***New Door Thermometer***

[Wiley]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

Thanks Mark,
And that clears up the threading question, basically you are using a friction fit or interruption fit to hold the thermometer. In wood that should work just fine and not damage the threads. Thank you for the photos, I notice that there is a hex nut built into or as part of the actual meter head. That would indicate that the unit is made to be held clamped up against the dial without damage. Not that there is alot of room behind the dial but enough for a "bicycle wrench" to hold the dial when installing.

I need to build myself a new door just for heat retention. I'm still using my fir door with the pie plate window. So far that has worked well save for the destruction /charring of the wood. I really enjoy being able to see what is going on when I'm baking bread. And I have been getting by with a standard oven thermometer set on the hearth which I can see thru the window. I'm interested in the Forno Bravo thermometer for the insulated door I will be building.

Thanks again,
Wiley

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

On a slightly different topic, ThisOldGarageNJ, how well does your door insulate? Have you pointed an infrared thermometer at the outside after letting it soak up the interior energy for a while?

Keb, It never gets more than warm to the touch outside,, I wont put it on till the oven gets around 600 degrees..... I have lost 2 or more wood doors that way.. I also didnt soak the previous ones...

When you say you soak your door in water am I to assume that the thermometer is watertight? Are you spraying the door with a hose or submerging it in a tub? Did the thermometer come with a data/specification sheet?

Wiley,, I just unscrew the thermometer when i soak the door, I use a mason tub... I got the termometer from FB it didnt come with anything in the box...


Mark

[Wiley]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

Mark, When you say you soak your door in water am I to assume that the thermometer is watertight? Are you spraying the door with a hose or submerging it in a tub? Did the thermometer come with a data/specification sheet?

Thank You,
Wiley

[kebwi]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

On a slightly different topic, ThisOldGarageNJ, how well does your door insulate? Have you pointed an infrared thermometer at the outside after letting it soak up the interior energy for a while?

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

Hey Keb,
My door is 1 1/2 Hard maple, The back is covered in 3 pieces of lt. gauge sheetmetal I had laying around..... I screwed in the thermometer as far as I needed to for the numbers to be in the correct upright position... I Usually soak the door in water before using it. The pics should explain the rest.....

[BurntFingers]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

Here is a picture of how I mounted mine. It is 3/16" thick steel plate mounted inside 2X2X1/4" angle iron frame. I drilled out the steel plate and mounted the thermometer with wing nut and washer. There is a sheet metal pan that fits inside the angle iron frame to hold the insulation material. That sheet metal pan has a hole in it for the probe. To protect the probe I installed an angle iron shelf bracket 3X3" just below the hole. So if the door ever bangs into anything the bracket will act as a bumper the way a face guard protects your nose when you play hockey. I will take a picture of that and send it soon.
Bill aka Burntfingers

[kebwi]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

Before attempting to duplicate this feat please consider that you will need to determine extacting the orientation of the dial for ease of reading as well as asthetics and the relationship of the final twist of the threaded portion of the dial to where the first twist of the thread will start.

The exact same thought occurred to me, but I didn't want to complicate my original question.

[Wiley]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

Kebwi,
Perhaps someone with a bit of engineering background who has one of these thermometers will reply with a more technical answer regarding the unit. If I too am understanding what Mark said he did is he threaded the front plate of his oven door. Before attempting to duplicate this feat please consider that you will need to determine extracting the orientation of the dial for ease of reading as well as asthetics and the relationship of the final twist of the threaded portion of the dial to where the first twist of the thread will start. This is no small task. I am impressed that Mark was able to pull this off and would be interested if he did the figuring or was simply lucky (buy any Lotto tickets lately?). Or did you simply drill a slightly undersize hole relative to the threads and do an "interruption fit" munching the threaded stem into the plate?

