BGE Thermometer Way Off

dirty_denim86

Decided to use my Maverick ET-733 yesterday for the first time during the beginning of the cook I noticed the BGE Thermometer was off by almost 100F. As the cook continued I noticed the difference shrunk closer to 50F. Looks like I definitely need to calibrate the BGE Thermometer I'll be doing that today

It's winter here and I notice the BGE thermometer dial starts off below the 0F mark could this be the cause of the 50F difference?

jcaspary

Just be careful.  Grid temp and dome temp will vary.

dirty_denim86

True I was using a raise grid setup and the probe was towards the back of the grid.

jcaspary

Not saying the temps are correct or not, they just may not be as off as you think they might be.  I need to check the calibration on mine just to keep the numbers right.

Jeepster47

If you haven't calibrated your dome thermometer, you need to do it.  Have you taken the spring clip off the stem of the thermometer ?  Please do take it off and leave it off.  It can contribute to physically screwing up the calibration by holding the stem fixed when the dial is moved.

You might find the thermometer is accurate.  It's not uncommon for the grill and the dome temp to be off quite a bit when starting the cook.  They tend to get closer together as the cook progresses.

While you're calibrating the dome thermometer, consider calibrating the rest of your equipment.  It's not uncommon for the Maverick to be off 3 or 4 degrees ... write it down and keep it in mind when cooking.

dirty_denim86

Jeepster47 said:

If you haven't calibrated your dome thermometer, you need to do it.  Have you taken the spring clip off the stem of the thermometer ?  Please do take it off and leave it off.  It can contribute to physically screwing up the calibration by holding the stem fixed when the dial is moved.

You might find the thermometer is accurate.  It's not uncommon for the grill and the dome temp to be off quite a bit when starting the cook.  They tend to get closer together as the cook progresses.

While you're calibrating the dome thermometer, consider calibrating the rest of your equipment.  It's not uncommon for the Maverick to be off 3 or 4 degrees ... write it down and keep it in mind when cooking.

I have seen some videos with the spring clip being on the outside of the egg keeping the thermometer in place is that the reason for it?

JC5404L

Ive read a number of postings regarding the Maverick and the failure rate of the probes. Ive already replaced mine after about a dozen uses. I dont think ill use it on any high temp cooks, or use one of the two probes to monitor the grate temp to avoid another failure.

JC

dirty_denim86

Just calibrated the BGE Thermometer needed a bit of adjustment it now reads 212F in boiling water I tested the maverick probe at the same time it read 214F it's not far off.

Tinyfish

How often should thermometers be calibrated?

Jeepster47

dirty_denim86 said:

I have seen some videos with the spring clip being on the outside of the egg keeping the thermometer in place is that the reason for it?

Toy wooden wheels, wine corks, and the spring clip are some of the things folks use to pull the temp probe out of the egg a little.  That insures that it doesn't hit food that's high in the dome.

JC5404L ... loosely wrap the braided lead in aluminum foil, then hide the lead right above one of the legs to the plate setter (avoiding direct heat from the lump) and it should last a long time.  Both of my 732 probes are original equipment and are about three years old.  The true test was when I loaded the unit to my son for several months ... he can damage an anvil.

@Tinyfish ... good question.  I have a couple of backup dome thermometers.  When something doesn't seem right I substitute a back up during the cook.  Then check out the original later.

JC5404L

Jeepster, great idea on the probes. ..." He can break an anvil..." Priceless!

theyolksonyou

Tinyfish said:

How often should thermometers be calibrated?

Not sure a good maintenance schedule, but certainly any time you wrap it at nuclear temps.

Biggreenpharmacist

JC5404L said:

Ive read a number of postings regarding the Maverick and the failure rate of the probes. Ive already replaced mine after about a dozen uses. I dont think ill use it on any high temp cooks, or use one of the two probes to monitor the grate temp to avoid another failure.

JC

I bought this and ran my cables thru it for a permanent fix. Never had a problem with my probes/cables.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00029KC2U/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?qid=1423426147&sr=8-4&pi=AC_SX110_SY165_QL70&keywords=Heat+shield&dpPl=1&dpID=51OTUd1WNuL&ref=plSrch

4Runner

theyolksonyou said:

Tinyfish said:

How often should thermometers be calibrated?

Not sure a good maintenance schedule, but certainly any time you wrap it at nuclear temps.

Agreed. I just calibrate mine a couple of times a year. Guess I find myself monitoring the grid temp so much and on a long cook, if I see a significant difference between the two, I do a calibration.

Jeepster47

@Biggreenpharmacist ... how do you run your leads "through" the fabric?  It looks like a roll of medical tape.  Do you fold the tape over lengthwise, with the lead wire in the crease, and press the sticky sides together?

Didn't someone have a tube of protective fabric that they were using?

Biggreenpharmacist

Maybe I posted wrong link. What I have is made by thermo tec but its hollow. You run the cables thru it. Admittedly, I don't use my maverick too frequently, it seems to have worked well so far.

Biggreenpharmacist