Which temp is correct?

OK! testing some temps out on this new CB-70 rack I got. On my bottom tub, I taped down 2 probes, one for the thermostat, one for the thermometer. The Acu-Rite reads ~92, the thermostat is set at ~94 to get the Acu-Rite to read ~92, and then this temp gun I have from Pro Exotics reads ~100 :eek:!! The bottom of the tubs are warm to the touch....so I have no idea what to believe :confuzd:...I dunno if it's just right or way too hot.

I feel like i'm doing something wrong cuz in my other rack, when the Acurite reads ~93 on the inside of the tub, the tubs bottom doesn't feel that warm to the touch. Is it supposed to feel warm? slightly warm? should I be able to feel the heat at all? after all, our body heat is ~98, right? So what does 93 feel like?

i had a problem with my acurite it read the same temp for like an hour, even after the thermostat kicked on. it was like it froze. so i took the battery out and poped it back in and it reset. then it finally read the right temp. i don't know if that would help but maybe youre acurite is off. i think there is also a reset button on the back of the unit, you can try that. also i know those temp guns you have to get really close to the surface for a good reading. you probably alreadyknow that, but thats all i can really think of.

good luck

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

OK! testing some temps out on this new CB-70 rack I got. On my bottom tub, I taped down 2 probes, one for the thermostat, one for the thermometer. The Acu-Rite reads ~92, the thermostat is set at ~94 to get the Acu-Rite to read ~92, and then this temp gun I have from Pro Exotics reads ~100 :eek:!! The bottom of the tubs are warm to the touch....so I have no idea what to believe :confuzd:...I dunno if it's just right or way too hot.

I feel like i'm doing something wrong cuz in my other rack, when the Acurite reads ~93 on the inside of the tub, the tubs bottom doesn't feel that warm to the touch. Is it supposed to feel warm? slightly warm? should I be able to feel the heat at all? after all, our body heat is ~98, right? So what does 93 feel like?

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Nate,is your probes taped to the inside of the tubs or on the heat tape on the shelf? If you are not using the temp gun to read the exact are as the probes are reading then that could be the differance in degrees.You might also be teasting a warmer area of the heat tape.

well i don't have heat "tape"...it's the heat rope. i haven't tried taping directly to that yet.

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Originally Posted by nathanledet

well i don't have heat "tape"...it's the heat rope. i haven't tried taping directly to that yet.

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O i see,well i have never used the rope before so good luck :P

agree with joe, HAS to be same for same spot tested ,tub material will absorb a bit of the degree heat when tested ....use gun on heat rope alone to see if its same as stat/therm

The Acurite is also designed to measure air temps and not surface temps. ;) The temp guns will measure your surface temp. I would go with the temp gun. :sweeet:

Just to add, I use that same temp gun and something I used to sometimes not do is make sure I was within an inch of the area I was trying to read. Little farther than an inch and the readings start to suffer.

One thing I found out when I had a similar question is that Oregon Scientific (who makes Accurite for Wal-Mart) says that the accuracy is +/- 2 degrees for the indoor sensor and +/-4 degrees for the outdoor probe. So this could be why you have different readings. I have gone as far as putting 3 different Accurite probes right next to each other (on the flex) and getting 3 different readings (close but not the same).


To add to this discussion - what is the proper way to calibrate or verify that your temp gun is accurate...does anyone know? Mine always gives me very different temps vs. my helix or accurites?

temp guns measure surface contact temps, this is a little different than ambient temps. most laser guns have a +/- of 2-3 deg. also. i think temp guns are great for multiple quick checks and basic general temp readings.
the accurites are also +/- 2-3 deg. about the same accuracy, but read ambient(the unit) and surface temps (with the probe). also good for basic temp checks.

imo, i put my trust in good quality proportional thermostats like helix. the UL listed working accuracy for these units is less than one deg.!!

to double check these stats, you really need a thermometer that is UL listed for better than 1 degree +/-.

i have a few thermometers for work that do quite well, when testing out setups and stats and bators, i found the accurites to generally be within 2 deg of the actual temps. pretty good for 10 bucks!!

if you really want to get down with accuracy and temp readings, look into thermometers made by fluke(not fluker), cooper-atkins and hanna instruments. the thermocouple or thermistor probe models are quite accurate:)


vaughn