Condar cat thermometer sucks

[RustyShackleford]

I seem to repeatedly have this problem with Condar combustor thermometers (the kind with a 1-2" metal probe that sticks down near the catalytic converter). Several times I've had the "zero" get off, where when the stove is cold, it reads WAY below the room-temperature level; recently, I have one that reads several hundred degrees when the stove is cold (and over 2000 degrees when running).

I've taken these apart several times and still can't figure out how they're supposed to work. The basic problem is that the inner end of the coil spring slips, that is, it doesn't stay firmly fixed into any one spot. I'm not sure how it's supposed to do so. It looks like maybe a little hook bent into the end of the spring is supposed to catch against a high point on one of the hex nuts that hold the thing together. But I can't get it to stay. I'm at wits' end.

What am I missing ? Am I the only one that has this problem ? Is there a better thermometer available ? Searching, I've found some mention of using an infrared one, the pistol type I assume, but I'm not sure where you'd aim it.

 

[RustyShackleford]

This looks like it might work. No mention of wood-burning usage in questions or reviews though. Confusing that two maximum temps seems to be quoted, 1562 degrees-F for thermocouple, 2372 for pyrometer.

I can't get the Amazon link to work though. Searching (in Amazon) "k2 High Temperature Digital Pyrometer" and looking at the third item down, seems to work.

 

[Pinesmoke]

Condor seems like a pretty solid company. Have you given them a call?

 

[RustyShackleford]

Called 'em, they say no longer under warranty. Say if it gets too hot, there's a weld that breaks (I guess what keeps the. inner end of the spring in a fixed position) ?

Can someone remind me what specific model (probe length) is required for BK Princess ?

 

[NHWS]

Depends on the year the stove was made. Mine uses the 3-12-1. AFAIK some of the earlier stoves use the 3CX-2.

 

[Highbeam]

My condar cat meter has been great for several years and a definite upgrade from the BK oem meter. Holds zero perfectly with no adjustment needed season after season. Just like the flue meter from condar.

What’s going to kill both of these is the corrosion of the actual probes. Over time the corrosive gasses erode the thickness.

Maybe don’t mess with the calibration on the next one. Did it really need adjustment fresh out of the box?

 

[DonTee]

I just got a 3-12-1 for my Princess a couple weeks ago. It works great. I agree it’s an upgrade over the stock gauge. The highest temp mine has been up to so far is 1400.

It looks like the gauge goes to 1700. And that’s outside the “recommended” zone. I wonder what temp the weld breaks at.

 

[RustyShackleford]

Maybe don’t mess with the calibration on the next one. Did it really need adjustment fresh out of the box?

No, not fresh out of the box. At some point I noticed the zero (when stove cold) was WAY off, and that's when I realized the inner end of the spring was not attached to anything. So I bent a little hook in it and got it to catch on one of the hex nuts there.

Maybe my cat just gets too hot.

 

[DonTee]

One thing I just noticed with mine is the face is already starting to discolor. It must have a sticker instead of painted like the BK gauge.

The BK gauge still looks new.

 

[RustyShackleford]

I still think something like this could work:

I don't understand wny Amazon links won't work. Search "Full Range High Temperature K-Type Thermocouple Sensor Ceramic Kiln Furnace 2498F 1370C CR-14" at Amazon.

Could you lengthen the wire to get the meter a safe distance from the stove ?

Would the probe fit into the hole on top of the stove, and the correct distance ?

They also sell a bunch of thermocouple probes, that look like they'd fit in the stovetop hole, could be adjusted to the correction insertion. depth, and have a 2 meter long insulated wire. Looks like we want a Type K thermcouple, and then just connect the wires from the thing to a voltmeter, using this table:

https://assets.omega.com/pdf/tables_and_graphs/thermocouple-type-k-fahrenheit.pdf

 

[RustyShackleford]

I asked about my thermocouple idea at stackexchange ... https://diy.stackexchange.com/quest...ple-to-monitor-wood-stove-catalytic-converter

 

[jdr7]

I just got a 3-12-1 for my Princess a couple weeks ago. It works great. I agree it’s an upgrade over the stock gauge. The highest temp mine has been up to so far is 1400.

It looks like the gauge goes to 1700. And that’s outside the “recommended” zone. I wonder what temp the weld breaks at.

@DonTee this is actually really helpful, we have a BK Princess 32, and need to replace the original cat thermometer. We bought an aftermarket one that looked like BK's, but I don't trust it - it gets hot way too quick, and seems to shoot way above the active zone.

Just wanted to ask - is the 3-12-1 a direct replacement? It looks like that's the 4" probe length, and 2" dial? How is it still holding up for you, and did you need to calibrate it? Many thanks for any guidance!

 

[stoveliker]

I installed one this summer. First small (pipe change testing) fire tonight.
Thermometer said 100 F, but I thought the cat was ready. Closed the bypass and it glowed in 2 seconds. Took a while before the thermometer really caught up.

This season will be the cat's fifth so I'm keeping an eye on it. (2000 is hours per season for me.) So far so good. It cruises at 1200 F according to the Condar.

 

[Jeff in Maine]

My Condar is not correct either, at least I don't think it is. Right now, my Princess thermostat is at about the 5 O'clock position and has been for about an hour The fan is set at a low /med to maybe medium speed. If you stand in-front of the stove it will melt your teeth, but the thermometer reads about 450* I would also like to know if the probe should be the short or the longer one I don't think I have the original anymore the spring came loose and it just floated in the back not connected to anything so I had to buy the one I have now.

 

[Highbeam]

My Condar is not correct either, at least I don't think it is. Right now, my Princess thermostat is at about the 5 O'clock position and has been for about an hour The fan is set at a low /med to maybe medium speed. If you stand in-front of the stove it will melt your teeth, but the thermometer reads about 450* I would also like to know if the probe should be the short or the longer one I don't think I have the original anymore the spring came loose and it just floated in the back not connected to anything so I had to buy the one I have now.

With fans running you can't trust the reading from a cat meter. The air blowing over the beimettalic coil cools it off and lowers the reading. Also, funny things happen when you run the stove hot. The primary fire eats so much fuel that there may not be much left for the catalyst to eat so the cat temperature falls. My hottest cat moments were when there is no flame in the box.