thermocouples... same o same o

[david s]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

I mounted my thermocouple about 1/2 wayup the dome. It slides into a piece of stainless steel tube (a loose fit) which is mortared in. My read out is an ancient anologue one from an old pottery kiln. It is actually better than a modern digital that is prone to electronic failures and battery problems. I think these instruments are unnecessary. I do a lot of running (50 Km/wk) and got keen with a heart rate monitor a few years back. Knowing your body is a bit like knowing your oven. You just KNOW when it's hot enough. Like you know when your heart rate is at max. I think I like the ancient method of sticking your fist in the oven better.

[gjbingham]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

Arevalo,
Don't bother. If you posted them, I will find them. I find it interesting to see how fast other ovens cool off after firing. While I may have seen this image before, I'm betting I can find the original. Don't worry about the spanish. I can handle that well enough.

[arevalo53anos]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

Gjbingham:

That spreadsheet was inserted there just to help Mypsi to figure what he could do with the four channels thermocouple unit that he was asking for.
Better examples and description of oven thermocouples position were written down long time ago in this forum. I am almost sure that I had translated some of these spreadsheets to English language and ?F too. As the forum do not permit to download excel charts, these were converted to little archives of .jpg extension, with poor quality of image. Just search my old posts.
May be on the next weekend I will search by a better archive to post here.

Luis

[Frances]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

Oh I don't know... my bread recipes are usually pretty slapdash. As long as you're not baking bread for commercial purposes, you can keep it pretty flexible...

[RTflorida]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

I will stick with my IR, has not let me down yet. When it comes to cooking, getting real technical takes the fun out of it for me. The very reason I don't bake (breads, pastrys, and such) - too many precise measurements, formulas, and variables; I leave that to the experts who enjoy doing it.

RT

[gjbingham]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

There's a lot of valuable information in that chart. I've looked at it before. I can't read the times and temps on the X and Y axes. I can fake my way through the Espanol, but not without good visualization of the numbers.

Got anything more legible? Thanks. I'd love to see it.
George

Mypsi:

There are eight thermocouples installed in my WFO.
The adquired data give me great information about the WFO behavior and this experience is one of the facts that help me to improve my pizza habilities each day.
Nowadays, I only use the hearth and dome readings and do not work with graphic results anymore. On the first fires, the excel sheet as below was a 'hand on wheel' to understand what was happened.

Luis

[arevalo53anos]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

Mypsi:

There are eight thermocouples installed in my WFO.
The adquired data give me great information about the WFO behavior and this experience is one of the facts that help me to improve my pizza habilities each day.
Nowadays, I only use the hearth and dome readings and do not work with graphic results anymore. On the first fires, the excel sheet as below was a 'hand on wheel' to understand what was happened.

Luis

[jeff]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

Mypsi,
I suspect you're like me mate: "A need to know" syndrome.
Mate, I built in three ports to monitor heat transfer.
Flamin waste of time, tru. Three months later, it's still a furnace. (Hahaha; I wish.)
Get yerself a reliable IR thermometer, and Bob's yer Uncle, Mypsi. After that, it's all too easy.
teach.

[Mypsi]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

Just wanted to share something from my wish list. Once I manage to get more reliable readings, and figure out exactly where my thermocouples are in the oven, it would be awesome to use this to graph the oven heat through the firings and bakings. It looks like this one is just discontinued, but will be replaced with something else. Anyone ever used anything like it?

[jcg31]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

Thanks Wade!
Let me see what they will do and I will get back with you.
Jim

[wlively]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

Jim

While not what you want, it would be possible to use those as is, if the wire covering was rated for high enough temp. But, by the looks of the color code, I would say that probably is not the case. Your best bet is to try and send them back and get something much easier to work with, especially for the unexperienced. You can buy ceramic sheaths to put them in, and make probes and then splice it back together or install connectors, but that would definitely not be for the beginner.

Form a post a while back here are the Omega part numbers I posted.
"I bought these;
Omega part number:
KMQSS-125U-6. 1/8 Stainless sheath 6" K-type with miniature connectors
TECK10-9 10ft extensions."

If they won't take them back, then let me know what you have (part number, how many, ect) and I can try and find the cheapest solution. Don't worry, if needed I can build them for you, provided you trust the post office.

[jcg31]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

OK, reviving this thread one more time, which I used earlier to establish my thorough lack of understanding of the topic. To continue that theme, I received my thermocouple(s) yesterday. I guess I was expecting some sort of sheathing or probe-like end to the wire to insert into mortar/brick. What I received is pictured below (thin wire with tiny metal loop at end). Is this what I need, or do I need to give the folk at omega a bit more direction regarding my requirements?

Thanks for any help.

Jim

[wlively]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

Jim

You want very good contact between the TC and the brick to get a good temp reading. Best choice would be to drill a hole the same size as the TC, so that it is a tight fit. Other option would be to drill oversize, fill with mortar and push the TC in and mortar should ooze out. If you go with smooth stainless sheathed TC's the mortar will not stick too well and you should be able to remove it.

One last question, apart from the one that will breach the brick for oven ambient temp, where I imagine I have little choice but to backfill with mortar, should the others (drilled and placed into the brick) be forever mortared in place? or in the interest of possible repair should I just drill a hole, insert probe without filling with mortar?
Thanks,
Jim

[Acoma]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

Jim, mortered in place I would think. They are mortered on dome areas by cladding, correct? if they get covered by structure, no getting to them then either.

[jcg31]

Re: thermocouples... same o same o

One last question, apart from the one that will breach the brick for oven ambient temp, where I imagine I have little choice but to backfill with mortar, should the others (drilled and placed into the brick) be forever mortared in place? or in the interest of possible repair should I just drill a hole, insert probe without filling with mortar?
Thanks,
Jim