Request for Help Choosing Woodstove Thermometer(s)

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DanCorcoran

Minister of Fire
Jan 5, 2010
2,205
Richmond, VA
I've ordered a Hearthstone Shelburne (cast iron, not soapstone) with a rear heat shield and blower. I know I should get a thermometer, but am not sure what to get. Do I put one on the top center of the stove and another on the (single-wall) black stovepipe which will be routed straight up through the cathedral ceiling? If so, can you recommend an accurate model of each and give me some idea of price? Thanks!
 
The Rutland "burn indicator" I initially bought was worthless. It would stick and then pop up 100 degrees. There was massive slop in the needle. I bought 2 Condar Medallions and am very happy with them. They both are consistent to each other and to the thermometer that came with my Fireview. I believe I bought the Medallions off of
Amazon, but you could probably get them cheaper if you buy direct from Condar.
 
I use a Condor and two Rutlands. I check them yearly
in the kitchen oven, when on a piece of 3/8" steel plate.
I measure it all with a Fluke IR.

They are all within 25 F degrees indicated. It is not
rocket science, as they only measure surface temp.
 
I got the Condor Medallion thru Amazon (was actually cheaper thru them than direct off of Condor's site). Nice construction and attractive as well. Haven't calibrated it.
 
Thanks for the info. Will I need a thermometer that protrudes into the stovepipe, or will one which measures surface temperature work there as well?
 
I have double wall pipe so didn't even investigate the thru-wall models. The surface ones won't work on the double wall of course, or at least they won't be helpful.
 
DanCorcoran said:
Thanks for the info. Will I need a thermometer that protrudes into the stovepipe, or will one which measures surface temperature work there as well?

I just started using thermometers this year. I got one that came with the used stove (put it 18" up the pipe), bought a new Rutland (put it on the stove top) and then a good IR. Most useful to me is the IR, but the most convenient is the pipe thermo. I find that stove top placement doesn't really tell me anything useful. Today I re-filled the stove with several dry cherry splits, ran the stove pipe temp up to 600ºF and shut the damper. Stove top was only reading 450º, but the face felt really hot. Grabbed the IR and got a whopping reading of 1002ºF in one spot on the left front door! That was after only running it on open for about 5 minutes.

Now if I had waited for the stove top thermometer to reach 550-600º where I usually like to run the stove???? The IR stopped me from possibly permanently damaging my stove.

Most important to me in general is to keep that flue temp in the zone. For my stove, that seems to be between 350 and 450ºF. It's hard for me to keep it that high with my stove (very long serpentine flame path), but if it is above 300º I never see anything but heat waves come out of the top of the chimney.

So for me, the stove top temp is kinda useless, but others here seem to base everything on it and maybe on their stoves it is a good indicator. I think flue temps are much more important, and I am actually going to go with the Condor probe unit that quickly measures the actual gas temperatures. Real temps, not influenced by room temps or air currents, and no lag time on the way up or down. And of course, as others have said, if you have double-wall pipe, the magnetic units are totally useless.
 
I bought a Rutland at Home Depot it seemed to be reading really low so I bought a Kel Kem at Lowes and put them right next to each other on the stove pipe. The Kel Kem read almost 100 degrees higher than the Rutland and seems to be much more accurate. It was showing 350 when the Rutland was just over the 250 mark. The Rutland is totally useless.
 
DanCorcoran said:
Thanks for the info. Will I need a thermometer that protrudes into the stovepipe, or will one which measures surface temperature work there as well?

Surface thermometer for single wall, probe thermometer for double wall.
 
Installed Condar probe this a.m. Very simple if you have a drill. D.W. pipe. Accurate? By all indications, yes.
Condar stove top also. I can't not know those temps. now.
 
One more question: my Hearthstone Shelburne (cast iron) will have the brown enamel finish. Will the magnetic stove top thermometer from Condor adhere with the enamel on there?
 
Bump...someone must know the answer to this (my question above this, regarding enamel finish).
 
Hi there...

I also installed a Condar probe thermometer yesterday through my double wall pipe. Took about 5 minutes, and seems to work like a charm! My theory is that you'd be much better off measuring the temp inside a pipe, rather than the surface of anything, including single wall pipe or the stove top. It seems to me that the interior pipe reading would be a good measure of how a stove is operating, and how much heat is actually being produced. I suspect I'll someday get a stovetop one, but for now this seems very adequate. Plus, you can see it from across the room!
 
