IR temp gun

[cowbully]

Well we finally got a infrared temp gun..did a lot of research on them and wanted to get quality..so we opted for a craftsman from Sears..What is the best way to check to see if it is accurate?
Thank you

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[Raven01]

How accurate do you want to check it. Pure water boils at 100 C or 212 F but, the steam messes with the reading so you would need to check from the side thru a thin container.
But, a safer known temp is pure water frozen being 0 C/ 32 F.

Just remember those temp guns do not check just at the laser dot but the temp in a cone (usually between 1:10 and 1:12 ratio).

[kitedemon]

Water is not very accurate as ir light for the gun refracts and reflects from shiny objects ideally you would use a target of some sort a bit of brown paper perhaps not sure that would work however.

The first part is check the specs, it is almost certainly +/- 2ºF. The best test is place a know accurate thermometer or thermostat probe of a brown paper bag (non reflective and the calibrated ε. Herpstats are quite good I have personally checked with a high end thermometer 19 probes and the best was 0.2 off and the worst was 0.7 off. Most being in the 0.5 area. Well inside the specs for the unit. (+/- 0.9ºF) It is actually quite inexpensive as a sub one degree thermometer often thermometers of this accuracy cost more than the basic 100$

IR guns are great tools but they have a lot of quirks to keep in mind. I would expect most to behave inside the specs unless pointed at a shiny object. Accuracy is a slippery term some say 4º up or down from correct is accurate and other accept 6º up or down from correct as accurate. For me one degree up or down I can live with (just) anything outside is not accurate. To me IR guns give a very rapid 'feel' for what the temps are like and the shape of the gradient but are not precise accurate tools just a quick rough over view.

[cowbully]

I checked it with my snap on digital probe thermometer..it was close enough for me..just say snap on was 103.3..craftsman was reading 103.5..
I was just curious cause my zoo med uth temps were all so different at sections..uth's don't heat up evenly

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[kitedemon]

no they don't no carbon element does.

[cowbully]

Yeah it makes sense now lol..thank you

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