What to use to measure surface temperature?

[Mike W1]

Have my PID controller with a K probe mounted in the aluminum base of my heater as close as I can get it to my Luber/Sizer. I have one of those IR thermometers but in reality they're no good for this type thing.

Is there some kind of probe for an electronic thermometer you could just press and hold on a surface to get an accurate measurement?

I know I'll get the correct temperature for my setup eventually by trial and error and then of course it's repeatable using the PID but I confess I like "gadgets" just as my wife accuses me of liking.

[6bg6ga]

Have my PID controller with a K probe mounted in the aluminum base of my heater as close as I can get it to my Luber/Sizer. I have one of those IR thermometers but in reality they're no good for this type thing.

Is there some kind of probe for an electronic thermometer you could just press and hold on a surface to get an accurate measurement?

I know I'll get the correct temperature for my setup eventually by trial and error and then of course it's repeatable using the PID but I confess I like "gadgets" just as my wife accuses me of liking.

The aluminum base which contains my 300 watt heating element also contains my probe. Both are situated in such a way that they are directly under the sizer.
I also have one of those IR thermometers and mine might be more expensive than yours and it works fine and is very accurate for obtaining surface temperatures.

[Mike W1]

The aluminum base which contains my 300 watt heating element also contains my probe. Both are situated in such a way that they are directly under the sizer.
I also have one of those IR thermometers and mine might be more expensive than yours and it works fine and is very accurate for obtaining surface temperatures.

Mine wasn't expensive and from what I've read about how they react to emissions and my own playing around with it I'm pretty sure mine's not accurate. Some recent discussion somewhere (on here I think) mentioned readings on pieces of I believe brass, aluminum and iron that ARE the same temperature will differ by quite a bit. Hence my NEED of another toy.

[wv109323]

You can buy a temp. probe for a lot of digital V-O-M meters. You can check it by holding it against your body. It should be around 95 to 96 degrees or you may need to take a trip to the funeral home.

[Mike W1]

You can buy a temp. probe for a lot of digital V-O-M meters. You can check it by holding it against your body. It should be around 95 to 96 degrees or you may need to take a trip to the funeral home.

Kind of was wondering if that might be the way to go. I'm not too happy with my little cheap VOM's anyhow and have been considering a good one. Might just have to splurge on one.

Not in any big hurry to get to the funeral home though!

[theperfessor]

I bought a K type Tcouple from Auber that screws into a 1/4-20 hole. it only needs to be about 1/4 deep. Would this work?

[Walter Laich]

Keith,
Good to see you back on the forums. Hope your recovery is progressing well

[Mike W1]

I bought a K type Tcouple from Auber that screws into a 1/4-20 hole. it only needs to be about 1/4 deep. Would this work?

Have one of those mounted in my luber heater. Want to be able to check other spots also without being tied down to one spot or two.

[remy3424]

A "theperfessor" sighting! Good to see you back, hope things are going well and that you are fully recovered and back to full production soon.

[6bg6ga]

I bought a K type Tcouple from Auber that screws into a 1/4-20 hole. it only needs to be about 1/4 deep. Would this work?

Good to see you back.

Do you happen to have a PN?

[KYCaster]

Don't give up on your IR thermometer. If you can get consistent, repeatable results with it, that's all you really need.

If you're looking for something that agrees with your PID readout, you'll just be chasing your tail. Unless your PID and thermocouple came with an accuracy certification, you have no way of knowing if the indicated temp. is correct.

Whether it's correct or not isn't really important as long as the results are consistent and repeatable. Is your lube temp. 110*? Or is it really 112*? Does it really matter? If I say my lube flows well at 102.25* are you going to have a hissy fit when you have to set your PID at 106.5*? Which one is right?

Mind over matter.......IF YOU DON'T MIND, IT DON'T MATTER!

So.....clean off a spot on your heated base and spray it with flat black paint. Try to get it as close as possible to the thermocouple. When the system gets up to temp. check the black spot with your IR. Do this every five minutes for an hour and compare the IR readings to the PID read out. You should find the difference between the two readings to be consistent. If they're not, then you can start looking for the cause of the discrepancy.

Don't try to make it any more complicated than it needs to be.

Jerry