OT: How to measure 900°F...?

[Kenneth]

Howdy,

I need to calibrate the self-cleaning temperature of my oven.

It wants to be about 900°F.

I can get expensive thermometers that will measure in that range but this is a one time thing.

Next, I thought of pyrometric cones (that deform at specified temperatures) but I can't find anything in that temperature range as they are typically used in kilns and such at higher temperatures.

Can you think of a way I could measure the 900°F temperature that is reasonably accurate, but of modest cost?

Many thanks,

[G. Morgan]

Hi !!!

Nice.

Hot !!!

How about a multi-meter that takes a thermocouple?

That cheepie one is $30 and includes the thermocouple.

[Ed Pawlowski]

Why calibrate? Does it work? If so, just turn the switches to clean and let it rip. Fromt he factory it is close enough that it should never need to be changed. It is not going to matter if the temperature is off 25 or 50 degrees either way. Everything in there wil go to soot ad different temperatures anyway.

[Stormin Mormon]

I thought those things were supposed to lock closed, during the self clean feature, so you can't use an IR thermometer. You could use a wireless remote pyrogenic blast furnace thermometer, but they tend to be expensive.

[hweld]

Use a thermal paint crayon that changes color, mark the inside glass with one above and below the target temp.

[G. Morgan]

Just stick the T/C in and close the oven door leaving a couple of inches of leed hanging out to attach the multimeter. The oven door isn't so tight as to impede the reading or damage the leed.

[Kenneth]

Hi Jeff,

I thank you for your suggestion, but those are the pyrometric cones that I mentioned. They (at least those I can find) work only at higher temperatures than I need to measure.

All the best,

[Kenneth]

Hi again,

The optical pyrometer approach won't work because (it's my understanding that) they can't read "through" glass and I can't open the door of the oven while it is in self-clean mode.

All the best,

[Kenneth]

Hi again,

Another good suggestion...

If the probe is connected to the meter with a reasonably thin wire, it could work.

I could easily close the door on a thin wire. I often do that to measure temperatures in the cooking range.

All the best,

[Kenneth]

Hi again,

That's why you gotta love Usenet...

All the best,

[Malcolm Hoar]

Yeah, right!

I'd go with the thermocouple and wager you $10 that you'll find it quite useful over a period of years.

Look at this as an opportunity to acquire a flexible and really quite useful new tool ;-)

[AZ Nomad]

They can read through glass.