Flue thermometer - piece of junk!

[Steve NW WI]

When I bought my new stove, I picked up a SBI probe type thermometer. I was in a hurry to get the stove in and working, and just today got around to installing it.

It took me all of half an hour to figure out that this thing is about as accurate as a smoothbore musket at 1200 yards. My camera does a poor job of focusing on multiple points, but the needle is pointing at about 1100 degrees. I know the outer and internal temps are gonna be different, but triple? No way, no how.

A shot of my stove top thermometer, again, fuzzy, but within 25° of the IR gun reading:

This is the "overfire" that gave me the above readings:

While it bothers me a little that I bought a $12 piece of junk, it bothers me more that this is a tool that the stove makers recommend to keep your stove operating in it's safe range. Mine is way off to the high side, a novice burner would be mad as heck about a stove that wouldn't heat like it's supposed to being choked down to the "safe" range, and one off the other way would have worse consequences.

What I'm getting at here, is why would a stove maker (SBI in this case) put their name on a measurement tool that can't measure what it's supposed to? If I were in their shoes, I'd be selling a (likely more expensive) reliable unit or none at all.

Fyrebug - got any input here?

 

[bucknfeller]

Shake my head...




You gadget guys are something else

 

[Jredsjeep]

if its chinese made maybe they used metric degrees, you have to multiply by 2.54 for the conversion factor:hmm3grin2orange:

you could have just gotten a bad one out of the box, it happens. i would be tempted to try another before you condemn them.

 

[Whitespider]

I'm anti-gadget... I have no input (well, I do... but...).

Thanks for the opening to state that again :msp_tongue:

 

[stihl sawing]

I have the same magnetic stick on one you have, It does alright. Doubt if it's perfect though. It will give a general idea of how warm the stove is. The manual with our stove recommended one too. It's not needed, I can pretty much tell if the stove is doing ok just by the heat coming off. The glass window makes it easier to tell if it needs wood. Never had a thermometer on none of my other stoves and reckon they done oK over the years. Think the wife does use the thermometer though.

 

[jthornton]

I just stand next to my wood stove and within a second I can tell if it is too hot or too cold or just right.

John

 

[Streblerm]

So, are you anti gadget guys against things like Tape measures, speedometers, thermostats, scales, oven timers?

 

[greendohn]

I'd try another one.

I use one on the garage wood stove 'cause once I get the place up to temp, I choke it down some and try to stay on the low end of "safe" burn. 'Aint never tried the "probe" type, just the magnetic ones.

and I've been accused of bein' a sucker for gadgets!

 

[Whitespider]

I guess that all depends on what you see as a "gadget", don't it?


A tape measure ain’t a gadget, it’s a tool, no different than the hammer… without the yard stick, and its derivatives, we’d still be living in the Stone Age.

The speedometer in my pickup ain’t been close to correct ever since I put taller tires on it… so I don’t look at it.

A thermostat ain’t a gadget, it’s a necessary controller required for proper operation and control of Modern Age mechanical devices, and used for control since we left the Stone Age… without one my truck engine would burn up or my house would burn down.

Scales are tools of many different designs… without them it would be impossible to accomplish certain tasks of the Modern Age.

Now an oven timer, that’s certainly a gadget… ain’t never used one of those, don’t see the need.

 

[Streblerm]

I guess that all depends on what you see as a "gadget", don't it?


A tape measure ain’t a gadget, it’s a tool, no different than the hammer… without the yard stick, and its derivatives, we’d still be living in the Stone Age.

The speedometer in my pickup ain’t been close to correct ever since I put taller tires on it… so I don’t look at it.

A thermostat ain’t a gadget, it’s a necessary controller required for proper operation and control of Modern Age mechanical devices, and used for control since we left the Stone Age… without one my truck engine would burn up or my house would burn down.

Scales are tools of many different designs… without them it would be impossible to accomplish certain tasks of the Modern Age.

Now an oven timer, that’s certainly a gadget… ain’t never used one of those, don’t see the need.

That pretty much proves my point. You anti gadget guys are stuck in the stone age. Using a thermometer to gather data to quantify what is happening in a stove is the same as using any other scale. Sure you can do it without using the scale but it is easier, faster, more consistent and more acurate when you do. Accuracy depending on the quality of the gadget/tool.

 

[Chris-PA]

The magnetic flue type is fine for me - it's just a relative measure anyway. I know how the stove works and it's only handy to see if it's about where I typically run it. Hell, I can't read the damn thing anymore anyway most the time since it's not very well lit there, but I can sort of see where the needle is pointing.

Sigh - I remember when I used to be able to see.

I don't have one on the upstairs stove since the flue pipe is back in the firebox and I you couldn't see it. It hasn't ever been an issue since it has a window - the flames will tell you how it's burning.

 

[brenndatomu]

I guess I'm not seeing how you are getting "triple" Steve. The tip of the probe in the center of the pipe is seeing 1100*, your IR says 345*, which I think most people agree that means 700* or so on the inside of the pipe wall. You don't thinks it's possible there is a 400* difference between the center and the outer edge? I do.
I have a probe thermometer that sometimes will come out with whitish soot on the tip, which fades to grey, then to black soot, and then finally a light coat of shiny black toward the pipes edge. That tells me there is a huge temp difference from center to OD.

