Dial thermometer need HELP!

[Pete S]

We have a NEW 5" dial thermometer. It is the first time I have used this.

I need help with the following:

1.) I stuck the thermometer in boiling water to calibrate it. I did not have it 3 1/2" in the water but I did turn the screw quite a bit to get it to Zero. I boiled for the first time with my 2x6 Badgerland. The thermometer came up at initial boil, then went to the 7, then back down, and I just felt I could NOT rely on it. DO YOU NEED TO ACTUALLY FOLLOW THE DIRECTIONS AND IMERSE THE STEM 3 1/2"? It is NOT a computer, so I should be able to do this.

2.) NOW,.....it's in the rig. Must you now recalibrate it? (take out, and back to boiling water?) I know that the temp of water boiling will vary with the day.

Please send along some good advice as I really would like to fully enjoy drawing off!

BTW it ran rather well. Learned a lot.

Thanks!

[adk1]

Yes, make sure it in the water, mine has a line etched on the stem. My thermometer maybe different than your but what I do is emerge the stem in a pot of water when it's about half way to a boil. The dial on the thermometer will spin one full revolution around as the water heats up. It is typically close to the 0 but the time that I start to get a rolling boil in the water. At the point you get a rolling boil is the time that u adjust the thermometer to the 0 mark. Secondly the answer is yes. U need to recalibrate or adjust the thermometer each time that u are going to boil. I follow the same process as I just explained. I have two dial thermometers for this purpose

[Ekrueger]

I have found that you have to calibrate on the evaporator. You need to use the hydrometer to check the syrup sugar concentration. If you calibrate the thermometer in your house or somewhere else at a different ambient temperature then the evaporator, it will throw off the calibration. Some days I have to adjust up to 2°F for barometric pressure changes and ambient condition changes.

[CampHamp]

The thermometer came up at initial boil, then went to the 7, then back down, and I just felt I could NOT rely on it.


Your thermometer can drop back down when you reload wood, when the fire burns down or when you draw off syrup.

To keep you gradient and temp steady, load wood often and quickly and draw off slow and steady. On my rig, I cannot take my dial out without syrup pouring out through the hole... but I just rely on my hydrometer and I look at the temp when I start drawing and say "ok, looks like I'm drawing off at 9 degrees today" and I draw faster if temp is rising or slower if it's dropping.

I like to draw off thicker than syrup and just add sap as a finishing step before my last filtering... so I don't get too worried about only taking off syrup at exactly the right density anyway.

[lpakiz]

Pete,
Jim was just here at my place today to watch syrup boil. He pointed out the line in the stem to me. I never knew that either. He said that the flat-wound spring inside the stem (that twirls the dial) starts at the very tip and is actually "anchored" on the stem at that little crimp mark you see at 3 1/2 inches from the tip. That's why the whole 3 1/2 inches has to be submerged. A digital is different, and only needs 1/4 inch?? submerged, cause that's where the sensor is. You could calibrate on the first boil of the season right in the pan, because the first sap is essentially water. Couple hours later, that is not the case. I never recalibrate. I just test with a hydrometer and note what the correct temp is at that time. Actually, the auto draw does most of the work☺️ Light that fire and give her Dixie!!

[blac]

Pete, you have all good answers here, you will gain trust in your equipment. It will come with time once you have it set up how YOU feel comfortable, it will be automatic and you will be buzzing around doing other things shortly. I hydrometer and check my needle just as CampHamp and run that temp for the day...I don't know how tech savvy you are but apple has a My Altitude app and android has Boil free, both are pretty accurate. I use Boil free just as something to play with and has been right on the money so far.

[beaglebriar]

I spoke with a local guy about this same issue and he said that he goes by the barometer. If it's the same as the last day he boiled he won't bother recalibrating. His family has been making maple for many years and they have a very large operation so I trust his advice.