Where to put Condar Thermometer

The instructions state "Optimal location is at eye level, no less than 12 inches above the top of the stove."

The thing will read temperature anywhere on the pipe you put it, however, if you put it too high or too low, then the "best operation" zone may be off depending on your stove and setup. The 12 inches up is a generalization.

For my setup, I found I like it 18 inches up from the stove. For my stove with my draft (etc, etc) 18 inches up that thing will hit the "redline" at the same time the stove top will hit the highest temp I like it to see.

For my setup, if I ran it by the flue thermometer alone at 12 inches up, I'd be in the overfire on the stove pipe thermometer when the stove was cruising at about 625. Since I like to keep the stove top 750 or under, I decided to move it up the pipe.

The key is to find a position that you are comfortable with that also results in clean burning. This means some experimentation to find your key location. It's not as simple as knowing X engine can rev safely to X rpm all the time.

pen