Infrared Thermometer Gun?

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digdan

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Does anyone have experiance with an infrared thermometer gun?

I was wondering if it would show accurate results when pointed at the liquid in your HLT.
 
You mean this type? Infrared gun

060111_spacelaser_hlrg.h2.jpg


Sorry, couldn't resist!
 
digdan said:
Does anyone have experiance with an infrared thermometer gun?

I was wondering if it would show accurate results when pointed at the liquid in your HLT.

I have one and will be brewing this weekend. I'll give it a try and let you know what I find.

-a.
 
I have one and I get some good readings and bad ones. For the most part it works. But a regular Thermometer workd best.
 
I've used them industrially. They are used when (1) you can't reach what you're trying to measure (2) what you're measuring is moving (3) it is too dangerous to get near what you're measuring. They are less accurate than simpler methods. It is also necessary to calibrate the IR thermometer for the specific measurement conditions. For brewing, that would mean a calibration for each different recipe and amount of steam.

My advice: Go to Target and spent $25 on a Taylor electronic thermometer with an immersible probe.

Tom
 
boo boo said:
Unfortunatly, that type of thermometer only measures surface tempertures and will not accuratly measure the mash tempertures.:mug:
True! i use a tn2 thermometer,i use it check mash liquor temp then switch to a spirit thermometer for the mash,then back to the tn2 for everything else,i find it most usful for checking fermentation temp as i dont like to mess with the wort once it's fermenting,i use 5 gallon plastic fermenters with a 4" screw top with airlock and simply take a reading from the outside middle portion of the drum.works great for that.
It was a pain to calibrate when i first got it though!
 
Well, I did my brew today, and of course I forgot to test the IR thermometer until part way through the boil. There didn't seem to be much point in measuring the temperature of boiling wort, but I did it anyway. The temperature (according to the IR thermometer varied from 165 to 185 degrees F. Not a very promising start. (I would expect in incorrect temperature because the device was not calibrated for this use, but variations of 20 degrees seems to be somewhat excessive, although it was very windy where I was boiling, and this may have had some effect)
I then used it to take the temperature of the wort while chilling with an immersion wort chiller.
While chilling, the device returned consistent temperatures. At the start of the process, the temperature was within two degrees of the thermometer built into the brew pot (which is accurate to within one degree F at both 32 and 212 degrees).

As the chill progressed, the difference between the two thermometers increased until the brew pot showed 76 degrees, while the IR device showed 120! I believe the reason for this discrepancy was that although the wort had cooled to 76, the brewpot above the wort level was very much warmer, and the thermometer was measuring the pot temperature above the wort level, rather than the wort temperature, although it was pointing at the wort.

If anybody wants more test results, I shall be brewing again in a couple of weeks, and I shall try to measure the mash water and mash temps, but unless somebody specifically asks for this data, I think I shall agree with the previous posters, and conclude that it isn't worth the effort.

-a.
 
Wow,

Thanks... you saved me from wasting money on an IR gun for brewing :)

I guess I'll stick to my small army of thermometers... and the weekly calibratings
 
Well I wasn't going to brew for another couple of weeks, but last night I tried to draw a pint from my current keg, and found it was empty.:mad:

To put matters right, I decided to brew again today instead of going to work. :D (I've got my priorities sorted out.)

As I hadn't put the IR thermometer away yet, I decided to use it to measure the mash temperature. I was mashing at 155 (according to my digital thermometer which I know is accurate) and the IR thermometer read from 118 to 121 degrees.

It certainly seems like these (or at least my) device is completely useless for brewing.

-a.
 
I was also considering buying one of these IR Thermometers, I think after reading this thread I'll stick to a more reliable digital stick...
 
I use IR thermometer on my plastic brewing pot and it is pretty accurate.
 
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