Membership questions? Log in issues? Email info@brewersassociation.org

Author Topic: Cheap IR thermometer  (Read 5403 times)

Offline punatic

  • Official Poobah of No Life. (I Got Ban Hammered by Drew)
  • *********
  • Posts: 4583
  • Puna District, Hawaii Island (UTC -10)
Re: Cheap IR thermometer
« Reply #15 on: March 04, 2012, 05:21:02 pm »
A friend gave me one of these as omiyage for keeping an eye on things while he was on the mainland:
Harbor Freight IR thermometer.

It's a fun toy.  Not extremely accurate, but good for trending temperatures and finding heat leaks.  My son and I use its laser to play with our cats too.

This is what I take with me when I explore the active lava flows:
Metris extra long range IR thermometer

It's good to know what you're getting into before you get there.
There is only one success: to be able to spend your life in your own way.


AHA Life Member #33907

Offline euge

  • I must live here
  • **********
  • Posts: 8017
  • Ego ceruisam ad bibere cervisiam
Re: Cheap IR thermometer
« Reply #16 on: March 05, 2012, 08:40:34 am »
I have one of the HF jobbies. Find it to be surprisingly accurate but not very practical for brewing as others have stated. Used for checking surface temps and will read the top of the fermenting beer pretty close. Still prefer the Thermapen for that though! Useless for mashing.

I use it primarily for HVAC checking ducts and wall etc...
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

Laws are spider-webs, which catch the little flies, but cannot hold the big ones. -Anacharsis

Offline ccfoo242

  • Brewmaster
  • *****
  • Posts: 808
  • I drank what? - Socrates
Re: Cheap IR thermometer
« Reply #17 on: March 12, 2012, 08:17:12 am »
Just thought I would chime in with my experience using these types of thermometers.

Yesterday I thought I would do a quick check of my grain temp before mashing and used an IR thermometer, it read 81F! My house AC was set to 72F. I checked the temp of the wall next to my thermostat and it read 72.3F, so it was accurate there. Using another thermometer I verified that the grain was 72F.

Not sure why it would read almost 10 degrees higher when pointing it at the grain.  The grain was in a paper bag and had been sitting in my living room over night.
Intra cervisiam est deus.