I put my Condor Flue Gas temp probe in a pot of boiling water and it jumped to 500F!! Can I just bend the pointer till it gets to 212 and assume it's good? I'm one of these new wood stove owners and am trying to learn how to use it but if my thermometer is way off it does me no good...
Is this valid to calibrate???
- Thread starter DrivenByDemons
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
- Status
swestall
Minister of Fire
You'd need to have a calibrated thermometer to know what the temp of the water was.
I bought a laser thermometer from National Tool and it works great. I sent the bad stovetop to the graveyard and bought another that was correct.
http://www.nationaltoolwarehouse.co...D-EC37-4E81-94F6-89BDCCA6AB49}/qx/results.htm
I bought a laser thermometer from National Tool and it works great. I sent the bad stovetop to the graveyard and bought another that was correct.
http://www.nationaltoolwarehouse.co...D-EC37-4E81-94F6-89BDCCA6AB49}/qx/results.htm
Distilled water boils at 212. I'm trying to use the water to calibrate my existing Condor Flue Gas thermometer. It's not distilled water but close enough for this purpose. I also have a Rutland stovetop thermo that I put in a 400F oven and it was almost spot on. I'm just not sure how this Condor works since it has a probe instead of just a coil... I'm probably overthinking all this crap but I'm kinda paranoid about the operation of my new stove. I've never owned one before and I want to be careful...
babalu87
New Member
swestall said:
Water boils at 212 with minimal differences (at least with what we are talking about) for mountains
Hogwildz
Minister of Fire
Corie
Minister of Fire
Don't bent the needle, rotate the face of the thermometer. There should be a lock nut on front or rear, no?
Hogwildz
Minister of Fire
Corie
Minister of Fire
swestall
Minister of Fire
RonB
Feeling the Heat
I am not sure merely adjusting the scale to read 212 in boiling water means any other temp would be correct. You need two thermometers of the same type to be able to verify accuracy. Place them side by side to measure whatever. When I buy the magnetic kind at the store I always pick one that reads what the majority of the other ones on the rack are reading. Even then, that type (Rutland Magnetic) would be only off about 20-25 degrees max. What makes you think the flue gas gauge is wrong? It is made to measure flue gas accurately, not water.
The only way a liquid would get to a temperature higher than it's boiling point is if it is under pressure. Like an engine cooling system. Works the same way when cold. What happens to that beer that is on the edge of freezing when you open it?
At least that's what I THINK, lol.
At least that's what I THINK, lol.
Boiling water cannot increase past 212F at 1 atm. Were you touching the probe to the bottom of the boiling pot?
I've been reading this board like crazy and felt like my flue temps were higher than they should be compared to my stovetop temps. Most of the stuff I've been reading says you would need a pretty raging fire to get flue gasses close to 1000. I could get mine to 900 from a cold stove within 30 minutes. I also read the flue gasses should generally be cooler than the stovetop once you get a good hot stove and choke it down and let the secondary take over. My temps were almost equal most of the time or the flue temps would be higher. I have a PE spectrum BTW.
I just thought I could calibrate my Condor using the best reference I could find, boiling water at 212. When it jumped to 600 by dropping it in the water I felt like something was wrong with it.
I just thought I could calibrate my Condor using the best reference I could find, boiling water at 212. When it jumped to 600 by dropping it in the water I felt like something was wrong with it.
Hogwildz
Minister of Fire
When you drop it in the water, where does it go? To the bottom where the heating element/fire is. You may be getting the temp of the bottom of the pot & heating supply and not just the water temp itself. Maybe try to suspend it in the water near the top away from the heating source.
Isn't it possible to use this method for the other thermometer also? Maybe close the door on the probe. (That's how my sister's fancy oven thermo/timer works.)DrivenByDemons said:
Water will most definitely go above 212F at one atmosphere and not be boiling. It's not terribly likely, but can happen:
http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave.asp
I've seen this happen a couple of times - it's much more common in a chemistry lab where glassware is clean and water is usually deionized, distilled, or polished. But you'll be heating the water, no bubbles or any indication that it is boiling, then someone bumps the glassware or puts in a stirrer or spoon and BOOM! nice steam explosion and drops of scalding water everywhere.
Ideally, you would calibrate your thermometer with at least two points, that way you would not only know if it had an 'offset' error (ie 200F reads 300F, 600F reads 700F, 900F reads 1000F - or 100F high 'across the board') but also if you had a gain error (200F reads 300F, 600F reads 780F, 900F reads 1200F - 33% high)
Sounds like something is 'out of whack' though if you are seeing 500F in boiling water - it certainly won't get that hot without some form of pressure.
http://www.snopes.com/science/microwave.asp
I've seen this happen a couple of times - it's much more common in a chemistry lab where glassware is clean and water is usually deionized, distilled, or polished. But you'll be heating the water, no bubbles or any indication that it is boiling, then someone bumps the glassware or puts in a stirrer or spoon and BOOM! nice steam explosion and drops of scalding water everywhere.
Ideally, you would calibrate your thermometer with at least two points, that way you would not only know if it had an 'offset' error (ie 200F reads 300F, 600F reads 700F, 900F reads 1000F - or 100F high 'across the board') but also if you had a gain error (200F reads 300F, 600F reads 780F, 900F reads 1200F - 33% high)
Sounds like something is 'out of whack' though if you are seeing 500F in boiling water - it certainly won't get that hot without some form of pressure.
Not to bead a dead horse, but I said boiling water cannot increase past 212F (nor can it be less) at 1atm. The superheating of water in a microwave is a bit of a fringe case that does not apply to this experiment.
- Status
Similar threads