Todd said:
http://www.condar.com/stove_top_meters.html

I have found the Condar thermometers the most accurate.





thanks for the link. I'll be getting the "Inferno" for my stove top.
 
Mr. Kelly,

Yes, I'm planning to get the Candar probe for the (single wall) stovepipe, but would also like a stovetop...hence my question regarding whether the magnet would work on an enameled cast-iron stove.
 
I also use surface thermometers on my enamel stove. It works fine.
Just be careful not to move it around a lot, so the surface is not scratched.
Since moved it to the machined surface griddle on the Encore. Directly above the firebox.
The Jotul Oslo requires it in the rear corner, as the griddle is insulated from the firebox.
 
Thanks, Valhalla, now I'll order one of each (probe and magnetic)...
 
DanCorcoran said:
Mr. Kelly,

Yes, I'm planning to get the Candar probe for the (single wall) stovepipe, but would also like a stovetop...hence my question regarding whether the magnet would work on an enameled cast-iron stove.

Condar Probe thermometers are not calibrated for single walled pipe. The heat given off by the pipe will give you a higher reading. Your better off with 2 magnetic external meters.
 
Todd said:
DanCorcoran said:
Mr. Kelly,

Yes, I'm planning to get the Candar probe for the (single wall) stovepipe, but would also like a stovetop...hence my question regarding whether the magnet would work on an enameled cast-iron stove.

Condar Probe thermometers are not calibrated for single walled pipe. The heat given off by the pipe will give you a higher reading. Your better off with 2 magnetic external meters.

FYI - The packaging on the Condar probe flue gas thermometer instructs how to install into single-wall pipe, as well as into double-wall, thus making one believe that it will measure the flue temps of gasses in either pipe.

Buy away!
 
Mr. Kelly said:
Todd said:
DanCorcoran said:
Mr. Kelly,

Yes, I'm planning to get the Candar probe for the (single wall) stovepipe, but would also like a stovetop...hence my question regarding whether the magnet would work on an enameled cast-iron stove.

Condar Probe thermometers are not calibrated for single walled pipe. The heat given off by the pipe will give you a higher reading. Your better off with 2 magnetic external meters.

FYI - The packaging on the Condar probe flue gas thermometer instructs how to install into single-wall pipe, as well as into double-wall, thus making one believe that it will measure the flue temps of gasses in either pipe.

Buy away!

Ok, didn't know that, but I do know the extra heat from single wall does make a different reading than double wall. You can hold a flame under the dial and it will really jump up, or just blow on it and it goes down, so I don't think it only reads the internal temps. I guess whatever he buys will work as a rough guide and be a good tool to help with the burn.
 
Condar Thermometers . . . I'm very happy with mine. I have a magnetic Condar for my stove top: used to avoid over-firing the stove and I used to use it to be able to judge when to start cutting back the air and still be able to maintain the secondary combustion. I also have a probe Condar thermometer for my double-wall pipe: used to avoid over-firing the stovepipe and burn at hot enough temps to reduce creosote production. I also have a cheap Harbor Freight IR gun which I use occasionally.

I am a big fan of using thermometers . . . they're not a replacement for being able to know how to run the stove or a replacement to watching what the fire is doing and knowing what will happen if you move the air control one way or the other or what will happen if you add a fresh load of wood at Stage X, Y or Z in the burn process . . . but they do help confirm information or let you know when things are too hot or too cold . . . just don't take the data and numbers as hard and fast numbers.

I have found the stove top Condar is pretty close in temp . . . when compared to the IR temps. Of course I can't really check my probe Condar to see how accurate that is . . .

While I am a big fan of thermometers I will confess that while I used to use both the stove top temp and flue temp about the same, these days I tend to rely more on the flue temp . . . a lot of it is knowing what your stove is doing and knowing what to do to make it do what you want it to do.
 
how come some thermometers say the burn zone is 300-550 and some say 400-600 degrees? is that 100 degrees from the burn zone a very big deal?
 
well lets hope not inferno is on its way
 
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