# Learned Something the Hard Way Today about Maverick ET-73 and a Question



## rabbithutch (May 17, 2012)

Short background:  Scored a Weber kettle OTG 2003.  Finally got it cleaned up and ready for a trial heat.  Loaded charcoal chimney with 55 K briquettes and set it over a lit soda can alcohol stove.  Had hot coals in about 20 minutes with no newspaper ashes.  Poured the coals in and spread them to opposite sides in equal amounts to create an indirect heat.  I then connected my smoker temp probe to the ET-73 and turned both the transmitter and receiver units on.  I hung the transmitter on a piece of boot lace from one of the handles to get it away from the grill.  Temps jumped very very quickly.  All looked good . . .   then it happened.

I brought the receiver in next to the computer so I could take an occasional glance.  After reading and posting I looked up and the display showed "HHH".
I pressed the smoker temp button and got a reading of 176*.  ???????   I then went to the grill and looked at the transmitter and it displayed "HHH".

I didn't remember anything about HHH but thought it might mean "High" but I had not set any temp limits, high or low.  I then looked up the user manual from the Maverick web page and did  a search in the PDF.  Sure enough, it states that the units will display "HHH" if the temperature exceeds 410*.  It further states that this can damage the probe wires.

I don't know yet if I ruined my new ET-73, but I'm disappointed to know that I cannot use it to read temps in the Weber kettle.  Everything I've read about temps on a charcoal grill say that low heat is 250*-350*, medium heat is 350*-450* and high heat is 450*-550* and higher.  This means that the Maverick is useful only for low heat cooks.

The question:   What do you Weber grill users choose for a thermometer?  My OTG does NOT have one built in.  I will buy one to drop into one of the air vent holes in the top, but I need to know what constitutes good value for money.  There are tons of thermometers out there and many of them are crap - including some of the expensive ones.  Can someone please recommend a good thermometer for the Weber grill -  preferably one that doesn't require me to become a felon to afford it.

Thanks for listening.


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## oldschoolbbq (May 17, 2012)

Hutch , may be the remote didn't P/U the trans. signal ; turn them off , start the remote first , place it close to the transmitter  (within 10 seconds) and start the reciever (remote). If all else fails read instructions or PM Todd.
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






  I did that too.

Keep the unit inside when not in use and _calibrate_ regularly. I clean with Bleach on a tissue , don't wet the cable  and make a passage for the probe cables (through your pit) so you don't pinch the cables and short them... Todd has replacements on hand.

Have fun and...


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## rabbithutch (May 17, 2012)

Thanks, Stan!

The transmitter and receiver were sync'd and worked fine when I first brought the receiver inside.  The problem was literally that the ET-73 can't handle temps over 410* per their documentation.  That was a fact that I failed to remember from RTFM'ng but confirmed by searching the PDF of their user manual.  I think the probe and the units are OK because once I removed the lid and lowered the temps inside the grill, I started getting good readings in the 300s.  After about 4 and half hours without adding coals, the temps have fallen to 100* as the charcoal has burned up.  Ambient temp today is about 90*.

Again, thanks for the suggestion.  Looks like I might have dodged a bullet.  I'm going to do the boiling water and ice slush tests later.


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