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thermoworks IR gun

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laserdoc85
laserdoc85 Posts: 577
edited December 2013 in EggHead Forum
Thinking I do not like this gadget. One it is very hard to figure out what to set my settings at. What the heck is emissivity anyway. I set the Hal to 650 and the Lal to 20. I go outside and the temp on the outside thermometer is 39 and the it meter says 21. Do I really need this for my pizza stone or do I return  it
Jefferson .GA.  
Been egging since 1985 on a medium egg
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  • Shiff
    Shiff Posts: 1,835
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    Emissivity is defined here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity

    Is your outdoor thermometer calibrated? 

    Try it on a pot of boiling water with a calibrated thermometer.

    I use the IR thermometer every time I use the pizza stone and it can take up to 30 minutes for the stone  (and plate setter) to come up to 500 degrees.  The IR gun makes it easy to check this.
    Large BGE
    Barry, Lancaster, PA
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  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,189
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    laserdoc85 said:
    Thinking I do not like this gadget. One it is very hard to figure out what to set my settings at. What the heck is emissivity anyway. I set the Hal to 650 and the Lal to 20. I go outside and the temp on the outside thermometer is 39 and the it meter says 21. Do I really need this for my pizza stone or do I return  it

    Emissivity is a value of percentage of emitted heat radiation that a particular material exhibits.  If your IR gun settings have not been changed, the .95 that it came set with from Thermoworks should be quite close for the ceramic pizza stone. Thermoworks has a chart on their site which gives settings for different materials.  I looked up fired clay as that seemed to be the closest and it is only a percentage point or two off from the default of .95.  Are you pointing at a brick wall or a painted surface?  Some concrete away from the house may give a more realistic reading as your thermometer may be picking up heat if it is mounted to the outside wall of your house.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
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  • laserdoc85
    laserdoc85 Posts: 577
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    OK I set the Emissivity back to the default of 95 .Pizza stone measures 35. Wall thermometer which is just a cheap on reads 40. My thermo pen reads the same as my wall thermometer with the tip of the probe resting on the pizza stone. Is a 5 degree difference nothing to worry about?
    Jefferson .GA.  
    Been egging since 1985 on a medium egg
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  • bettysnephew
    bettysnephew Posts: 1,189
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    Likely not a problem.  If you used to rely on getting the temperature of your stone on how long the Egg had been at 600° this will be far more repeatable.  It may take a cook or two to find the optimum temperature you want the stone at, but once you do that you will be able to come back to it in the future and duplicate your cooking parameters.  If the difference from the Thermapen is a concern, change the emissivity to .97 and see what reading you get.  Adjust up/down from there as necessary until they read as close to the same as possible.
    A poor widows son.
    See der Rabbits, Iowa
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  • laserdoc85
    laserdoc85 Posts: 577
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    Pizza stone,plate setter and IR gun were all Xmas gifts 
    Have not used any of them before
    Jefferson .GA.  
    Been egging since 1985 on a medium egg
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  • GATABITES
    GATABITES Posts: 1,260
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    I want one as well. I want to be able to measure the temp on my cast iron as well. 
    XL BGE 
    Joe JR 
    Baltimore, MD
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  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
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    The cheap single setting IR thermo from Harbor Freight works well for a seasoned pizza stone. The Thermoworks IR is a great "more than a cooking" tool, learn how to use it when you have some time. A black CI skillet will read very different than a stainless skillet, even though you know they are the same. Try putting both in a 200ºF oven for 10 to 15 minutes. Hit them with the IR Thermo, and the stainless will usually read as if it is cooler - caused by the different characteristics and color of the material. For egging, I only use mine for checking the pizza stone. For other cooks, it is great to check the deep fryer or an oiled skillet. 
    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
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  • Alphonse
    Alphonse Posts: 80
    edited December 2013
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    They are never going to be exact but a pizza stone reading 473 F vs. 500F is essentially the same number.  Use it with the understanding it is yielding a reasonably close indication of temperature and you will not get exact results.  As someone has already pointed out, the accuracy of the measurement is dependent on the material being measured.  This characteristic is called Emissivity and is a measure of a materials ability to radiate heat.  This is a mechanism of heat transfer and should not be confused with conduction of heat.  When you measure using a Thermapen, you are using the Conduction of heat to warm the probe.  When you use the Infrared gun, you are using Emissivity or heat radiation to measure temperature.

    So this is what you are up against with this type of measurement device and unless you calibrate a device for a specific material.  It could be quite inaccurate unless you calibrate it to your pizza stone.   By the way, as you use, age, and discolor the stone, its Emissivity will likely change!.  So lean back, go with the flow, and be happy that you have a fairly close indication of temperature that is likely good enough for your need. 

    Here is an explanation if you are really interested.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity
    Alan in LA (Lower Alabama that is)
    "If you must choose between two evils, pick the one you've never tried before!" 
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  • laserdoc85
    laserdoc85 Posts: 577
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    Alphonse said:
    They are never going to be exact but a pizza stone reading 473 F vs. 500F is essentially the same number.  Use it with the understanding it is yielding a reasonably close indication of temperature and you will not get exact results.  As someone has already pointed out, the accuracy of the measurement is dependent on the material being measured.  This characteristic is called Emissivity and is a measure of a materials ability to radiate heat.  This is a mechanism of heat transfer and should not be confused with conduction of heat.  When you measure using a Thermapen, you are using the Conduction of heat to warm the probe.  When you use the Infrared gun, you are using Emissivity or heat radiation to measure temperature.

    So this is what you are up against with this type of measurement device and unless you calibrate a device for a specific material.  It could be quite inaccurate unless you calibrate it to your pizza stone.   By the way, as you use, age, and discolor the stone, its Emissivity will likely change!.  So lean back, go with the flow, and be happy that you have a fairly close indication of temperature that is likely good enough for your need. 

    Here is an explanation if you are really interested.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emissivity

    Thanks!! I will leave it at the default setting of 95 and go with the flow,,,,It is close and good enough :)

    Jefferson .GA.  
    Been egging since 1985 on a medium egg
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