Best way to measure heat

[shazza]

Want to know what the pros and cons of these methods of measuring heat -- stove top vs chimney thermometer vs IR gun?
Any recommendations welcome.

 

[weatherguy]

All are good.

 

[Sawset]

.

 

[bholler]

Want to know what the pros and cons of these methods of measuring heat -- stove top vs chimney thermometer vs IR gun?
Any recommendations welcome.

For me stack temp is the best. Unless you are using a cat stove then you need a cat probe. Stove top temps are slower to change that stack temp. So I use stack temp to run the stove

 

[Ludlow]

Yep. I only pay attention to the temp of the connector pipe. Single wall in my case.

 

[Socratic Monologue]

Digital probe in the stove pipe. Accurate, easy to see if the temp is climbing or falling, instant measurements.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

The most accurate way of measuring heat is my wife. If she's cold, I need more heat.

I don't think she's ever too warm, but she's most comfortable between 72.3° and 73.6°.

 

[Sawset]

The most accurate way of measuring heat is my wife. If she's cold, I need more heat.

I don't think she's ever too warm, but she's most comfortable between 72.3° and 73.6°.

Here it's 3 newborns 3wks to 6mo. When their hands are cold we need heat. No ir gun here, stove top is for reference, flue temp is priority, outside temps in the 20s means maintaining a long slow simmer and watching the kiddos.

 

[EatenByLimestone]

Here it's 3 newborns 3wks to 6mo. When their hands are cold we need heat. No ir gun here, stove top is for reference, flue temp is priority, outside temps in the 20s means maintaining a long slow simmer and watching the kiddos.

That's the best reason to turn a piece of wood into ash!

 

[sroof]

I just posted this note in another thread - for my Jotul F400, the manual is very specific about where on the top plate to put the magnetic thermometer. I suspect most stoves will have hotter and cooler spots, so you should measure in the same place. That said, I find comparing stove top and flue temperatures is very useful. I've installed some thermocouples connected to a datalogger recording stove temperatures. Flue temp are greater than stove top when stove is heating up. When stove is stable or cooling, stove top is hotter than flue, which I take to be a sign of good secondary burning.