Cheap accurate way to measure pipe temps?

[rombi]

I have some thermometers on the in and out of my house and don't pay much attention to them as I don't have a problem with them I leave everything as is.
I looked last night when the boiler shut down in the kennel the temp on the boiler read 175. I walk into the house and read the in temp and it said 162, the temp leaving the house said 152. This is going into a HX in the forced air and it was not running the fan for the house. When it was first hooked up the in temp in the house was at most 2 to 3 degrees below what the temp on the boiler was reading and that was good. I have about 250 foot run that the pex was boxed in with 2" foam board and had a 2" strip seperating the hot and return. I hope my thermos are just out of whack.

 

[benjamin]

I use a meat thermometer that you can get at Menards (appliance parts area ~$3) that I fasten to the pipe with Aluminum duct tape (~$14 but worth every penny) and then insulate the outside.

 

[willworkforwood]

...I hope my thermos are just out of whack.

It would be unusual for thermos to just go South on their own. The chepos adjust by twisting the dials on the stems. If you are using this type on the lines, did you handle them recently, and maybe put them out of synch? Also, you describe a 10 degree change (decrease) in net system temp (at least that's what the thermos say). This should either cause much more wood usage, or else problems keeping the house warm. Are either of those things happening?

 

[in hot water]

Are they slip in type or easily removable? If so switch them around and see if they read the same.

To check thermistors or temperature gauges stick them in a glass of ice water, then stick them in a pot of boiling water. This will give you an idea how accurate they are. some have a small screw, usually with a dab of loctite on it to fine tune them..

hr

 

[rombi]

I don't see more wood usage and I only noticed because I looked. These are Winters thermos and I don't think they just pull out.

 

[rombi]

They do twist out, I am going to calibrate them today and see if they are correct. I hope they are off because if they are not I have bigger fish to fry with the huge loss of temp on the run.

 

[rombi]

Just checked them and they are both 5 degrees low, my boiler thermometer could also be low so I now know that I might or maybe not have a heat loss.
I need to find an IR thermometer that works on pipes.

 

[Sawyer]

Just checked them and they are both 5 degrees low, my boiler thermometer could also be low so I now know that I might or maybe not have a heat loss.
I need to find an IR thermometer that works on pipes.

I would suggest wrapping the pipe with electrical tape before measuring temperatures. It cuts down on reflections and gives much more accurate readings. The IR guns are calibrated in a black box. IR guns were available at HD and Menards.

 

[bigburner]

We paint all the areas with flat black paint we want to regularly check with an IR thermometer.

 

[Sawyer]

We paint all the areas with flat black paint we want to regularly check with an IR thermometer.

Glad to hear that works! I will pick up a can and use it.