an interesting thermometer find

[mobile_bob]

that might be useful to some of you guys with heat exchangers

the other day while doing some shopping with my daughter at target
i came across some thermometers in the kitchen department

they are meat thermometers, they come 4 to a pack, and like the single units
with 6" long probs that look to be about 1/8" diameter, these are little short buggers
only about 1.5" long, the guage heads are about 1" or maybe a bit better as well.

they are fairly inexpensive, at about 15 bucks or so iirc, for some reason i was so interested
in the product i didn't think to check the price, or commit it to memory,, but i think i am close

they are only scaled properly from about 140-170 degree's or so, so that limits their accuracy
and usefulness to a point, but

what i got to thinking was if one were to get a brass ferrule fitting that is 1/8" tube size on one end
and maybe 1/4 male pipe on the other, replace the ferrule with an o-ring one could use these inline
for water in and water out of a heat exchanger, on the transfer side, maybe

that is if one is running within the scales range, or if one only needs relative measurements, or
if one were to use a bit of nail polish to mark the guage face where the unit runs normally
you would then refer back again over time and see if things are or have changed?

fwiw, just thought it might be useful to someone here, so i thought i would pass it along

bob g

[rcavictim]

Also might be a quick way to see if that project you just built is a turkey. 

I have the real McCoy industrial version of one of those thermometers in the water flow out of the head on my VW diesel genset.  I consider it an essential bit of instrumentation.

[billswan]

Yes bob there sure is a lot of neat stuff that one finds in a kitchen department, have had the same idea to use a thero in through a ferrule just as you spoke of.

But I would never think to post it, so good for you for thinking of us here on the forum

Billswan

[quinnf]

You know, admitting to shopping in the kitchen department so openly on a public forum is a testament to how secure our Bob is in his masculinity. 

Quinn

[mobile_bob]

actually i was there because i am sick and tired of never being able to find a fork!

seems like when you have kids, "forks" grow legs and run away to where ever the mates to colored socks hide out?

so i bought myself an 8 pack of forks, and while leaving the dept walked past the thermometers...

oh, hell...

so what... i like to cook!



bob g

[rcavictim]

actually i was there because i am sick and tired of never being able to find a fork!

seems like when you have kids, "forks" grow legs and run away to where ever the mates to colored socks hide out?

so i bought myself an 8 pack of forks, and while leaving the dept walked past the thermometers...

oh, hell...

so what... i like to cook!



bob g

No need to defend yourself Bob and being able to cook is a pretty good tool to have in the male survival toolkit.

Those dollar stores can be  handy! I have found some interesting stainless steel cups and mesh pencil holders that have ended up as decorative transformer and capacitor covers in my development work of fine looking tube audio.  I also found some slabs of pure cork that ended up as new flange gaskets on some 12" woofers.