Heat shrink on a temp probe


 
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Mark Etheridge

TVWBB Super Fan
Has anyone out there ever thought of putting heat shrink tubing around the area where the cable enters the probe to prevent moisture from entering the probe?

Heat shrink is a material that kinda looks & feels like rubber. It comes in many diameters & colors and is used in electrical wiring. Anyway, when you apply heat (like from a hair dryer or a lighter) the tubing will shrink down to the diameter of whatever it is covering (like a spliced wire, for example).

It is not a water-proof seal but I thought it might provide some additional protection. You would only need about an inch of the stuff and it'll stand up to the heat inside the WSM. I believe you can get this at Home Depot or Lowe's and it should be fairly cheap. You'd probably have to buy much more than you need though.

Thoughts on this?
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Mark WAR EAGLE!!
 
Hey Mark,

I don't own a WSM (yet) but I was kinda wondering about moisture getting in the probe from the WSM. I have an offset smoker and was thinking about putting a waterpan in it when I did my ribs this weekend and then I thought about the probes on my thermometer. I don't know if there is enough moisture in the smoker to mess with the probe or not but I didn't chance it. I am a homebrewer and use a Polder thermometer to monitor the temps while brewing and I put a small piece of shrink wrap around the probe where the wire goes into it. The shrink wrap will keep the moisture out of the probe but I don't know if there is enough in the smoker to actually worry about it anyway. It's not going to hurt anything if you do put it on the probe.
 
Hey Chris/Pacman ---
I use a water pan in my offset, and have never had a problem with the probe wire. Just keep the wire itself dry, whether from the water pan or from rain.
As to how much difference the water makes, other than the heat sink aspect, I don't know that I can point to anything and draw a firm conclusion. I respect Juggy's experience a lot, and his posting seemed to pretty much land in the "no benefit" zone, with a couple of instances of undesireable results.
--- Ken
 
Howdy Ken-K,

I didn't think the probes would have too much problem with the little moisture that is in the smoker. They usually don't screw up unless you drop them into your wort/sparge water and let the liquid get down in the probe.

I was kind of wondering if the water had an affect on the meat or not. I didn't use a water pan in my ribs yesterday and they turned out fine. I heated some up for lunch today and they were just as good. I'll still have to experiment with one sometime though. Where do you place the water pan in an offset smoker when you use it?
 
Hi Mark,

There is available high temperature heat shrink tubing and there is also heat shrink tubing (called solder sleeves) with a meltable interior that seals the end when it shrinks/melts.

I think an important aspect is to ensure there is some aspect of food grade capability and rating with whatever material is used. You don't want to poison anybody....you have to be concerned about outgassing, contaminants (lead), etc.

Do a search of food grade heat shrink tubing and ensure that it can handle temps up to 300 F ... there are a few.

Regards,
PrestonD
 
PrestonD,

That is an excellent point. I'd also forgotten about solder sleeves but that is not what I was speaking of. I would not use solder sleeves whatsoever just for that very reason

I believe I was refering to the hi-temp heat shrink...although I've never heard it called "hi-temp" before. Just plain ol' heat shrink.
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Mark WAR EAGLE!!!
 
Some of the solder sleeves may offer lead free solder or you can disect the solder ring out and just leave the epoxy ring in them.

But you know I am not sure how much lead would leak out and if that would actually be a concern. Also the solder on the solder sleeve would solder to the probe and wire sheathing at that junction and provide a sturdier junction and the lead would be encased in the heat shrink tubing itself...

These probes can be a problem on some smokers (Cookshack, Backwoods Smokers, etc.) where they are more closed in and the moisture content is higher.

But one good thing is that you can buy replacement probes from Taylor for $2.50 a probe! They are interchangeable with Polder and Pyrex units with single probe capability.

I think the Taylor probes are built better (due to my discussions with their Chief Engineer) and they have an additional tubing at the wiring probe handle junction. I think their sealing is a bit better....

Regards,
PrestonD
 
Chris, the Pacman ---
Hey! I place the water pan directly in front of the opening between the firebox and the cooking chamber. It doubles as a baffle and a heat sink. It's been suggested that a way to cook veggies is to chunk them and drop them into the water pan for the last hour or so of the cook. I may have to try that.
--- Ken
 
I found that condensation will also screw up a probe. I left mine on a table on my deck, under cover, in a pastic bag. With all the rain in Houston, and the normal high humidity, the probe was way off the next time I used it.

Anyone ever looked at silocne sealant? Are there food grade, high temperature sealants available?
 
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