Do I need to monitor my stove temps with a thermometer?

[Ernienomoreoil]

Get it, you need it, think about your speedometer in your car. What would you do with out it.......In my book its better to be safe than sorry....

 

[Jay G]

I don't know how he would get at his set up with any kind of thermometer. Maybe a thermocouple installation? Would an IR temp gun do him any good? I intend to get one. Harbor Freight has a coupon out for one, regular price $24.99 coupon $14.99. (Just an FYI. I do not work for or get any recompense from Harbor freight for any reason).

Concerning Jotul's Oslo, I just got one. The dealer gave us two mag. thermometers. The Jotul manual says to put them on the corners of the top even though the center plate does burn hotter. It also says to do break in burns of 200F, 300F, & 400F burns for one hour each. That makes a necessity of thermometers, for new Oslo owners anyway.

Question about accuracy though. There was a deviation of nearly 50deg.F. I adjusted both therms to split the difference but I have no way to tell how close to right they may be. Put them in the oven to test? Would that work with these or damage them? One primary reason I want the IR temp gun.

 

[raiderfan]

I know a thermometer was a neccessity for me. Only have burned wood for three years, so it was and still is very new to me. Without a stovetop thermometer I would have been lost!! You see, I suffer from campfire sydrome: "welp... the flame is gone. Must be time to load'er up!!" Not taking into account that the stovetop temp is still anywhere from 600-500* still!

A thermometer has taught me to care less about flame and more about internal temps. Just because the fire isn't visibly strong doesn't mean my stove wasn't doing its job. Foolish, I know, but w/out this site and a thermometer, that's exactly what i would have done


Stoker:
People here have put their thermometers on cookie sheets and put them in the oven at whatever temp to gauge them. Some are far off and some end up within 25-50* of the oven temp. They arent perfect, but they do give you a general idea of what's happening inside the stove.

 

[lfunk11]

I have an insert, but I have not closed mine up with the surround yet so I can still get the IR gun to get temps of places I will not be able to get to once I close it up. I have taken temps many times at various spots and now I know that right above the glass on the door if the temps get above 500ºF I need to back things down since the firebox itself will be pushing 600ºF+. So i do my best to keep the temps at that spot in the 450 - 500ºF range. Being new to the wood stove it has helped me a ton in trying to get things correct when I run the stove. I can now sort of tell by standing next to the stove if I need to notch down the air at all. When it is reading 500ºC on the door I have trouble sitting next to the stove

 

[firefighterjake]

I don't know how he would get at his set up with any kind of thermometer. Maybe a thermocouple installation? Would an IR temp gun do him any good? I intend to get one. Harbor Freight has a coupon out for one, regular price $24.99 coupon $14.99. (Just an FYI. I do not work for or get any recompense from Harbor freight for any reason).

Concerning Jotul's Oslo, I just got one. The dealer gave us two mag. thermometers. The Jotul manual says to put them on the corners of the top even though the center plate does burn hotter. It also says to do break in burns of 200F, 300F, & 400F burns for one hour each. That makes a necessity of thermometers, for new Oslo owners anyway.

Question about accuracy though. There was a deviation of nearly 50deg.F. I adjusted both therms to split the difference but I have no way to tell how close to right they may be. Put them in the oven to test? Would that work with these or damage them? One primary reason I want the IR temp gun.

I wouldn't worry too much about the temps being off . . . just pick one of the thermometers and stick it on the stove . . . and stick the other on your stove pipe (assuming it is single wall) . . . stove thermometers are infamous for not being highly accurate . . . instead use them as a rough guide to knowing where you are with temps.