Usually gauges are made to be mounted one of two ways: Either thru a smooth hole with a lock nut and held by clamping the mounting plate between the nut and the back of the dial or with two nuts and clamping the mounting plate between the two nuts. Another similar method is of course to thread the plate (thereby it becomes a nut) and use a lock nut whereby the thermometer could be correctly positoned and locked by tightening the locknut against the mounting plate.

If the thermometer comes with two nuts it is designed to be held by clamping a mount plate between the provided nuts. If it comes with but one nut then more likely it is ok to mount and hold the unit by clamping against the back of the dial. If one mounts it by clamping against the back of the dial and it isn't designed to be held/mounted that way one risks damaging the unit. So how does it come? One nut or two?

Also, it would be nice to know more about the construction of the thermometer. Just how much (length) of the stem of the thermometer needs to be exposed to the medium which it is to measure would be nice to know. I am expecting that this is a standard bimetal thermometer which measures by differental expansion of two metal strips bonded together. Were this to be constructed like the many of the instant read electronic thermometers only the tip would need to be exposed.

I am considering purchasing this thermometer and plan of installing it in a door such that the threaded portion of the stem is at the apex of a cone so that the pointed end of the thermometer has as much access to the interior of the WFO as possible.

Hope this helps and hopefully someone will be able to answer the questions,
Wiley

[kebwi]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

If I understand you correctly, you didn't use the washer at all. You just drilled a hole which was precisely the right size to catch the threads on the thermometer probe. Is that correct? How thick is your front sheet?

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

Hey Keb,
I have the thermometer and it works great, I also have a thick door, What I did was drill a hole all the way thru for the probe, Then a slightly larger hole from the front and threaded the thermometer right into the door... It Worked out well

Cheers
Mark

[kebwi]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

The price of the FB thermometer is too good to pass up, but I am trying to figure out how it is mounted. Since the probe is four inches long, does it basically protrude like a dagger out the inner face of the oven? If so, do you have to be really careful not to bang or knock it (or stab yourself) with it? I'm just a little confused how it "fits" since I don't recall ever seeing a door with a long pointed rod sticking out the middle of it.

Also, there has been a claim or two that the threads aren't long enough to accommodate a thick door. I don't see this as being a problem if I wingnut it up against the inside of the exterior face instead of all the way on the inside of the oven, but nevertheless, would someone please state just how long the threads are? Simply put, how thick can the mounting be?

It looks like a wonderful thermometer. 1000F thermometers are hard to find and they cost a lot, I just want to know how I'm going to use it before I get it.

Thanks.

[fornax hominus]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

OK, I had to go look this up , PYROPHORIC, in short , repeated heating of wood , in my case 5 years and several hundred oven cookings , make the wood ignite at lower than normal [451F?] temps . This caused many a chimney fire when structural wood was too close to the appliance/chimney for years, and while not quite spontaneous it was at the tipping point.
tim

[fornax hominus]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

OK, I had to go look this up , PYROPHORIC, in short , repeated heating of wood , in my case 5 years and several hundred oven cookings , make the wood ignite at lower than normal [451F?] temps . This caused many a chimney fire when structural wood was too close to the appliance/chimney for years, and while not quite spontaneous it was at the tipping point.
tim

[fornax hominus]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

So one more thing about the new FB thermometer , I can read it from 20ft away inside the house? And my eyes are not that great. yesterday after roasting 2 loads of coffee I plugged in the door and let the heat soak in prior to putting in the bread .. reading 650f. I can see the arrow from the warmth of the house.. great! I can see a whisp of smoke or steam coming out the chimney...wait a minute!! I run outside to find my door on fire! I've got a nice ember burning , right where it touches the top arch ... A bit of snow on the spot and all is well . but I really am going to have to get a new door!

[ThisOldGarageNJ]

Re: ***New Door Thermometer***

ok,, the new thermometer is getting officially tested tonight... I just finished cooking pizzas, left the door off for half an hour,, Put in the pulled pork and the temp is at 400,, cant wait to wake up and see the heat differnence and eat some nice pulled pork for breakfast...

Mark