Advice on thermometer, IR preferred.

Speedofgreen · December 12, 2018, 8:43pm

Looking to purchase a thermometer to check my solvent temps. I haven’t been able to find anything that can read down to -80c in an infrared platform.

What are you folks using?
Thanks!

Jimcbdisolate · December 12, 2018, 11:43pm

Got a friend who bought one of those will reach out to him and inquire more

coppertop · December 13, 2018, 12:09am

Found this just now looking for an IR thermometer that goes that low. It’s not IR, but better than guessing after -50c. I think I might snag one of these soon given the price. Because I’m still guessing atm.
https://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Traceable-Low-Temperature-Ultra-Accurate-Thermometer/dp/B01JDE613I

goldleaf_scientific · December 13, 2018, 12:23am

Do not use an IR thermometer for solvents. They work great for organic matter like food but they are not accurate for clear or reflective materials. Get an immersion thermometer.

square_root_pharms · December 13, 2018, 12:39am

I use a k thermocouple digital meter. Was cheap and works good

goldleaf_scientific · December 13, 2018, 12:56am

Everytime I look at your name I see Root Means Square

square_root_pharms · December 13, 2018, 2:04am

Hmmm I don’t follow lol

square_root_pharms · December 13, 2018, 2:05am

As in RMS or quadratic mean?

goldleaf_scientific · December 13, 2018, 5:32pm

Yes I’m sort of a math nerd, although I’m not the greatest at it lol

Speedofgreen · December 14, 2018, 3:20am

Good info, thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it!

drPaul · December 14, 2018, 5:03pm

You can look up thermocouple characteristics at Omega.com, the biggest US thermocouple outfit. Note that the working range for different TC types will differ…K type is great for temps near ambient, and is rated linear down to -200 °C, so cryogenic temps. Wikipedia has a good summary of the different types and potential limitations of their applications.