Is 1200* dangerously hot?

[Troutchaser]

I appreciate all the input fellas. Been out all day and enjoyed the discussion just now.
I have a DW pipe and checked my probe with a thermocouple at about 800* (months ago) I think it was. Both readings were very close at that temp.
At 1200* things change with the flue. I hear a lot of popping where it goes through the roof and we get a smell in the house. That's what has me thinking it aint far from accurate.
Good to know that others are bumping those upper temps without igniting I-beams in the roof. Meanwhile, I'll try and stay below 1000*.

FWIW, my DW pipe is rarely cool enough to touch when burning. I don't know how you guys are doing that. Supposed to bemild tomorrow and I plan to get up and take a look at the pipe.

 

[begreen]

I can quick touch our dw pipe, but not hold my hand against it if the stove has been cranking. 150F is hot enough to burn you.

 

[pen]

Considering how radically different our readings are, if you'd like, I could send you my old style Condar to compare with.

I'd love to give it a try. You sure you are comfortable sending it through the mail?

pen

 

[begreen]

Sure, let's give it a try.

 

[Todd]

Here's another flue thermometer from Morso but I think it's for single wall. Compared to my Condar magnetic external thermometer the Morso numbers are a bit different.

http://www.morsoeusa.com/Flue-Gas-Thermometer-501.aspx

that's a magnetic thermometer, not a probe.

The numbers are different compared to rutland mag thermometers because a rutland scale is a blend between what is safe on the external parts of the stove versus the external parts of the stove pipe.

If you look at the condar magnetic thermometers on their website you can see the differences.

pen

I realize the Morso isn't a probe style but if you look where the numbers are, not the heat zones, they differ from the Condars. The Morso reads 500 at 2 oclock and the Condar reads 600 at 2 oclock and both thermometers look to be similar in design with the windup coil. It would be interesting to see them side by side on a pipe.

 

[begreen]

The Morso thermometer resembles the Vogelzang/Drolet style thermometer. Not sure if they are the same, but there is a resemblance. Not that that means a lot. If Morso has a higher standard and tests these units to assure accuracy then hurrah! Ironically, this is also the style of the older Condar probes.

 

[pen]

update: At a 650 stove top with the clay spacer/insulator the probe is reading 900 and the rutland about 4 inches up the pipe is reading 500. These values seem reasonable to me.

In all, I really like how fast this product makes a reading, I just wish to hell the company would have performed "real world" tests to find this crap out on their own instead of using a non-realistic furnace.

I personally think they want people to burn cool. For example, if someone w/ bad burning habits and a dirty chimney installed one on single wall pipe that read true, the first time they ran hot they could have a chimney fire. My philosophy however is if you burn hot all the time you have little chance of there being an accumulation in the first place. I am disappointed that they instead shot for trying to protect me from myself in the event I'm an idiot.

Another option, since this thing does operate consistently but simply lies like an 18 year old virgin in a frat house, is they should make 2 varieties. The current one for double wall pipe only and create a new face plate with a corrected scale for the probe to be used on single wall. Hell they make enough different varieties as it is that I simply can't believe it would make that big of a deal to them. It certainly would gain them a bunch of credibility in my book.

pen

 

[begreen]

One major difference between our setups is that we have a straight up vent. Flue gases are not linear. They swirl up the pipe until they hit an obstruction. This is exactly where you have the probe. I'm wondering how much the 2 - 90° turns in the flue path are trapping heat below the thimble level?

 

[pen]

One major difference between our setups is that we have a straight up vent. Flue gases are not linear. They swirl up the pipe until they hit an obstruction. This is exactly where you have the probe. I'm wondering how much the 2 - 90° turns in the flue path are trapping heat below the thimble level?

That's something I hadn't considered. If it is trapping heat, it isn't getting transferred to surface pipe temps though. My surface readings seem reasonable right? Regardless, we'll find out when that probe of yours arrives. When I had the probe 10 inches lower, it read about 100 degrees hotter yet.

I emailed Tim Pope at condar again. It'll be interesting to see if and what his response is.

pen

 

[Todd]

Wonder if this probe is any more accurate than the Condar. Says it's recommended for double wall pipe.

http://www.fleetfarm.com/catalog/pr...m=shopping+search&utm_campaign=google+product search

 

[Todd]

Here's some more proof the probe reads more than double external pipe temps. This is single wall 20" up the stack. I can also go way over 1200 in the bypass mode.

 

[pen]

Here's some more proof the probe reads more than double external pipe temps. This is single wall 20" up the stack. I can also go way over 1200 in the bypass mode.

And what do you know, when my stove was at 800 on the probe I had 300 on the surface and you do too. Even though I know I'm not nuts, it's very nice to have additional visual proof. (well, at least I'm not nuts in this regard)

pen

 

[Todd]

Here's some more proof the probe reads more than double external pipe temps. This is single wall 20" up the stack. I can also go way over 1200 in the bypass mode.

And what do you know, when my stove was at 800 on the probe I had 300 on the surface and you do too. Even though I know I'm not nuts, it's very nice to have additional visual proof. (well, at least I'm not nuts in this regard)

pen

Ha, I think we are both nuts that we obsess over something like this. It really bugs the crap out of me. Now I'm tempted to go buy a SBI probe thermometer and see if it's any different.

 

[pen]

Here's some more proof the probe reads more than double external pipe temps. This is single wall 20" up the stack. I can also go way over 1200 in the bypass mode.

And what do you know, when my stove was at 800 on the probe I had 300 on the surface and you do too. Even though I know I'm not nuts, it's very nice to have additional visual proof. (well, at least I'm not nuts in this regard)

pen

Ha, I think we are both nuts that we obsess over something like this. It really bugs the crap out of me. Now I'm tempted to go buy a SBI probe thermometer and see if it's any different.

I see those thermometers are out of stock at northern supply.

Might want to jump on it if they are no longer being made. Or northern supply may just be out.

pen

 

[Todd]

Here's some more proof the probe reads more than double external pipe temps. This is single wall 20" up the stack. I can also go way over 1200 in the bypass mode.

And what do you know, when my stove was at 800 on the probe I had 300 on the surface and you do too. Even though I know I'm not nuts, it's very nice to have additional visual proof. (well, at least I'm not nuts in this regard)

pen

Ha, I think we are both nuts that we obsess over something like this. It really bugs the crap out of me. Now I'm tempted to go buy a SBI probe thermometer and see if it's any different.

I see those thermometers are out of stock at northern supply.

Might want to jump on it if they are no longer being made. Or northern supply may just be out.

pen

I can buy one at Mills Fleet Farm. I'm probably going to go look at them today, $13 for a probe, $10 for external mag.

 

[begreen]

I got one of their non-probe thermometers for our friend's Morso in the yurt. If I recall correctly it was made in China and looked very much like the Vogelzang unit. I compared it with our trusty old Sandhill and the IR thermometer and found it 'relatively' accurate. At 650°F IR reading was off by about 20 deg.

 

[Todd]

Went out a bought an SBI probe to test and it looks just like the Condar probe except for the black dial face. I think the temps might be slightly lower than the Condar but further testing will see. This probe also states in the instructions that it's intended for double wall pipe and I have single. Condar says their probe is ok for both.