1st attempt...tried and FAILED miserably!!!

So how much of a floating thermometer is supposed to stick out of the wort? I bought one today from the LHBS along with some iodophor so I'd have everything I need to brew my first batch...and how fitting on Home Brew Day. So I clean everything and start heating the water for the steeping grains. The turkey fryer I borrowed from my father-in-law has a thermometer so I was using it and the floating jimmy I picked up today and they were reading about 10 degrees apart. So I decided to rely on the floating one.

Only problem was I couldn't read the temperature without pulling it out of the water. So I'm using my tongs to grab it and check temp so I can dial in 155 degrees. I'm getting close so in goes the steeping grains. I go to check the temp again and the damn thing slips out of the tongs, hits the side of the kettle and POPS. Summumabit@$%. Broken glass and whatever the thermometer is filled with is now in the steeping water. Brew day over.

Clint

Bummer man, go out and pick up some more steeping grains and start again in the morning! Don't let the man hold you down!!! Also pick up a cheapy digital thermometer from Wal-Mart or the LHBS, calibrate it and brew on!

My experience with the floating ones (I use digital now) is that the rubber part at the top is not nearly as hot as the water. I could grab it with my fingers... even from a boiling pot. That being said, plus one on the cheapy digital. But be careful about the ones that have the remote probe. You can't let the part of where the wire goes into the probe get wet. If you do, it will read WAY off. Granted you can dry them out usually, but you could end up doing something stupid too-like I did last weekend. I was drunk brewing and decided to dry out the probe in the toaster oven, but I put the whole thing in the oven (wire and all) and melted the connector. Ohwell.

That's the plan although It'll be in the afternoon...got a family function at noon and LHBS opens at 10. Don't want to press myself for time.

Yeah the rubber on the therm sticking out of the water is never hot. Plus all floating thermometers are filled with alcohol. Broken glass sucks but for the most part can be strained and would eventually fall out with the rest of the trub during fermentation. At least it was before you started to brew and it didn't occur while chilling the wort down. And your HB store is open on Sunday which is awesome.