Temperature Probe Calibration?

[jahorgos]

I recently got a reef keeper 2 and I am wondering specifically what the best way to calibrate the temperature probe is?

Thanks.

[jahorgos]

TTT

[jahorgos]

TTT

[jahorgos]

TTT

[jahorgos]

TTT

[Tucson Reef]

get the Tropic Marin thermometer +/- .5

[frank2926]

take a glass and fill it with ice. Now fill it with water. It should read 32

[Obi-dad]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11981558#post11981558 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by frank2926
take a glass and fill it with ice. Now fill it with water. It should read 32

That is great for testing icewater tanks :) It will help, but the thermometer can still be off at the higher end where are reef tanks are.

[sjames]

put it under your toung for a while and it should read 98.6. :lol:

[frank2926]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11982360#post11982360 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Obi-dad
That is great for testing icewater tanks :) It will help, but the thermometer can still be off at the higher end where are reef tanks are.

And your suggestion is?????;)
Ice water is a standard way to calibrate a thermometer. It is good enough for our purposes.

[Obi-dad]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11982645#post11982645 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by frank2926
And your suggestion is?????;)
Ice water is a standard way to calibrate a thermometer. It is good enough for our purposes.

I understand that icewater is better than nothing, and may be a standard - but from personal experience the thermometer can read accurate at the low end, but be off at the high end. In general, it is always better to calibrate as close to the value that you need to measure (same for pH, they sell calibration solutions for ph of 4, but that isn't as useful when we are interested in readings around 8).

The first things I tried were digital cooking thermometers, but these varied also. Then I borrowed an infrared unit that was supposedly calibrated at several points. Then I compared the reading it gave and the reading that my thermometers gave, so I know I am probably pretty close to where it needs to be.

[frank2926]

you could do that, but if you dont have access to a known calibrated unit, the ice water would work just as well, if not better, given that thermometers are subject to atmospheric pressure,dew point humidity etc. even more so with infrared units ..
so fill a glass of ice water, or get a drugstore glass unit. Fill a glass with warm water till the drugstore unit reads 80 then calibrate your probe to the drugstore unit. But the ice water way is so close not even your chemist could tell the difference.
:)

[Obi-dad]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11988391#post11988391 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by frank2926
you could do that, but if you dont have access to a known calibrated unit, the ice water would work just as well, if not better, given that thermometers are subject to atmospheric pressure,dew point humidity etc. even more so with infrared units ..
so fill a glass of ice water, or get a drugstore glass unit. Fill a glass with warm water till the drugstore unit reads 80 then calibrate your probe to the drugstore unit. But the ice water way is so close not even your chemist could tell the difference.
:)

You may be missing my point - yes, the reading at 32 degrees in icewater is very close. But even if you calibrate your device at 32 degrees, that does not mean that it will be accurate at 80 degrees.

The point is to calibrate the device close to the readings you are making. No one I know is keeping their reef tanks anywhere close to 32 degrees.

[MstgKillr]

Find a NIST traceable thermometer. Compare your sump temp then adjust.

[frank2926]

When I build my nuclear reactor or I am looking to store munitions
I will give you guys a call. In the mean time I am going to go calibrate my reef tank thermometer with a glass of ice water.:lol:

[Natclanwy]

I calibrate RTD's for a living and if you think that filling a glass with ice cubes will give you a temp of 32deg every time I have news for you. I use an ice bath along with a NIST traceble thermometer to calibrate the RTD's and I get readings anywhere from 28deg to 35deg in the icebath depending on amibient temperature, amount of ice in the water, and type of ice (cube, crushed, chips). Calibrating on the low end does not garantee a correct reading at the upper end of the scale does not even garantee a close reading I have seen RTD's read correct at 35deg and read 20deg off at 90deg. The simplest way to calibrate accuratly would be to use a mecury thermometer in your tank to read the temp and use it to calibrate your probe where the tank is running. If your worried about the possibilty of getting mecury in your tank you could put it inside a plastic bag but as long as your careful you shouldn't have any problems.

[jahorgos]

Thank you.