Buying a woodstove thermometer

[elmoleaf]

I should've known better, but I tried anyway....to buy a woodstove thermometer at Home Depot and then at Lowes.

Home Depot went something like this:
"You want what? Well, we have a few woodstoves near Returns". I look around the woodstoves for accessories. Nothing.
I ask someone else. "Try the Garden Center. All our thermometers are there." Of course, she's referring to regular thermometers, but I look anyway. Nothing in the Garden Center except a mouse scurrying across the floor.

Next stop, Lowes. I ask if they have woodstove thermometers or stove/fireplace accessories.
"No, we don't have stoves or anything like that here." This is a giant brand new Lowes that opened a few months ago.

I'll try my local ACE....no doubt they'll have it, and the owner will walk me right to the right aisle, find it on the shelf for me, and put it in my hand.
Service at the big boxes stinks....they always send you off on a fool's errand to a distant disorganized aisle looking for a product that's out of stock or that they don't carry anyway.

 

[rumme]

i just bought a steel oven thermometer...it sits on the top of my stove and seems to be fairly accurate. shows my stove running at 500- 600 degrees when I have it loaded up and dampered down...just like the manual says it should read.

 

[Heem]

i just bought a steel oven thermometer...it sits on the top of my stove and seems to be fairly accurate. shows my stove running at 500- 600 degrees when I have it loaded up and dampered down...just like the manual says it should read.

I got mine at ACE. Depot and Lowes have their purpose, but I much prefer to do business with the local guys when I can.

 

[lazeedan]

Nothing like good service from the little guy.

 

[fossil]

Elmo, I hope you don't mind that I kinda toned down your thread subject line just a bit. It was either that or correct your spelling. There's absolutely nothing wrong with big box stoves. :coolsmile: Rick

 

[trafick]

One thing I do with Home Depot/Lowes is check them online for the item I want. If there website says that my local store doesn't have what I'm looking for the I go elsewhere.

I agree with others about going local first. I can handle them being a few bucks higher in price but when they are $40 or $50 off, I go to the big boys.

 

[firefighterjake]

When I was looking for the accessories earlier this year I was rather disappointed in the selection at Lowes and Home Depot . . . whereas my local True Value literally had three or four different styles of stove thermometers.

 

[begreen]

Try your local True Value or Ace Hardware store. I picked up a Drolet for a friend in fall that wasn't too bad.

 

[Risser09]

It's amazing that such a huge store can't carry the dumb little part that you are looking for. Here's a list of things that I couldn't find at Lowe's in the last few months.

1. Strike Plate For Maul
2. Stove Thermometer
3. Growing Light Bulbs
4. Seed Starting Mix

 

[fossil]

If this is just gonna be another "bash the retailers" thread, I'm gonna move it to the Ash Can where it belongs. Rick

 

[elmoleaf]

Sorry, didn't intend to start a bashing thread.

In the end, since I was cooking pizza tonight, I decided to stick the stove thermometer in the oven. That allowed me to check how far off it was reading versus the oven temperature.
It wasn't too bad. That and the price of a new one ($16-$25?) convinced me to keep my current thermometer.

 

[jdurando]

It's amazing that such a huge store can't carry the dumb little part that you are looking for. Here's a list of things that I couldn't find at Lowe's in the last few months.

1. Strike Plate For Maul
2. Stove Thermometer
3. Growing Light Bulbs
4. Seed Starting Mix

Do you have to feed those light bulbs to keep them growing or just water them from time to time

 

[Jimbob]

I should've known better, but I tried anyway....to buy a woodstove thermometer at Home Depot and then at Lowes.

Canadian Tire has lots of 'em. Rona carries them too, as well as Home Hardware (different than Home Dopt).