Room thermometer

[Remi]

I want a room thermometer that will instantly (or at least very quickly) tell me the room temperature as I move from room to room. Is there such a thing, and if so, where can I buy one? Thanks.

[dpb]

How fast is "very quickly" and what's your budget? "Ambient air temperature" and "quick-responding" are synonyms for "expensive". What's the underlying purpose/task? (One time, more than once, professional use, homeowner, etc., etc., ...??? )

Outfit I worked for previously (along w/ several others, of course) have line of IR, but they really don't measure air temperature but object temperature(s). Of course, if objects are in equilibrium, they measure the same, but does the requirement for quick-responding come from simply not wanting/able to wait for the reading or are temperature(s) themselves changing? And, of course, they aren't exactly cheap. There are similar instruments (along w/ humidity, etc.) for HVAC installation/maintenance, but in general, the ambient air measurement portion of them isn't all that fast, either.

If it's just seeing variation in room-to-room, probably easiest/cheapest solution is several identical thermometers just placed where you want them.

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I don't know how instant they are, but Radio Shack sells digital thermometers. You might need to put up with waiting a minute, but that's certainly better than using a glass & liquid thermometer.

[nhurst]

I don't know to what purpose you're planning on using this, but my local utility company (the City) gives away little thermometers that you can stick on a wall. They're similar to the little plastic forehead thermometers you see in first aid kits.

You could probably get a few of those and just leave them in an inconspicuous place in the room and glance at it as you go by.

Something similar to this:

mounted on a cardboard the size of a business card and calibrated for household temperatures (50 to 90 degrees, I think)

[jah213]

Keep in mind that "digital" is not synonymous with "accurate." I know from my experience cooking that some digital thermometers are not very useful because of their inaccuracy. Cost is not the only factor to consider, but there does tend to be a correlation between higher price and accuracy.

Jo Ann

JoeSpareBedroom wrote:

[JoeSpareBedroom]

I agree, but the OP said "quickly". When I want to check what my heat or AC are doing, I use a glass & liquid thermometer that usually lives in the garden. It's not markers in the glass that enable me to see the highest & lowest temps achieved since the thermometer was put in place. Who knows if that's 100% accurate, but there are no batteries to wonder about, either.

[nicksanspam]

A Raytek Mini-Temp IR thermometer can do that... $49 on one web site.

Nick

[mm]

I just bought for 13 dollar at Lowes a small digital thermometer with a remote sender for outside (which I also put in the basement and will put in the attic. Claims to show temp to a tenth of a degree.

The inside temp reads about 5 degrees high. And the outside doesn't say anytyhing when it is below 40 or so. The latter may be within spec. I don't mind that the inside temp is wrong. I will calibrate it with a good thermometer. Mostly I want to find out how hot it is in the attic next summer, after all the conversations we had here.

Of course it doesn't change right away. The sensor is under the cover, for one thing. But that means a breeze won't confuse it. I think 3 or 4 minutes were enough, but it could have been mroe.

Harbor Freight has one like this, except the remote also displays the temp on it. and the base thermometer shows current, and min and max with the push of a button, and reset. But it's big and ugly.

Of course