 

[cmsmoke]

The worst gadgets I have are these computers...It doesn't matter which brand or how much you spend on them. You can't believe a word you read on them! At least they make you research the truth, which ties up a whole lot of time.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Yeah, I'm a sucker for "gadgets". Sue me. Although I'm mildly disappointed in how bad this one is, I'm more bothered that it's recommended and sold as a tool for operating a stove properly, and it's not capable of doing that. Like I mentioned before, not a big problem for me, who's been turning sticks into heat and ashes for a long time, but for the guy putting in his first stove and trying to run it "by the book", it's a bad tool. I could (and might) go try another one, but how does a rookie know he got a bad one?

I guess I'm not seeing how you are getting "triple" Steve. The tip of the probe in the center of the pipe is seeing 1100*, your IR says 345*, which I think most people agree that means 700* or so on the inside of the pipe wall. You don't thinks it's possible there is a 400* difference between the center and the outer edge? I do.
I have a probe thermometer that sometimes will come out with whitish soot on the tip, which fades to grey, then to black soot, and then finally a light coat of shiny black toward the pipes edge. That tells me there is a huge temp difference from center to OD.

Triple (actually a little more) the indicated value, not the theoretical actual temp, which I've read should be an internal temp of roughly double the surface temp - or around 700°, not the indicated 1100°. Right now it's more than quadruple, 175 surface temp and 650 on the probe, at the end of a burn.

Spidey, that tape measure is just a gadget. You could measure everything in paces if ya wanted to.

 

[bucknfeller]

So, are you anti gadget guys against things like Tape measures, speedometers, thermostats, scales, oven timers?

Yep! And I like a nice bed of hot coals :msp_tongue:



otstir:

 

[avalancher]

So, are you anti gadget guys against things like Tape measures, speedometers, thermostats, scales, oven timers?

Heck yeah Im against em. Someone asks me how long something is, I just stretch out my hands and say, "yep, about this long, maybe a smidge more"

Speedometers? I just drive fast enough that the guy behind me cant keep up.

Scales? Im always to fat.Why bother gettin on a scale?

Oven timer? open the door, and if its crunchy its overdone. Unless its tater tots, then they are done just right.

 

[brenndatomu]

I guess that all depends on what you see as a "gadget", don't it?


A tape measure ain’t a gadget, it’s a tool, no different than the hammer… without the yard stick, and its derivatives, we’d still be living in the Stone Age.

The speedometer in my pickup ain’t been close to correct ever since I put taller tires on it… so I don’t look at it.

A thermostat ain’t a gadget, it’s a necessary controller required for proper operation and control of Modern Age mechanical devices, and used for control since we left the Stone Age… without one my truck engine would burn up or my house would burn down.

Scales are tools of many different designs… without them it would be impossible to accomplish certain tasks of the Modern Age.

Now an oven timer, that’s certainly a gadget… ain’t never used one of those, don’t see the need.

Yeah, for you. What does Mrs Spidey think about 'em?

 

[stihl sawing]

The oven timer built into the stove works pretty good, lets me know when to rotate the pizza.:msp_thumbup:

 

[Whitespider]

Using a thermometer to gather data to quantify what is happening... Sure you can do it without using the scale but it is easier, faster, more consistent and more acurate...

Easier, faster, more consistent and accurate than what???
If I'm cold I turn the stove up, if I'm hot I turn the stove down. Knowing the flue temperature doesn't change that... it simply doesn't matter to me because I'm still gonna' turn the stove up when I'm cold, and turn it down when I'm hot regardless of flue temperature. If the pipe starts starts turning a bit red I figure I should turn it down a touch. Other than that, what "data" would I possibly need?? And why would I care?? The stove is either as hot as I need or want, or it ain't... knowing flue temperature doesn't change that.

 

[Whitespider]

Yeah, for you. What does Mrs Spidey think about 'em?

I was actually hoping someone would ask that so I could point out what a silly gadget an oven timer is.
Yeah, Mrs. Spidey uses the oven timer and it makes me laugh... for example, let's say she's making a cake. She puts the cake in the oven and sits down in front of the TV. After a few minutes she gets up and proclaims the oven timer is about to sound off, walks into the kitchen and stands there at the oven, watching the clock and waiting for the beep. After the beep she opens the oven door, sticks a toothpick in the cake and pulls it back out... after examining the toothpick she claims it ain't done yet, closes the door, and sits back down for a minute or two before removing the cake from the oven.

Why did she even set the timer in the first place??? She absolutely knew how much time had passed... she even walked in the kitchen before the timer sounded-off!!! Then she don't believe the timer anyway, checks the cake using the time honored toothpick method... then actually proclaims the timer was wrong!!! And then, when I start laughing she can't figure out what I find so damn funny, which makes me laugh even harder!!!

At least gadgets are good for something... they're good for a laugh when other people use them!!!