Digital Thermometer Issues

[phatuna]

I bought a $18 digital thermometer from Target the other day. The kind that is supposed to be used for a piece of meat in the oven. It has a temperature "stick" connected to a temp reading guage by a long wire.

It was great to be able to monitor my temps without opening the MT - I was holding mash temp 153F, right on!

As I was heating my sparge water, I needed a temp reading, so I pulled it out of my MT and put it into my hot water. It read 213 deg. F!! I knew this couldn't be correct as my water was not at a boil.

I put my old trusty floating thermometer in and it read 192.

I then put both the dig. and floating thermometers into my MT. The digi read 153 while the floating read 145. My attentuation was terrible! Not sure how to calculate how bad, but my OG was supposed to be 054 and I got 036 so I added a LOT of DME.

My conclusion is that technology is cool and all, but I will be going back to my floating thermometer...

 

[jamesnsw]

You should be able to calibrate it, usually using ice and water. That might help.

 

[phatuna]

You should be able to calibrate it, usually using ice and water. That might help.

Thanks James, I'll check the directions when I get home. It was one of those toys that I opened up, put in a battery, hit the ON button and considered it good to go.

 

[HenryHill]

I only trust a lab rod thermometer, but use Brewmometers on the keggles.

I always do a check with the lab rod. It has a small hole in one end and I twisted tag wires as a lanyard to help handle it.

 

[rcrabb22]

if you totally submerged the probe in water then your problems are not rare. I messed up 2 of these before I read other posts about the same issue.
Read this

https://www.homebrewtalk.com/f11/remote-probe-thermometer-wort-proofing-26905/

 

[BioBeing]

I had temperature problems on my last batch. I was brewing with my buddy, who spent two years sailing the Caribbean. He says that on a boat you want one of every piece of equipment or three. Never have two, as if they do not agree, you don't know what to do. If you have just one, you have to trust it. If you have three, then hopefully two will agree. I need another thermometer!

 

[phatuna]

Thanks Crabb, the thought never crossed my mind that these things weren't waterproof.

I'm sure that I submerged it, I'll see if I can re-calibrate then wort-proof it.

 

[springer]

Do yourself a favor and chuck the cheapie now.. I went through 3 now I use a K-probe trace from Cole Palmer and a Thermopen

Read up about POS thermometers here clicky

 

[Laughing_Gnome_Invisible]

Do you still have the packaging? You need to check the ranges that this thermometer can handle. It is a meat thermometer after all.

 

[rcrabb22]

Thanks Crabb, the thought never crossed my mind that these things weren't waterproof.

I'm sure that I submerged it, I'll see if I can re-calibrate then wort-proof it.

Same here. I wrecked the first one washing it. The 2nd was submerged in my kettle.

I recall some having luck drying the probe by baking it in an oven. Make sure to leave the plastic connector out of the oven

I can't remember exactly how hot the oven should be but I bet if you did around 250F for an hour or so then left it be for a day or 2 it might be ok.

You might want to search the forum and see what you can find

 

[phatuna]

Do you still have the packaging? You need to check the ranges that this thermometer can handle. It is a meat thermometer after all.

I just checked the range, and it says 32 - 392F.

I'm sure now that I got this thing wet. I guess I'll try waterproofing it, the method sounds like a bit of a PITA, but so is opening my cooler every few minutes to get a temp reading off of my floating thermometer...

Thanks to all for your help!

 

[rico567]

After extensive readings on thermometers, I bought one of the new "splash-proof" Thermapens. The Thermapen has an enviable track record, and I didn't want to use my Polder kitchen 'probe' thermometer, as it isn't waterproof and takes too long to settle down to a reading (although it IS accurate). The clip-on dial themometer that I use in my boil kettle has always been great, but isn't particularly useful for mashing. The dial isn't going to read accurately enough, and, like my Polder digital, takes too long to settle down to a reading.

 

[Sawdustguy]

After extensive readings on thermometers, I bought one of the new "splash-proof" Thermapens. The Thermapen has an enviable track record, and I didn't want to use my Polder kitchen 'probe' thermometer, as it isn't waterproof and takes too long to settle down to a reading (although it IS accurate). The clip-on dial themometer that I use in my boil kettle has always been great, but isn't particularly useful for mashing. The dial isn't going to read accurately enough, and, like my Polder digital, takes too long to settle down to a reading.

+1 on the Thermapen. I use one for brewing and one for BBQ Competitions. It would be tuff to find a handheld thermometer as fast, accurate or durable as the Thermapen. I beat the crap out of mine during the BBQ season at competitions and it is as fast and accurate as the day I got it, but then you only get what you pay for.

 

[HappyValley]

I had the same issue with my digital meat thermometer. First time this happened was testing the water temp of the birth tub my wife was using to deliver our second child at home. Reading went from 102 to 215 in an instant - kind of freaked me out, at the time.

