thermometer question

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cchambers

Newbie
Original poster
Aug 24, 2007
10
10
south centeral indiana
i have a question about thermometers, and i am not sure if it has been answered or not, or if i just missed it. i am looking for several thermometers for my smoker and firebox. i am wanting to mount them a bit of a distance from the pit for remote mounting, and am needing to find several thermometers that are various in size. 2 inch to 6 inch. all the thermometers i have come across do not have a wire that will hook to the thermometer that i can run to the firebox and pit.

the reason is that they are going to be mounted to a pump pannel on an old fire truck and i am wanting to run the thermometer wires to the fire box that is going in the pump area and the smoker pit that is going in the area that the tank was. this way i can just check the guages on the old pump pannel to watch temps.

this project is a bit of an undertaking, and any help is appreciated. i am pretty new to this, so i may ask a few odd questions along the way.

thanks
 
I am not sure I understand what your looking for , but pics of you ring might help out....I think I understand your looking for thermometers that have wire probes? Is that right? If you search the posts, I remember someone posting a link to a site that sold thermometers, you could check there.......Geek with Fire might have more info for you......Hope that helps......
 
Any of the wired digitals will work. You CAN extend the cables by some undetermined amount without affecting accuracy. I would not think another 10-15 foot would be problematic. I would suggest a silicone caulk filled heat shrink tubing to make the splice.

As far as a dial type to more closely match the old pressure gauges... dunno. But the digital COULD be framed by a metallic plastic hunk of trim I guess. Mavericks have magnets that would stick right to the plate.
 
Like Rich said, you can add an extender. If it is good quality (like a hi-fi audio gold connection) you shouldn't see much difference. However, most digital probes are thermistors which work on the basis of change in resistance. Adding any connection and length will add additional resistance. This may cause your meter to be off, but it will be relative and repeatable. So, add the length and measure boiling water. Note the variation from 212 (given you are at sea level), and remember that when you are cooking.

Or, use thermocouples which operate on a thermoelectric basis, and aren't as sensitive to resistance. You can add standard extenders to your thermocouples to achieve the lengths you are looking for. The disadvantages are: They aren't cheap and they don't see as small of a temperature change as thermistors. Advantages: very fast and can measure very high heat without worry of damaging probe.

Hope this helps,
 
here is a photo of what the new rig is going to be made from:


i am wanting to put the extended thermometers on the pump pannel (right behind the cab) and run them to where the pit and firebox will be - the fire box will also be in the pump pannel accesible from the other side, and the pit which will be at the front of the tank area. the extension range i am looking at may be up to 6 feet for a couple of the connections.

from the sounds of what i have read it looks like i will probably end up having to go digital and make some dremel modifications.

the old version is shown below so you can get a better view of what the pit and fire box look like. i am considering running a couple of propane grill inserts in the pit as well - possibly removable - so it can be more versitle. that part i will be tackling after i get closer to moving everything over.



i am also trying to decide what other mods i might do to the truck including a small hot water heater for the sink i have put into it (yup - even has a kitchen sink)
 
Between Richtee and Geek, you've got great coverage on the subject. Two guys in the know.
 
Okay, I just want to know what the plans are for this thing. Is the truck going to be where the smoker is, or is that a trailer you'll pull behind for a smoker?
I just want to see where this is going. You've got my imagination running.
 
VERY cool! Love the plan. If you could make the pump panel..or a portion of it "open" with a hinged contrivance, you could fab some brackets to hold the square digitals behind a round trimmed hole... giving the effect of a dial gauge. You could then remove them for storage purposes.
 
i hadnt thought of the dititals behind a hinged section - that is a great idea! i can put it behind the guages and be protected from weather too.

the smoker is going to be in the truck - the trailer snapped in half from the weight, and this way the truck will be able to hold the weight of everything
 
You can make a thermocouple lead as long as you like. use bulk wire and bananna plugs, they are delicate however. Not a store bought one. I agree with the above post, you'll affect the resistance. The expense would be the analyzer. Fluke makes several in various price ranges. As for a analog gauge that may be tougher. Possibly an electronic dial, not sure how to calibrate it. Good luck
 
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