Maverick Probe Issues...

KiterTodd

I have the Maverick 733.  I've never had issues with the probes getting wet, but I've also been careful to wash quickly/gently and not soak in water.   No issues on two different setups, other than my dog eating the probes on the former one....  

Well, on my 733 I screwed one of the probes by leaving it in the meat, in the fridge, between cooks.  I was going to reheat this roast later and figured I'd just foil and leave the probe in to make it easier. I'm pretty sure that got water/moisture inside as when I plugged it in cold it was reading 239 degrees F.  I tried to use it anyway, but no luck.

SO...I let it dry for weeks, hoping it would be good.  Plugged it in today and got the same thing...239 degrees when it was room temperature.  Now, that didn't surprise me too much, what DID surprise me was that when I plugged in the other probe that I use for the grill temp, which has not been wet and worked fine, it is ALSO showing me a high temp?  RIght now at room temp one of them is reading 154 degrees and the other is reading 241 degrees.  WTF?

Did the short in one cause the other to fail?  Does my unit need a hard reset of some sort to clear this?  Or are both of my probes out of commission?

I was hoping someone has seen this before (very high readings at room temperature) and can guide me to a solution.

Thanks!   

Jeepster47

Switch the probes and see if the numbers stay the same on the transmitter (ie pit temp is still the same) ... that would suggest a transmitter failure.  If the numbers follow the probes (ie pit temp is has moved to the meat) then that would point towards bad probes.

First guess would be that the unit (transmitter) itself is the problem.  New batteries is an easy test ... make sure the new batteries are up to snuff.

KiterTodd

Jeepster47 said:

Switch the probes and see if the numbers stay the same on the transmitter (ie pit temp is still the same) ... that would suggest a transmitter failure.  If the numbers follow the probes (ie pit temp is has moved to the meat) then that would point towards bad probes.

That was a good suggestions and I'm embarrassed I didn't think of it!  So, ran that test and the problem follows the probes.   Every time I plug them back in they don't give the exact same result, but one is reading in the low 200s and one is reading in the high 100s, consistently.

So, are my probes dead or is there a way to fix this?

Unfortunately (And I suspect by marketing design plan) for the price of two new probes I might as well buy a new base unit.  That's pretty wasteful as the rest of the electronics work fine.

blind99

Happen to have a multimeter? I can tell you what the resistance should be at a few different temps if you're interested.

Jeepster47

Do you have someone in your local area who owns a 732, 733 or a 735 unit?  The probes are interchangeable between those units. You could verify that they are indeed bad ... I'd of sure bet on a bad transmitter ... but, what happens in the electronics world is all smoke and mirrors to me ... I know electronic stuff stops working if the smoke leaks out!

Did you buy the unit locally ... maybe talk them into letting you test the probes. Or, if they sell replacement probes, they might help you out for the opportunity of a sale.

Call Maverick support, explain your problems, and beg convincingly. Read this troubleshooting page first: ( http://www.maverickhousewares.com/before-ordering-a-new-probe ) They listened to my sob story a few years ago and sold me a new 732 transmitter for ~$20.

Sorry mate, that's all I've got.

KiterTodd

@blind99 and @Jeepster47 thanks for the good tips.  I was going to ask for the resistance settings and then I read Jeepster's post.  I have a 732 as well and didn't realize they were compatible.

The 732 probe shows up correctly on my 733 so I guess I have TWO bad probes.  F$%^#!

Strangely though, as I have never tested like this before, in one port it always reads 3 degrees higher than the other port.  Oh well, good to know there is a disparity risk when I'm cooking to temp.

Thanks, I'll check out that link and give them a call.

Jeepster47

Just to live on the risky side ... did you try your 733 probes in the 732 unit.  Won't that confuse the issue if they work?

How old is the unit?  You still might give Maverick a call.  When I talked to the gal, she kept asking if I was sure it wasn't under warranty.  It was like she'd never talked to someone who wasn't trying to claim warranty problems.  Oh yes, Firecraft has them for $16.95 a piece.

Eggcelsior

I had a similar issue on my 732 with the temp being off by a 150 degrees on my second or third use. I attributed it to the fact that it's a POS and left it at that since I got it for a pretty good discount originally. Only the food side works so depending on if I need cooker temp or food temp, I use that side.

Jeepster47

@Eggcelsior ... my experience with their units has been good so far.  My 732 is three or four years old.  My son borrowed it for several months till his mother bought him a 733 so I could mine back.  He dropped my transmitter and the last digit of the pit temp didn't read any more ... thus, the replacement.  I bought the 733 as a back up when it was deeply discounted about a year ago.  For the cost, they have been a good value for both of us.  Now dislike the 3/16" diameter probes, but that's 'cuz the Flameboss and Thermopen probes have spoiled me.

There's a great alternative out there ... the Tappecue wifi unit at Tappecue.com.  Only $240 for the unit and four improved probes.