teltru thermometers bq300 or like model

[toolhead]

Anyone buy a teltru and can share accuracy of temp.

Have maverick 733 but thinking about getting a teltru to make temp reading easier.  For simple kettle cook rather read temp off hood than pulling out the maverick

 bimetal weber thermos can be off by 50-100 degrees

[addicted-to-smoke]

From what I've read, Tel-Tru is the gold standard for bimetal thermometers, an inherently "problematic" design that often suffers from inaccuracy, especially as it ages and/or at higher temps. Like a few others here, I have a BQ100 set into a Weber bezel on one of my kettles. Tested in boiling water at exactly 212, but don't know about higher temps, where it could be off.

Of course, any lid thermometer is an approximation of what's happening at the grate. Also, there will be times when the lid temp is basically the SAME as the grill grate, because after a certain point (meaning, at highest temperatures from what I can tell) the temp sorta "pressurizes" inside/can't dissipate fast enough for there to be a difference. But at "typical" 250-350 degree cooks, yes I'd expect there to be a difference of 50-20 degrees between the two locations?

For most cooks that don't require longer investments of time I prefer a simple oven thermometer sitting on the grate, as can usually be seen in a typical 1buckie image ... I need a new one, the one I've been using for 2 years is now so dark inside it's nearly unreadable.

Mine (the oven thermo) is a cheap Taylor TruTempfrom Target, http://www.target.com/p/taylor-trutemp-oven-and-grill-thermometer/-/A-11010614 and yes it's pretty darn accurate. Just can't read it any more. Smoke gets inside and that's it.

I'm considering this one because it can hang, stand or clip (which should allow viewing straight up instead of bending down?) http://www.chefscatalog.com/product/21424-taylor-oven-thermometer.aspx

I'm also very interested in this OXO ... angled, "snap-in" design might be perfect ... http://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/oxo-good-grips-reg-oven-thermometer/1012859430

... and I treat the lid thermometer as an indicator of rising/falling temps in case I need to adjust dampers or add fuel.

I realize most ... or all... of that isn't what you asked about!

[1buckie]

Tel-Tru gets the nod from many, many people using them in pit builds....almost an industry standard kind of thing.....I have no direct experience, but have seen that a ton of times....very accurate, long lasting, buily well, rtc.

Another choice, less expensive & with near the asame reviews is Rive Country.....

http://rivercountry101.com/grill-smoker-thermometers/

the range, I believe, is not quite as high as some brands, 550f

[Troy]

can someone point out a tel-tru that fits in the weber bezel?

[1buckie]

can someone point out a tel-tru that fits in the weber bezel?

Good Question......let's look into it as I think most of these are of the small hole, wingnut attachment type & may not do that.....

[1buckie]

The intent of this thread is to list preferred Weber parts, Weber parts commonality between models, proven aftermarket replacement parts and workarounds.
In short, all those Golden Nuggets that are now scattered across the Interwebz, now all in one place.

I'll start with a thermometer upgrade for a DR code OTS.

The Weber bezel part number is 63027.
This will lead you to 18.5 WSM but it is currently being used on all units with a 1-3/4" diameter face.
It is the lower profile, smooth bezel which I prefer over the higher profile, "fluted" bezel used in previous years.
This bezel has a blind tab that keys into an auxiliary hole on production models.
The Weber thermometers in turn have a tab that keys into the bezel.
This is great for production, but I'm not going to need this feature so I carefully snapped it off of the bezel.

I wanted to upgrade the thermometer from the Weber offering because of their reputation for inaccuracy and fogging up.
The logical choice for me was the Tel-Tru BQ100.
This therm has a "grill range" graduation of 150F - 700F, professional-looking face, 2.13" stem length, ±1% accuracy and requires just a 1/4" hole.
Best of all it's a Tel-Tru, arguably the best made analog temp gauges in the land.

I placed my new gauge in the OEM location (triangulate  5-1/4" +/- from each handle strap).
I used blue tape for layout clarity and drilled an 1/8" hole with a normal high speed drill bit.
Then I used a "step bit" (trade name Uni-Bit) to widen the hole to 1/4".
From there the rest of the install is intuitive.








There is a 1/16" + annular space between the bezel and the gauge.
To hold even spacing and simplify alignment, I used an 1/8" size Zip Tie cut into four pieces.
Spread around the dial at 12, 3, 6 and 9 o'clock, these maintain perfect spacing and unify the two elements for easy alignment on the kettle lid.

Add a 1/4" cut (flat) washer to the underside and hand tighten the supplied wing nut.

I purchased the Tel-Tru BQ100 from bbqeqipmentstore.com and the bezel came from ereplacementparts.com



Please feel free to add any Golden Nuggets of your own to this thread.

Happy Grilling !


Edit:
This Tel-Tru was compared to a 63028 WSM gauge and both read the same, so you can get a good Weber gauge.

[1buckie]

And......

Do you know if the Weber thermometers are made by Tel-Tru?

I doubt it, would bet that they are Chinese....Tel Tru is a higher quality piece.

For the best prices on Tel Tru check with...

FireCraft
bbqeqipmentstore.com
kck.com

[Troy]

Thanks, I KNEW you would find that

also, at 10 bucks more than than the weber - i'm going with the weber.
i've never had a weber thermo that was more than 20 degrees off (bezel mount kind)

[swamprb]

Trend and Ashcroft are two other highly respected but under looked gauges.