Question for anyone who lives somewhere that gets really hot

[Bigheaded]

it was a fairly warm day in so cal yesterday. But nowhere near hot for here. It was around 85, I went outside and touching the side of my Masterbuilt 560 it was uncomfortably warm to the touch. I probably could have held my hand on it for 5 seconds before I had to pull away. It wasn’t on, this was just from the sun hitting it.

here’s my question. I know the instructions for the InkBird I bought said the base can handle temps up to 170f. How do these things hold up in direct hot 100+ degree day sunlight? I know the panels won’t be 170, but Im wondering about prolonged exposure to sun light in maybe a 110f day.

 

[civilsmoker]

I would suggest you just put an old hat or wash rag over it......

 

[bill1]

A lot of modern electronics (e.g. phones) don't do well in direct summer heat. keeping them in the shade ("pop-ups" or patio umbrellas in a stand can be helpful) and using fans is usually adequate.

Evaporative cooling from a damp rag sounds like a great idea, but ensure it's not so wet that you introduce other problems. Plus, wet cloths can dry quickly in hot weather...if you're not baby-sitting closely you'll quickly go from natural evaporative (phase change) cooling to actually preventing natural convection cooling.

 

[SmokingUPnorth]

when I lived in Hawaii and would smoke all day long I would just put a white rag over my base and never had an issue. Did that for 3 years. Now it’s about 4 years old and still no issues.

 

[PPG1]

I live in South Carolina...It gets pretty hot here. I never thought about it with my 560 and never had a problem. You got me thinking and worrying about it now so with my luck I'm going to have all sorts of issues going forward. Thanks lol

 

[Fueling Around]

Good question.
Don't put the base unit on a metal surface. Shield from direct sunlight

 

[Bigheaded]

I live in South Carolina...It gets pretty hot here. I never thought about it with my 560 and never had a problem. You got me thinking and worrying about it now so with my luck I'm going to have all sorts of issues going forward. Thanks lol

I think maybe I figured out a solution, I haven't tested it because it was dark and cool outside so I can't see if it works. But since the Inkbird has magnets I'm going test the temp of the underside of the control panel in the middle of the day tomorrow. I'm guessing it will be hot but probably not as hot as the top, and it will be out of direct sunlight which is my main concern. Seems like a decent place to put it, a downside for me would be I won't be able to see the screen without pulling it off. But I think I'll mostly use the app on my phone to monitor it anyways,

Good question.
Don't put the base unit on a metal surface. Shield from direct sunlight

The probes aren't very long so it'll have to be on the grill which is all metal, unless I put a little wood table or something directly next to it. Definitely going to figure out how to shield it from the sun though.

 

[Chasdev]

Place it there but add a layer of tin foil on top of the shelf with the shiny side up.

 

[sawhorseray]

I live in the Arizona dessert. I put my TP-20 on a folding chair and cover it with a white five gallon plastic bucket, works! RAY

 

[SmokinAl]

I live in Florida & have the same problem. The direct sunlight doesn’t seem to affect the therms, but using a magnet & putting on the side of the smoker would be a no-no for me. I set mine on the smoker shelf or a small table next to the smoker. If you are concerned about direct sunlight then do as the others did & put a rag or towel over the sender.
Al

 

[GaryHibbert]

Sorry, but just the title of this post absolutely excludes me. LOL.
Gary