surface to be foamed were at the proper temperature. Now I have another use for it.

The question I have is what area of the stove do we want to temp control. Some parts will be cooler than others. Is the idea to put the thermometer on the hotest point and regulate it?
 
I have both an insert and a free standing stove. I have burned wood for 40 years, most of which was without a thermometer. However, now I have them stuck everywhere! As one said, you can see the fire, what do you need a thermometer for? For years I would have agreed. Now, I would tell you that I love my thermometers. They just make it easier to "read the fire" . I don't know how accurate they are and really only care about consistency. Then, it is all relative to what is gong on with the stove. It is just another tool to make more sense of what is gong on and make it a little easier.

Oh, and I have a probe, digital remote readout thermometer, to put in my stack on my insert, if I ever pull it out again. :)
 
tfdchief said:
I have both an insert and a free standing stove. I have burned wood for 40 years, most of which was without a thermometer. However, now I have them stuck everywhere! As one said, you can see the fire, what do you need a thermometer for? For years I would have agreed. Now, I would tell you that I love my thermometers. They just make it easier to "read the fire" . I don't know how accurate they are and really only care about consistency. Then, it is all relative to what is gong on with the stove. It is just another tool to make more sense of what is gong on and make it a little easier.

Oh, and I have a probe, digital remote readout thermometer, to put in my stack on my insert, if I ever pull it out again. :)


So where do you measure the temp of your insert at when burning? And I am assuming that the remote thermometer you are speaking of will be installed into your chimney? What type of chimney do you have? My install is a Class A insulated chimney. I have yet to close up the wall so now is the time to install something like this in my case. Do you have a link to what you have?

Attached is a pic of mine. The only thing I can think to do is use the IR gun to shoot inside the tip grill at the top of the stove. Not sure how accurate it will be thu with the blower running since that is where the air circulates out from.
 

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http://www.condar.com/digital_monitor_woodstoves.html This is similar to what I have and comes as a package. I had to piece mine together. I have a S/S flex liner and WHEN I pull the insert out the next time, I am going to strap the probe to the outside. For now, I just use a magnetic on the front of the insert on the top right of the door. I simply use the temperature it reads to gauge what the fire is doing relative to that thermometer reading. The reading is obviously not the stove top, but it gives you some idea of what is going on. I would not drill and place a probe in the side of the Class A pipe!.....unless the tech dept where you bought the Class A pipe specifically says that is OK, and I doubt they will. A surface mount on the Class A is not going to do any good either. You will just have to use the magnetic on the front........one of the problems with an insert. As others have said many times on this site "you can see the fire and that tells you most of what you need to know" Your good judgement based on the looks of the fire are probably as good as a thermometer.
 
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