...that are included with incubators. You know, the little glass-tubed ones with a couple of staples holding them to a plastic card along with a small glob of glue to keep the stem from sliding within the staples. They're stated as being useless, worthless and a piece of junk.
Ok, if you wanta throw them away I guess you have the right...afterall, you paid for them. But, I've got a question....
What makes them useless?
I've got two of these thermometers. One out of a Genesis 1588 and one out of a Hova 1602. Interestingly, the scales on the two thermometers are "different"....one seeming to be more compressed than the other, or is it the other one is more stretched out than the first. Hmmm.... Anyhow, the scales are noticeably different...no consistency at all. Tsk tsk tsk... Now, having said that, they also measured differently...matter of fact they were a little over two degrees off from each other! Junk, I tell ya,...junk.
Ok, so these mass produced thermometers aren't exactly "Department of Standards" precision units but all we really want to do is measure a specific temperature, it doesn't have to be accurate over a very wide range at all.
Now, there are two things I think we could do...
The first route we might could be to....
(1) Fill a glass with warm water measured with a digital medical thermometer to a temperature of 99.5F (or 102F, or 101.5F, etc.).
(2) Place the junk thermometer in the water and have the bulb of it and the tip of the medical thermometer in very close proximity to each other.
(3) Might have to warm the water up just a bit to regain the 99.5F temperature.
(4) Let the junk thermometer stabilize and remeasure with the medical thermometer
(5) Re-start the digital medical thermometer.
(6) Once the medical thermometer has stopped changing mark the level of the spirits in the stem (mark on the glass itself) with a fine point SHARPIE and note the precise digital reading of the medical thermometer.
(7) Remove the junk thermometer from the water, carefully loosen the staples and loosen the glue.
(8) Slide the stem up or down until the marked line matches up with the appropriate marking that reflects the noted medical thermometer reading.
(9) Carefully snug up the staples and put a little dab of silicone glue on the stem to hold it in place on the card.
(10) It seems that the end result should be that the "junk" thermometer should be calibrated very closely to the medical thermometer...especially if you were able to get the reading very close to your target temperature.
The second route is a little bit simpler if you can get the water temperature at your precise temperature and get the digital reading and the stem marked all at once. If you can get the thermometer marked while the spirit is at your exact preferred temperature then you can simply mark the plastic where your preferred temperature is and you don't have to worry about using the scale at all. Simply look at the thermometer and if it's at your mark then you know your on target.
Well, I'm not sure if I explained what was on my mind there or not. I tend to be able to explain things and make them clear as mud.
Junk thermometers? Yes. No. Whatever.
You paid for'em, pitch'em or.....???
FWIW,
Ed
Ok, if you wanta throw them away I guess you have the right...afterall, you paid for them. But, I've got a question....
What makes them useless?
I've got two of these thermometers. One out of a Genesis 1588 and one out of a Hova 1602. Interestingly, the scales on the two thermometers are "different"....one seeming to be more compressed than the other, or is it the other one is more stretched out than the first. Hmmm.... Anyhow, the scales are noticeably different...no consistency at all. Tsk tsk tsk... Now, having said that, they also measured differently...matter of fact they were a little over two degrees off from each other! Junk, I tell ya,...junk.
Ok, so these mass produced thermometers aren't exactly "Department of Standards" precision units but all we really want to do is measure a specific temperature, it doesn't have to be accurate over a very wide range at all.
Now, there are two things I think we could do...
The first route we might could be to....
(1) Fill a glass with warm water measured with a digital medical thermometer to a temperature of 99.5F (or 102F, or 101.5F, etc.).
(2) Place the junk thermometer in the water and have the bulb of it and the tip of the medical thermometer in very close proximity to each other.
(3) Might have to warm the water up just a bit to regain the 99.5F temperature.
(4) Let the junk thermometer stabilize and remeasure with the medical thermometer
(5) Re-start the digital medical thermometer.
(6) Once the medical thermometer has stopped changing mark the level of the spirits in the stem (mark on the glass itself) with a fine point SHARPIE and note the precise digital reading of the medical thermometer.
(7) Remove the junk thermometer from the water, carefully loosen the staples and loosen the glue.
(8) Slide the stem up or down until the marked line matches up with the appropriate marking that reflects the noted medical thermometer reading.
(9) Carefully snug up the staples and put a little dab of silicone glue on the stem to hold it in place on the card.
(10) It seems that the end result should be that the "junk" thermometer should be calibrated very closely to the medical thermometer...especially if you were able to get the reading very close to your target temperature.
The second route is a little bit simpler if you can get the water temperature at your precise temperature and get the digital reading and the stem marked all at once. If you can get the thermometer marked while the spirit is at your exact preferred temperature then you can simply mark the plastic where your preferred temperature is and you don't have to worry about using the scale at all. Simply look at the thermometer and if it's at your mark then you know your on target.
Well, I'm not sure if I explained what was on my mind there or not. I tend to be able to explain things and make them clear as mud.
Junk thermometers? Yes. No. Whatever.
You paid for'em, pitch'em or.....???
FWIW,
Ed
