Calibrating a Digital Thermometer from the Homebrew Company

[Richie71]

Does anyone know how to calibrate these?

Messed up my mash today and only realised when the mash was finished & the thermometer was reading 109C and I hadn't reached the boil yet 

[DEMPSEY]

only way I know is to have a tried and trusted temp probe that gives you an accurate reading to compare with.

[Richie71]

Yeah, I have another probe reading 14.1C for a glass of water.  The one i linked above is reading 45.9C.  There's no calibration button so I can't re-set it.  I tried taking out battery, holding the on/off button etc. but nothing seems to work.  I was hoping somebody else with the same model might have figured it out.

When I reached a boil it showed 115C so it's not even showing a consistent difference.

[nigel_c]

NOt being smart but is there an instructions book with it.
To calibrate a probe use a known temp. Boiling water or ice water.
A certified thermometer to compare samples is also a good way but you still need to be able to adjust and calibrate it yourself.

[Richie71]

The instructions came on the back of the packet and don't mention how to adjust it.  There isn't even a brand name or model number so googling it won't work either.  Destined for the bin methinks. 

[itsclinto]

I bought the exact same one before and the same thing happened me. The temperature was out during the brew and was still reading off afterwards. Mentioned it to Shane and he posted out another one after i posted the broken one back. Same thing happened again so he gave me a refund. Must be the same problem with them all

Sent from my ONE E1003 using Tapatalk

[Water_Wolf]

Cheap digital thermometers shouldn't need to be calibrated, they should just work with relatively good accuracy out of the box. I use one of these and haven't had any problems: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Multi-function-digital-catering-thermometer-probe/dp/B002L0DYC8/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1512399782&sr=8-14&keywords=digital+probe+thermometer

[Ceedee]

I had the same issue and it was the probe part that was faulty. A new probe from Amazon and it was reading the correct temps again.

If you haven't binned it yet, that is worth a try or switch probes with your working one to see if the "body" still displays the same temps.

[nigel_c]

Another thing to remember is you get what you pay for 
Cheep is handy for quick checks but you really are worth investing in a good quality probe you can calibrate yourself. I have one that is certified calibrated to 0.1 c off.
Once you have something that's a know you can calibrate any other equipment you may use off it.
It may be an idea for local clubs to invest in a industry calibrated probe butween them. That way everyone can check their equipment and see how accurate they actually are.

[pob]

These are pretty good, slightly more at £30 Classic SuperFast Thermapen 3 professional food thermometer in sherbert orange colour https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B076DGSTQB/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_SEzjAbJFB29M6 they occasionally are cheaper in the more unpopular colours, worth keeping yours eyes open for them.

[Richie71]

I had the same issue and it was the probe part that was faulty. A new probe from Amazon and it was reading the correct temps again.

If you haven't binned it yet, that is worth a try or switch probes with your working one to see if the "body" still displays the same temps.

Didn't know you could just buy replacement probes.  This is my other thermometer. It's actually quite a good one that stopped working when I dropped it into the wort.  Then, after I bought the other one it started working again.  Must have just needed drying out.  I might just get a cheap one as backup. But lesson learned - I'll use 2 in future to confirm readings.