Coalpail.com Forum

A quick search did'nt suggest this was not talked about too much before so here goes.

Does anyone have experience with these new "no touch" infrared thermometers ? My local Harbor freight store has a Cen-Tech (96452) for $39 and Amazon has several in the same price range including shipping. Most of these go up to ~ 950 deg F so measuring the stove wall and pipe would be duck soup. I guess the cone ratio is important with this Cen-Tech having a 8:1 ratio while some others having 12:1 (measures a 1" diameter spot at 12" away). Any info on your experiences with these type units is appreciated.

Thanks, Bruce

Hi Bruce,, you won't notice the 'cone' spread very much.. I'd just get the one that is least expensive.. or convenient to buy.

Greg L.

Infrared, aka IR, is the way to go imho. I bought a Micro Temp MTPRO, 11:1 and up to ~ 950F last season when I began to doubt my third mag stove top thermometer. Price isn't exact but I think it was ~ $45-50 delivered. There are cheeper uints available. I don't think the ratio is that important if you keep it in mind when you use it. The mag calibrated okay at 210 suspended in boiling water but the fires looked/felt hotter. Turns out it was reading low by about 20+% compared to the IR unit. I use one at work that is NIST traceable and they read identically. Not only can I tell the stove and pipe skin temperates (from my chair - is there any other way? ) but I've found and sealed a lot of little leaks around the doors and windows. Also used it to balance my AC this past summer. Great tool.

I bought mine at Sears. Works great.http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_03450466000P Chris

mine.

high quality starts at $100.00. There is a difference. However if just using on your stove a cheaper one will do. even a digital touch model would be ok,

I see this is an old thread. What model are you guys using for measuring stove and flue pipe temps?

Lightning wrote:I see this is an old thread. What model are you guys using for measuring stove and flue pipe temps?

... the son of a gun (no pun intended), even came with a battery! It's 3 yrs old and works fine.

http://www.amazon.com/HDE-Non-Contact-Temperature ... hermometer

Thanks Mike
I've read that some IR guns have some difficulty with particular surfaces. How does this one do?

You know they don't work on anything shinny or glass. Also I found they are highly inaccurate I do commercials hvac The one I have is about 300. I am also a firefighter I can tell you even our $10,000 thermal iminging camera does the same exact thing then you will see what is reflecting.