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Thermometer repair?

I've gotten good advice here in the past. Maybe someone can help me with this problem

I have a rather expensive oven mercury thermometer. When using it in a combination MW/convection oven with a rotating surface to test the oven temperature, evidently the vibration caused the mercury to be widely scattered thoughout the glass column. I read a site info on this problem but none of their suggestions helped. Tapping it into my hand to move the mecury, heating it, etc.

The only other idea I have is to somehow fasten it to an electric drill and spin it so the centrifugal force forces the mercury to the bulb but can't figure out how to securely mount it.

Any better ideas?

TIA

Reply to
KenK
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Vibration? What vibration? If the microwave was active, I would think THAT would screw things up big time. Mercury is a metal you know....

I read a site info on this problem

No, but the drill idea sounds like a very bad one. Unless you want broken glass and mercury contamination all over the place

Reply to
trader4

" snipped-for-privacy@optonline.net" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@cd3g2000vbb.googlegroups.com:

From the round rotating surface inside the MW oven.

It isn't when the convection oven is in use.

That's why I said 'securely'.

Reply to
KenK

snipped-for-privacy@cd3g2000vbb.googlegroups.com:

Does your oven vibrate like a paint mixer? I've never seen any vibration on a rotating base inside a microwave that had any significant vibration. They turn at like 3 RPM. I don't see how that could account for mercury seperation in a thermometer.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought these ovens allowed you to use both at the same time. Some I though just used MW for heating combined with a fan for convection, Others I thought added other conventional heating elements together with the convection.

Reply to
trader4

KenK wrote in news:XnsA1A870F0C83EDinvalidcom@130.133.4.11:

Get someone who's over 40 years of age to show you how to shake down a fever thermometer, or find a video online somewhere. Here's one:

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You will probably have to do this repeatedly, shaking first toward one end, then the other, but eventually you'll get all of those different blobs of mercury back together.

Reply to
Doug Miller

news:XnsA1A870F0C83EDinvalidcom@130.133.4.11:

then the other,

^^ What he said; shake it down. Another trick you can use is to heat it up (within it's limit) so that the Hg rises up in the column, reforming the lost globules, then (slowly) allow it to cool back into the bulb.

Jon

Reply to
Jon Danniken

There's supposed to be a vacuum in the tube. If you heat it gently, you should be able to make the blobs run together. If that happens before the end of the glass, you're good to go. But the difference between FIXED and BUSTED GLASS can be very small...depending on how far the last blob is from the top. Did I mention GENTLY.

Reply to
mike

I can't imagine that an electric drill is a good idea.

What Doug said.

You can put the thermometer in a sock and swing it around to increase the force.

Or instead of tapping on your hand, you could tap it on the desk. It's been decades since I had a thermometer with separated mercury, but I think that' what I did, and I was able to do it without breaking the therm. Of course my desk might be softer than your desk, or my arm weaker.

Reply to
micky

Any good home repair job involves duct tape so duct tape it to the wheel cover on your car then go for a spin on the express way.

Reply to
Pthirus Pubis

Ken,

All of the centrifugal force techniques are good to try. If they don't work put the thermometer in the freezer to cool. Keep it upright (mostly). Now make a cold bath with rubbing alcohol and dry ice. Put the thermometer bulb half way into the bath. The mercury should shrink down into the bulb. If any mercury is left in the column use the centrifugal method again. Wear gloves. After the mercury is in the bulb remove the thermometer from the bath and hold it upright until it warms up.

Dave M.

Reply to
David L. Martel

I once owned a beautiful mercury lab thermometer that was some 18" long. I opened my desk drawer one day and slipped the long thermometer out of its cardboard tube only to find the bulb broken. There was some soot on the remnants of the bulb that looked as though someone had held a lit match to it. No one in the shop would admit to touching it since they didn't wish to acquire any fatal injuries. o_O

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

I have a rather expensive oven mercury thermometer. When using it in a combination MW/convection oven with a rotating surface to test the oven temperature, evidently the vibration caused the mercury to be widely scattered thoughout the glass column. I read a site info on this problem but none of their suggestions helped. Tapping it into my hand to move the mecury, heating it, etc.

The only other idea I have is to somehow fasten it to an electric drill and spin it so the centrifugal force forces the mercury to the bulb but can't figure out how to securely mount it.

Any better ideas?

TIA

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

You might try attaching a very strong cord to the end opposite the bulb and going outdoors, find a large open space and spin it around like you were spinning one of those noisemakers. A 24" cord should be long enough and the centrifugal force from spinning should move the mercury back into the bulb. ^_^

TDD

Reply to
The Daring Dufas

You were tempting the gods of fate if you put a mercury thermometer into an operational microwave oven., The mercury would heat up almost instantaneously and shatter the glass into smithereens, contaminationg the oven probably beyond repair. I have never heard of anyone using a mercury thermometer to cook, That would be like using a stopwatch to bake a cake, etc.

Reply to
hrhofmann

NEVER put a mercury thermometer in a microwave. The mercury attracts the microwaves and super-heats. Or did you have your "combination" oven in non-microwave mode???

Reply to
clare

NEVER put a mercury thermometer in a microwave. The mercury attracts the microwaves and super-heats. Or did you have your "combination" oven in non-microwave mode???

Reply to
Stormin Mormon

"Attracts microwaves", now there's a concept! A new physics is invented every day, on the Usenet.

Reply to
krw

When using it in a combination MW/convection oven with a rotating surface - in MOST the rotating table only works in MW mode. - al teast the ones I've seen.

Or are you asking where anyone suggests it was in non-microwave mode? Because nowhere does it suggest that he did THAT either.

Reply to
clare

My GE OTR rotates in Microwave, Fast Bake, or just Bake mode. There is a rack you can put in if you want to use a pan to beg to rotate.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

To reinstate the column, you need to heat it so it reads maximum/ mercury goes to the top of the tube. If you examine the tube, at the end opposite the bulb there is usually another void to prevent the bulb from bursting when this state is reached. Do NOT overheat. If there is no void, do not let the column expand to the end of the tube while you are doing this. And wear eye protection.

The reason the mercury column has broken is that it is unsuitable for a microwave, the metal has boiled so making the gaps.

Reply to
harry

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