munkiestyle
Fire Starter
No problems at all. I can use bolth 733s and igrill all at the same time.
What's rtv and what's heat shrink?I just hit mine with some red rtv (NSF) let them dry and put heat shrink over top.
RG
RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanization) silicones are used for their ability to withstand stress and temperature extremes.
What's rtv and what's heat shrink?
RTV is a sealant you get at auto parts stores to make and help seal gaskets with. Heat shrink tubing is a plastic tube that you slide over an electrical connection. Once you hit it with heat from a heatgun or lighter it shrinks very tight to seal the connection. You can get Heat shrink at radio shack or the auto parts store you get the RTV at.
What's rtv and what's heat shrink?
I just get a scrub sponge hot and soapy, and pinch the probe, and then the wire, in the rough side, and pull it through a few times.
Be careful how you pull it, so you don't pull it apart. I cleaned my ET-73 like that for a year without problems. Then the second time I did it with my brand new ET-732 the cable pulled right out. Turns out when the 732 first came out they had a problem with their probes. They sent me a new one, and I got an extra. That was 4 years ago & I'm still using the same probe.
BTW: I also sterilize my meat probe with an alcohol wipe before I insert it into the meat. They're cheap at the drug store, if you buy a box of them. I got a box of 250.
Bear
This may sound like a dumb question but when you put your meat probe in do you do it so that the probe is entirely into the meat or do you just stick it in so that its in the middle and leave the rest exposed to the inside of the smoker? I was under the impression you wouldn't want to leave any of the meat probe open to read the temp inside the smoker.
Like Case said, It's the tip that does the reading.The tip of the probe is where the reading comes from. You want the tip to be in the middle of he thickest part of the meat. The rest of the probe can be exposed.
Thanks, I wasn't aware of those products before I read your comment. I just got the Maverick ET-733 and I want to try it a few times before considering if I want to mod it. I've been given tips on what causes the probes to short out so I'm going to follow the how-to's and what-not-to's before making any changes.
RTV is a sealant you get at auto parts stores to make and help seal gaskets with. Heat shrink tubing is a plastic tube that you slide over an electrical connection. Once you hit it with heat from a heatgun or lighter it shrinks very tight to seal the connection. You can get Heat shrink at radio shack or the auto parts store you get the RTV at.
Thanks, Bear. I like using stuff as designed and without mods, mainly because I'm not very mechanical and I also like to keep things as they were manufactured. When it comes to using my new Maverick ET-733, I really don't want to seal the wire connections to the probes because from what I've read and been told, most probe failures are do to user error: leaving probes in a cooker that's 400 or more degrees and/or pushing/pulling the probes where they connect to the wires. I have another brand dual probe therm I've used for a couple of years which still works fine; it's just not as good as the Maverick.
RTV (Room Temperature Vulcanization) silicones are used for their ability to withstand stress and temperature extremes.
And Heat Shrink is tubing that fits loosely over a wire or splice, and when heated shrinks tightly around the wire.
Bear
I'm about the same way, and so far the only probe that went bad on me was bad to begin with, because the first or second time I cleaned it, it came apart at the probe to wire connection, and I've been cleaning the others that same way for years.
Thanks, Bear. I like using stuff as designed and without mods, mainly because I'm not very mechanical and I also like to keep things as they were manufactured. When it comes to using my new Maverick ET-733, I really don't want to seal the wire connections to the probes because from what I've read and been told, most probe failures are do to user error: leaving probes in a cooker that's 400 or more degrees and/or pushing/pulling the probes where they connect to the wires. I have another brand dual probe therm I've used for a couple of years which still works fine; it's just not as good as the Maverick.
I also think alcohol swapping the probe is not necessary. The internal temps meats reach when they're done are sufficient to kill most bacteria, including e coli and salmonella. Undercooking is one of the prime causes of food poisoning.I'm with Bear on this. I've never had any moisture problems with my 73, 732, or iGrill probes, I scrub the same way, but I don't alcohol swap. If I die eating my Q I hope Bear chainsaw carves my epitaph!
I gotta look at
I'm about the same way, and so far the only probe that went bad on me was bad to begin with, because the first or second time I cleaned it, it came apart at the probe to wire connection, and I've been cleaning the others that same way for years.
Bear
I need to look at the probes to see which is the "rough" side. Besides, I would think that doing a mod on the wires would void the warranty.
I'm about the same way, and so far the only probe that went bad on me was bad to begin with, because the first or second time I cleaned it, it came apart at the probe to wire connection, and I've been cleaning the others that same way for years.
Bear
I do it all to be safe for others who eat my stuff---Too late for me to worry for myself.
I also think alcohol swapping the probe is not necessary. The internal temps meats reach when they're done are sufficient to kill most bacteria, including e coli and salmonella. Undercooking is one of the prime causes of food poisoning.
Aye but it's a winding and circuitous road when talking about foodborne illnesses. I learned that there are viruses and toxins in fish and shellfish that can't be killed by cooking. As far as I know, adequate heat and time kill nasties in beef, pork, and poultry, but I don't think heat kills hoof and mouth disease or mad cow disease nasties.
I do it all to be safe for others who eat my stuff---Too late for me to worry for myself.
Yes---High heat kills bacteria, but not the toxins that the bacteria produced. Others can explain this better than I, but I never tried to learn how to explain it----I just believe it, and do it.
So----I don't keep everything clean. Then Smoke for 3 hours to kill all nasties on the outside for 3 hours before inserting my probe. And then insert a Non-Sterile Probe deep into the meat I'm smoking. I don't take a shower & put on dirty underwear either.
I learned from some of the best safety guys on this forum, and I don't think it takes that much effort to do it safely, the way they taught me.
Of course it doesn't mean everybody, or anybody has to do it the way I do it. I just put it out there as information to use or ignore.
Bear