Wireless thermometer probes

[jcam222]

Am I just cursed or are these perhaps the worst engineered things in history? My Thermopro worked quite awhile but probes went bad twice. Have a newer Maverick that I’ve used twice, yep HHH bad prove on second cook. FireBoard issue with probes right away (great service though, returning all probes and unit for fixes. There has to be a way to make these things more durable. Very frustrating when they are pooping out mid cook with 50 to 100 lbs of meat going!!

 

[JckDanls 07]

I've heard of Thermopro and fireboard's woes... but what Maverick do you have ?? the 733 ??

 

[jcam222]

ET 733. Mid cook probe 2 shot to 475F then ultimately HHH. Rebooted and reinserted to no avail.

 

[JckDanls 07]

your not by any chance running them underwater or dunking them in water when cleaning ?? just had to ask... The 733 probes are usually pretty good

 

[jcam222]

No haven’t submerged at all. Typically just dampen a scotch brite with a little soap, scrub probe and wipe with paper towel. The dampest they would get is stuck in meat inside a wrapped pan with a cup of liquid.

 

[JckDanls 07]

So where the wire goes in the probe is inside of the pan that's covered with foil ?? I'm thinking you may just have answered your own question... It's very possible that the steam/condensation could be the culprit...

 

[Winterrider]

I am very impressed with Maverick customer service . Was having issues of the receiver dimming on my 733. Knew it was out of warranty, have had about 3 yrs. Emailed customer service about problem and they wanted picture sent in.
They immediately got back to me and said new was on its way.
Yes, keep probe backs out from underneath foil if covering. Death sentence...

 

[JckDanls 07]

I know the 733 has the 2 hybrid probes.. These are suppose to be much better than the ones that came with the ET732.. That's why I upgraded to the hybrids (they work with the 732 as well) ... I've had good luck with them for years... So after replacing the bad one try not to use the new one inside the pan (the wire/probe connection part) ... leave that sticking out of the foil... If not possible just use an instant read to check IT at times ...

 

[SonnyE]

They say one in three people are ugly.
Look to your left, then look to your right...
If those two people look good, hey, you're it. :confused: :rolleyes: o_O

I haven't had these horror stories... yet.
I'm always careful with my probes because of these horror stories.
I always hang my probes up by the probes so no moisture can hiddenly track down into the probe under the braid.
So far, so good.
It doesn't sound like something you are doing wrong. But maybe these new fangled electronical probes are not for you?
Next time out, get one of those packages with 4 little analog meat probes for ~ 10 bucks. See how those work out.
I think they are called steak thermometers.

 

[jcam222]

I stick the probe through the foil leaving the area where wire joins the probe outside the pan. The only moisture it would get is the steaming water pan in the smoker. I honestly had great performance from my TP20 for about a year through many smokes. The Maverick not so much. The FireBoard was bad out of the box so more of a faulty unit issue. Overall it seems to me to be a business opportunity in the making if someone can come up with a more durable probe.

 

[SonnyE]

The only moisture it would get is the steaming water pan in the smoker.

We're getting somewhere here...
Many, maybe even most here, don't use water in the pan inside the smoker.
Personally, I've never used a water pan in mine wet. I do use it dry in my MES 30 to act as a smoke and heat spreader.
Maybe the steam from your water pan is the culprit here.
Because you seem to have the same problem reoccurring with different electronic probe units.

Hearing of so many folks having probe problems (not just you), does make me want to try and seal where the braid and leads enter the probe housing.
I've beat moisture and even acid problems before with G.E. Silicon Seal.
I was wondering about some thin "Super Glue", followed with some flexible Super Glue couldn't seal that Achilles heal.

But first, empty that pan....

 

[jcam222]

I am pretty married to using water in mine. I believe it to help with keeping things moist including exterior for smoke adhesion. I also use a very clean pan and typically a broth mix that I use back into my meats or freeze for future use. Strange thing is that my Thermopro just started working properly again. Maverick is sending me two new probes out as well.

Perhaps I just had a wierd stretch of very bad luck with these , as I said I had no issues with the Thermopro for over a years worth of smokes. I do think it seems that the probes could be better sealed from moisture where the wire goes into the probe.

My Fireboard probes were bad straight out of the box so that is an entirely unrelated issue. Their service has been first class and they are fixing or replacing the unit and all 8 probes.