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Thermometer or infrared suggestions for the field?


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#1 mattknepley

mattknepley
  • NANFA Member
  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 02 August 2013 - 01:28 PM

I've been using the NANFA trip report sheet to keep records of my outings. One of the categories is temperature. What do you all use in the field to measure water temp? Since it can be rough out there, I don't like the idea of anything with mercury in it. Am I being overly concerned about breaking one, or are there aquatic thermometers out there tough enough for the field? Do infrared temp guns, like those commonly in use among herpers, work well for water? What about digital thermometers on a wire? I'd like to be able to add the temp info to these sheets, but at a modest (read "cheap") cost.

Thanks, all!
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#2 Michael Wolfe

Michael Wolfe
  • Board of Directors
  • North Georgia, Oconee River Drainage

Posted 02 August 2013 - 03:33 PM

Camm Swift always throws a thermometer when I am out in the water with him. I don't know for sure what it is made of, but it sure looks like he is just throwing a lab thermometer in the water.
Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing. - Benjamin Franklin

#3 mattknepley

mattknepley
  • NANFA Member
  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 02 August 2013 - 04:20 PM

Is that one of those big ol' plastic ones with the giant numbers on each side? Is it specifically for water, or does it double duty in open air?
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#4 Guest_Skipjack_*

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Posted 02 August 2013 - 04:58 PM

http://www.orvis.com...-00&cagpspn=pla

Red thermometers are not mercury filled. This should suffice, and is cheap. Infrared does not work well on reflective surfaces, so it is not ideal for water.

#5 Guest_Kanus_*

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Posted 02 August 2013 - 09:11 PM

The one Matt posted looks exactly like what I use. Rugged thermometer with a metal case.

#6 mattknepley

mattknepley
  • NANFA Member
  • Smack-dab between the Savannah and the Saluda.

Posted 03 August 2013 - 05:48 AM

Thanks all. I went with one of those ones Matt put up there.
Matt Knepley
"No thanks, a third of a gopher would merely arouse my appetite..."

#7 littlen

littlen
  • NANFA Member
  • Washington, D.C.

Posted 03 August 2013 - 11:41 AM

My experiences are with a Fluke brand, IR temp gun. While shooting flat, or calm surfaces--they were pretty accurate (of course with a 1 or 2 degree swing if it wasn't calibrated). However, if it was used on any moving surface (flowing, bubbling, rippling, etc) they were way off--4 to 8 degrees at times.

Handy? Extremely.

Reliable? Depends on what it was used for. Better results on dry surfaces hence why herpers love them.

I would stick to a lab thermometer for the best results, especially if you want to take temps in deeper pools etc. As other have said, you can toss it out, let it sink, and reel it back in.
Nick L.

#8 Guest_gerald_*

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Posted 05 August 2013 - 10:56 AM

You can also use it to find and measure groundwater seeps in the stream bed -- important thermal refuges for some species during the hottest and coldest weather. Cant do that with an IR temp gun.



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