Bradley thermo vs maverick

[gbritten_nh]

I am using my Maverick for the first actual cooking, and it is located middle of second shelf, with 6 thighs on that shelf.  I am seeing about 20 degrees (F) between it and the Bradley thermo, Bradley lower.  This seems pretty consistent with other comments on this topic I have seen, but makes me wonder my cheese did not melt more!

I also did a dry run, when I was burning in a new element and had just received the Maverick, both probes located as near as possible to the Bradley thermo, and that also seemed to be about 20 degrees difference.

The Maverick has been informally calibrated at room temperature and seems to be spot-on, so I am sure this is an issue with the Bradley thermo.  As it seems that is a mechanical thermo (presumably bi-metallic strip) I can see lots of reasons for lack of accuracy, the precision (tracking to the Maverick) seems good.

I will do a span calibration on the Maverick (freezing and boiling are pretty easy references to do this), just have not gotten to it.

I love this hobby, allows me to satisfy both my geeky and foodie side!

[Habanero Smoker]

I don't have the digital model, but I believe I read that the Bradley uses a Thermistor-style thermometer; the same as the Maverick.

Generally if you have the probes near meat, those probes will read lower, because as moisture evaporates from the meat it cools the air temperature around it, this at times can be up to 40°F difference. I am interesting in reading about your data.

[gbritten_nh]

I am not sure how a thermistor can display temperature without a power source, whereas a thermocouple can.  However, I am not trained enough in engineering to be certain of the former.  I am pretty sure that the Maverick uses a Thermocouple, and maybe the Bradley thermo does too.  I say the Maverick uses a thermocouple because of a reference to type J & K, which are common types of thermocouples, though where I saw that now I am not sure, but it was in some context specific to the Maverick ET-732.

I will have to recreate the test with the sensor in close proximity, as I did not record the specifics and maybe did not let it get to equilibrium, as I was only burning in a new element.  That will have to wait until tomorrow.

k is used also in the contest of thermistors where delta R=k delta T, but J is not as far as I can see in Wikipedia.

[Habanero Smoker]

I haven't seen any specs on the Maverick probes, so you are probably correct; but Mavericks are registering too slow, and also their price ranges seems to keep them out of the thermocouple range for performance and cost.

[gbritten_nh]

I have data, and contrary to intuition, the Maverick and Bradley probe were closer during heatup (Bradley probe 18-20 deg F lower) than when reaching steady state, where the difference was 27-30 F.

Here is a pic of how the probes were setup, all within 1.5" of each other once the door was closed.

[Habanero Smoker]

Oh I now understand what you are talking about. For some reason I though you had the digital. The dial thermometer is generally accurate when the cabinet is empty. In the past I have done similar tests, also tested with various probes in different areas of the cabinet to check the temperature differences.

If you are having that wide of temperature variance, the problem may be the door thermometer or a combination of both. It is possible that the door thermometer was not calibrated, or was accidentally changed when assembled to the door. Most dial (bi-metal) thermometers can be calibrated. The thermometer needs to be removed from the door. At the base of the dial there is a nut. Use a pair of pliers to hold the nut while you turn the dial until the needle is at the correct setting. While calibrating the door thermometer you should also check the accuracy of the Maverick.

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