Calibrating Your Thermometer and the Boiling Point of Water

Good info, Dutch.

Here's a similar water-boil chart that also shows barometric pressure, along with elevation from -500ft to 10,000ft, for the weather buffs who monitor a barometer closely...

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Page Title:
Web page written by:
Link: http://www.hi-tm.com/Documents/Calib-boil.html

• [size=-1]References[/size]

[size=-1]1. American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers, Inc. 1997. ASHRAE Handbook - Fundamentals, Inch-Pound Edition. ASHRAE. Atlanta, GA.[/size]

[size=-1]2. Perry, R.H., Green, D.W., and Maloney, J.O. 1984. Chapter 6. Psychrometrics. Perry's Chemical Engineers' Handbook. McGraw Hill. New York, NY.[/size]

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I did notice that the boiling points shown between these 2 charts are slightly varied, though this information was from literature dating back to 1997 and 1984 in the credits on the footer of the page.

Maybe science and technology has given more accuracy in the calculation formula nowadays...don't know...either chart gives a good idea what to expect for a boiling-point temp reading based on elevation/barometer reading, and that's the key point, bearing in mind that weather changes regarding high/low pressure systems also change barometric pressure, which is really what effects the boiling point of water.

Though I do not know what the time length change would be for a given measure of water to boil in a given vessel with a given btu input for a given elevation increase, I do know that slightly higher temps are needed to achieve the same relative cooking times for a given food...elevation (or more specifically, barometric pressure) does matter with cooking, as well as with thermometer calibration or verification.

Eric

Great info...Thanks guys...JJ

Thanks for this info. I've always had problems with the accuracy of digital thermometers.

I just bought the ET-732 and the probe judging the heat of my smoker is way off. My MES smoker can only get up to 275 degrees. Last weekend, I did a boston butt at 225 degrees; however, the ET-732 was reading at 298 degrees which is impossible.  I called the company and they're sending me a new probe.

Great info guys.  Another reason this is where I spend 4 hours a day on this forum at work.  Keep up the good work.

kryinggame said:

Thanks for this info. I've always had problems with the accuracy of digital thermometers.

I just bought the ET-732 and the probe judging the heat of my smoker is way off. My MES smoker can only get up to 275 degrees. Last weekend, I did a boston butt at 225 degrees; however, the ET-732 was reading at 298 degrees which is impossible.  I called the company and they're sending me a new probe.

Click to expand...

I recently got the ET-732 for a gift and it seemed to be reading about 10-15 degrees hotter than my smoker.  I haven't done the boiling point check yet, but I plan to.

Interesting, forgot about elevation effects. Tested my cheapo digital from walmart ($8). read 209 boiling and figured I was 3f low. ordered a $50 thermometer (highly rated here). looks like when adjusting for elevation cheapo was only about 1f off!