Probe thermometer

[avas]

Hello,

I am planning to build my first Pompeii oven, and I am researching for a probe thermometer that will be placed on the oven dome.
The probe must be at least 25 cm (10 inch) long in order to pass through the wall and wall insulation.
Does anyone have a good suggestion?
Also, what is the best position to put it on the dome?

Thank you.

[SableSprings]

Welcome to the forum Avas! Over the years, many builders have installed thermoprobes in various positions & depths within the dome & cooking floor. Consensus seems to be that although it's interesting at first, their readings soon becomes ignored. Most of us rely on experience & a good IR-gun to determine cooking floor temps. My recommendation is don't embed temp probes and save your money (and time/effort) for other things.

[david s]

It is best to have an outer sheath for the probe. some stainless tube of the appropriate diameter works well to protect the probe. About half way down the dome works pretty well. I agree with Mike about not really needing them. I have one on my mobile oven as its used by folk who are not used to using the oven. A simple/cheap bimetal oven thermometer placed in the centre of the oven with the door on will read the air temp in the centre of the oven for roasting and baking. There are other ways to gauge the temp for pizza like the semolina test, the absence of carbon on the dome and the time taken for fire up.

[avas]

Thank you guys for replying.
I agree that most probably it is not needed, especially after you become experienced.
I am going to install one though, since it gives the oven a more "professional" look, if I can put it this way.
In a few words, it is not needed, buy it is nice to have it.

[Timothy_W]

It's not a bad idea to make a built-in thermometer. I use the old-fashioned pyrometer, although it seems to me, but it does not measure accurately.

[avas]

Hello again,

Do you have any thermometer to suggest?
I need one with a long probe, about 25cm (10 inches), in order to pass through the insulation and brick.

[JRPizza]

Most people that use a probe either put them in their door or through the insulation up against their brick outside diameter. Either way they are not subject to direct firing temperatures like they would be if they penetrated the brick and projected into the firing chamber. Is that what you are planning on doing?
A door thermometer will give air temps during cooking, and one against the brick OD can help tell when the bricks are saturated with heat, but one exposed to flame will need a much higher max temperature rating which can result in less sensitivity in readings at lower temps.
When I was looking at putting one in my door (which I decided not to) I checked out many sources but found a company Reotemp to have lots of probes and good information on temperature ranges and how much of the probe needs to protrude into the measurement area to be accurate. This site frowns on commercial links so just do a search of "Reotemp" and probably look at their bimetal thermometers unless you want to go digital/electric.

[hillscp]

Here is my 1/2 cent worth. My other hobby is brewing beer. I have those bi metal temperature probes on my brewing pot. They suck. They are not accurate and they get moisture inside. The only people who think they are accurate are the people trying to sell them. I worked in Laboratories for years. Instruments are calibrated to be accurate within a certain working range. You are not likely to find a probe thermometer that will A. be accurate in the range you are looking for. B. have a long enough probe to be effective. C. last very long. Soon your professional looking thermometer will be non functional. The inside will be wet and full of mildew and you will be trying to figure out how to get it out and plug the hole it left behind. If you are dead set look on bbq web sites for thermometers. There are a lot of them out there. I'll sell you the one that came with my Treager It reads zero at all times.

[JoJoMojo]

I got a thermowell off amazon. and a thermometer from ZORO.
you have get one up to 1000 degrees. I do recommend the thermowell. It does not allow for pressure and steam to hurt or fog up the glass on the thermometer - From what i have researched. I have yet to finish my oven and fire it up to a decent temp. I will try to remember to update in a few weeks when complete!

link to 8" thermowell on amazon

[JoJoMojo]

this one is only 8 inches as i only did 2" of ceramic fiber blanket. and 4 inches of fire brick and 2 inch thick outer dome. the actual device screws in and if you make it a part of the shell you gain an extra inch. if you want to be able to remove it, ( unscrew it ) then you would not be able to concrete around the 1/2 in ntp threads where it attaches to the thermowell and will lose and inch.

[UtahBeehiver]

I install thermocouples in my oven to measure dome saturation/floor temp. That said, I never use them and just use a cheap infrared temp gun and dome clearing for gauging the oven temp.