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What would be the safe limit temperature when taking a reading with a IR thermo right next to the combustor gauge. I know the it can get up to 1600 degrees in the combustor area. For now, I've been limiting the surface temp 600-700 degrees.
I suspect that most BK owners ignore the stove top surface temp. I've got a thermometer on the surface of mine, but it's only there as a "warning: hot" reminder for visitors. I almost never read it.
I pay a lot of attention to the quick-responding Auber flue thermometer. I use my Condar cat probe on cold loads, but I pay less attention to it on hot reloads.
Just now checked. With the stove air at around 60%, the cat gauge is reading a bit over 1000 dF, the flue thermometer is at 460 dF, and an IR thermometer says the highest temp on the stove top is also 460 dF.
It's unusually cold here. Reloaded about 4 hours ago. Air is at 5:30 (about 90%). Flue is 640 dF; Condar cat gauge says 1450; highest stove top temp my IR meter shows is about 715. Most of the stove top is closer to 650.
I prefer to limit my flue temp to 900 dF, but it will occasionally go up to 1200 for a few seconds on a hot reload. Like DonTee, I prefer to limit the cat temp to 1400, but I don't worry too much about 1500.
It's unusually cold here. Reloaded about 4 hours ago. Air is at 5:30 (about 90%). Flue is 640 dF; Condar cat gauge says 1450; highest stove top temp my IR meter shows is about 715. Most of the stove top is closer to 650.
I prefer to limit my flue temp to 900 dF, but it will occasionally go up to 1200 for a few seconds on a hot reload. Like DonTee, I prefer to limit the cat temp to 1400, but I don't worry too much about 1500.
Thank you for your readings When my BK cat gauge begins to peg out, the stove top temp is about 700f and the flue gets around 900f. I'll probably invest in one of those condar cat gauges that gives actual temp numbers in degrees so as to relate the stove top temp next to the cat gauge.
Anyway, I had hoped BKVP would have picked up on my question.