thermometer tech question

[smonteton]

I left my thermometer in my mash tun. The thermometer now has quite a bit of condensation inside of it. I'm worried about it getting rusty or something and throwing off the temp. reading. I was thinking about drilling a hole in the glass or on the side? Idk any ideas or should i just leave it?
cheers
This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 700x527.


This image has been resized. Click this bar to view the full image. The original image is sized 700x527.

 

[FuzzeWuzze]

Leave it, test it in boiling water and a glass of ice water to see if the readings are off.

 

[surlytheduff]

I'd like to piggyback on this question. I've got a Blichmann 1/2" npt brewmometer that I used one time and ended up with a considerable amount of condensation, that settled into a good 1/2" of standing water in the bottom. I assume that it's sealed with a gasket and somehow crimped, so getting the glass off is probably a hassle. I was thinking about drilling a very small drain hole in the bottom, getting the water out then resealing with a dab of some sort of glue. This oughta work, right?

In hindsight, I really didn't think I was having a problem with the face overheating. It was screwed into the upper port on a 15 gallon pot. Burner wasn't lapping up the side or anything. Going forward, I'll probably just use some sort of heatshield just to be safe.

 

[IslandLizard]

The past 30 years I've used (dial) photographic thermometers that are smaller but very similar to the ones we use for brewing. Those photographic ones are hermetically sealed and never condensate. You could leave them submerged for weeks without any issues.

It's quite dismaying to see the brew thermometers developing condensation issues inside. Really bad engineering.

I left them in a warm oven (150°F) and the condensation evaporated out. A sunny window may do the same.

Now I keep them well away from prolonged exposure to steam, trying to avoid this from happening again, but it is a hassle. This should never be an issue considering their purpose and the environments we are using them in.

Looking into a digital one...