Problem, as someone stated, is moisture getting into the probe. I read about a fix where you boil the probe in oil. Tried it, and it worked a charm. Now, I keep the probe from getting submerged in wort/birth tub water.

 

[Bobby_M]

I have a really tough stomach, and you just upset it.

 

[jds]

I had the same issue with my digital meat thermometer. First time this happened was testing the water temp of the birth tub my wife was using to deliver our second child at home. Reading went from 102 to 215 in an instant - kind of freaked me out, at the time.

Problem, as someone stated, is moisture getting into the probe. I read about a fix where you boil the probe in oil. Tried it, and it worked a charm. Now, I keep the probe from getting submerged in wort/birth tub water.

Best first post ever.

Welcome to HBT.

 

[PhlyanPan]

Has anyone had any luck with non-contact infrared thermometers?

 

[BreckBastion]

I tried the BonJour IR thermometer and it fluctuated by about 6 degrees consistently. Re-gifted.

 

[Homercidal]

I got my digital wet as well, and it took a couple of weeks at room temp to dry out. I ended up pitching it anyway. Now I'm careful not to dunk it too deep. Need to waterproof that thing. Then consider a good one when I start brewing enough.

 

[Catt22]

Has anyone had any luck with non-contact infrared thermometers?

Yes, sort of. The infra red no contact thermometers are useful for some tasks and not suitable for others. They read the surface temperature. Not much help when you want to know the mash temperature more in the center of the mass of grain. They sometimes give false readings from reflective surfaces such as a kettle or keg if it is polished. Steam from the mash or boil kettle will interfere with the reading. They are not particularly precise. Most have a +/-2 F accuracy and that can vary with the object being measured and probably with other local conditions. Those are the negatives. Here's a couple of positive things. You can quickly shoot the side of a fermenter and gage the temperature. This can be handy when you are about to pitch the yeast or during fermentation. You can use it on the output of a CFC to gage the exit temperature of the wort. You can use it for checking the temperature of a starter in a flask and although this is not critical, it might tell you that you need to warm it up or cool it off under certain circumstances. These no contact thermometers are not a good substitute for a high quality dial or digital thermometer. IMO temperature control is of paramount importance in homebrewing. It's what can make the difference between a good beer and a great beer!

 

[springer]

I had the same issue with my digital meat thermometer. First time this happened was testing the water temp of the birth tub my wife was using to deliver our second child at home. Reading went from 102 to 215 in an instant - kind of freaked me out, at the time.

Problem, as someone stated, is moisture getting into the probe. I read about a fix where you boil the probe in oil. Tried it, and it worked a charm. Now, I keep the probe from getting submerged in wort/birth tub water.

Nick no offense but I wont be doing any beer exchanges with you....

 

[Bokonon]

Nick no offense but I wont be doing any beer exchanges with you....

but think of all the good names there could be:
Afterbirth amber
Transition trappist
First breath brown

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Just bought this guy last week...

Item # 83210, Digital Thermometer -50 to 150°C & -58 to 302°F on VEE GEE Scientific, Inc.

Seems to be a good thermometer, I've checked it against Boiling water and a glass of Ice Water and it read a degree high on both. It's built to be used with liquids. 22 bones at the LHBS.Time will tell, but it seems to be a well made thermometer, and I trust it

 

[phatuna]

Time will tell, but it seems to be a well made thermometer, and I trust it

Yankee, how is that thermometer working out?

 

[Evan!]

Check it.

That thermocouple is the joyeeeeeeent! I've been thrilled with it. A thermapen will work, but it's about as pricey as my setup, and you can't really leave the probe submerged in the mash unless you rig up some kind of bulkhead on the side of the MLT. Me, I just drilled a tiny hole in the MLT lid, and I thread the thermocouple through that, and I have instant readings through the whole mash without opening the lid.

Yes, it was $80, all told, but can you really put a price on having instant accurate mash readings without opening the lid? You might find the same stuff on eBay for cheaper---consult truckmann if you want to go that route. Me, I got burned too many times, and I wanted an actual company that would stand behind the product, rather than some eBay ****** selling the things from his mom's basement. But it's your call. In any case, I would stop wasting time with any other thermometers and just get a thermocouple.

 

[Evan!]

Nick no offense but I wont be doing any beer exchanges with you....

Stop being such a *****. Just wait till you try my placenta porter. It's Tom-Cruise-eriffic!

 

[Yankeehillbrewer]

Yankee, how is that thermometer working out?

I'm really liking it, it's fast which is really nice. I need to calibrate again, just to double check. I've only used it for one Brew, but I have been using it to check the water temp in my fermentation chamber, 3-4 times a day. No issues with it.