Infra red Temperature Measurement

C

Colonel

Senior Member
I am hoping to purchase an infra red hand held device to measure surface temperature on radiators and other stuff. Can anyone recommend one that will work best? I am looking for a very accurate instrument.
 
i have this snap on gun and find it very accurate. a nice feature is it shoots a laser light to the area your testing. the cheaper guns are not as accurate on exact temp of the object but can still show temp differences.
 

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Check to see the measurement area size too - as you move further from an object, the circle gets bigger - but the red dot doesn't always.

If you want something super accurate, you can't beat contact ;).

Most infrared are more than accurate enough for automotive use, but you just have to be aware what and where you are really measuring.
 
we use them in my business everyday...be careful not for use in bright sunlight or on polished items they will show reflected temps.. on a building roof top I can read 60 degrees on a chilled water line with infra red that will show a true temp of 48 degrees with a insulated surface therm.
they average temps over a area depending on the distance to the target and the quality of the instrument. lot of great uses but be careful on high accuracy.
 
they work well but only on darker dull surfaces. If you had a chrome pipe somewhere for example that you wanted to check, wrap black electrical tape around it first. Otherwise the reading will be way off. I always check mine by 'shooting' a tire or something handy that I already know approx the temp.

Be aware that the laser can still come on even when there is insufficient battery to properly power the temp circuit. Don't ask how I know.
 
When you say very accurate, how accurate do you mean? I have one with a (now expired) NIST-traceable infrared calibration certificate performed by using black-body calibration sources with defined emissivities. Cost $750 new, then $125 + shipping for each yearly re-certification mapping. It was used in a food processing plant. The $25-$75 cheapies side by side mapped within 10% of the 'good' one, but of course wouldn't satisfy the inspectors. You get what you pay for.
 
I have the HF one that goes on sale for 19.00 (buyers club) to 29.00. It includes the Laser. I use it all the time for work. Frequently I use it at the same time that other, far more expensive models are being used, for example when I teach Classes at Paper and Lumber Mills. My cheap unit has yet to read any different than the expensive ones. And after some two or three years it still has the original battery.
 
I picked one up a home depot. Not the best but not the worst either. Think it was around 30, had it 2yrs and had no problem. How accurate? Not sure... Seems to match the mech gauge anyway. They are a nice tool.
 
I found a H/F unit at the local pawn shop the other day for only $5. It looks like new. I bought my first H/F unit about 7 years ago for $23 on sale, but for $5 I'll have a backup. I find they work well. When I shoot it at my forehead it shows 95.3* and inside my mouth it shows 100.7*F, so that's pretty accurate.
 
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