# Help - Replacement thermometers Probes



## island boy (Jul 3, 2008)

Where can I get replacement Probes for these thermometers:
*Oregon Scientific* thermometer model # 129 (I believe that the Polder 365 worksâ€¦Does anyone knows if this is so?) 
*Charmglow* model # ET-71 â€¦.Clone of the *Maverick* ET-71

Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve herd that probes can be boiled in oil to â€œrestoreâ€ themâ€¦does anyone know if this works. If so, heat oil to what temperature, for how long do I â€˜boilâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji] probe etc?
Iâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]ve also herd that heat shrink tube placed over the joint between the probe & wire braid will protect the probeâ€¦.is this so?

Thanks in advance for your kind help.


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## richtee (Jul 3, 2008)

Have you checked on the manufacturer's websites? Most offer probes.

The boil in oil...dunno. Sounds strange...but if in fact there is moisture in the probe, AND it has not corroded the connections...it MIGHT work.

 Keep your probes OUT of the water... and a bit of heatshrink at the crimp certainly can't hurt anything.


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## geek with fire (Jul 3, 2008)

Now that you mention it, I do recall reading this somehwere.  I think it originated from a guy who noticed that the probes he used in is fryer were lasting long than ones that hadn't been in hot oil.  It wasn't a very scientific discovery, but I suppose there is some merrit.


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## bustedluckbarbq (Jul 3, 2008)

the heat shrink thing isnt for a home repair or slice i hope.... usually thermocouples or probes are calibrated to the resistance of the probe and wire... splices or changes in length affect the temp reading!

And Geek... i thought i remembered that from somewhere too....the hot oil thing....


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## richtee (Jul 3, 2008)

Busted... a well made extension or splice won't affect the readings much at all. Yanno... I'm gonna pull out my ohmmeter and see what kind of ranges we're dealing with. But I'm willing to bet it's at least in the hundreds of ohms range. Interesting, I should have thought of this before!  Thanks!


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## bustedluckbarbq (Jul 3, 2008)

Rich,

Back when i worked with plastics we had a barrel that had different sections that required diff. temps....  a thermocouple went out...
we didnt have one for that section... so i added about two feet from the thermo - cable that i had previously removed...  It made it about 200 degrees off....  may just be the type... but i remember that... plastic acts real stupid when it gets 200 degrees off the target temp...LOL


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## richtee (Jul 3, 2008)

OK... Nominal "room temp" reading- 56Kohm
Boiling water- 40Kohm
Ice water 88Kohm

I did not wait for readings to stabilize, just confirmed we're talking about Kohms in resistance swings. A few ohms - or a hundred for that matter... either way is insignificant.


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## richtee (Jul 3, 2008)

Ahhh thermos and thermo wire is a different animal! Yes indeed, that does matter. Seems to me a "Wheatstone Bridge" balancing circuit is used for that type of setup... VERY sensitive!


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## bustedluckbarbq (Jul 3, 2008)

Thanks Rich....now if i trash one... i'll splice her instead of chucking it!

Appreciate it!


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## richtee (Jul 3, 2008)

Most excellent! And yer welcome Bud!


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## ddave (Jul 3, 2008)

Here are the links to the Maverick and Oregon Scientific websites.

http://www.maverickhousewares.com/

http://www2.oregonscientific.com/

Dave


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