What are the Worst Wood Stove Thermometers for Sale Today?

Wood stoves require constant monitoring and management. To safely and efficiently operate a wood stove, several factors should be known and watched. The most important of these is the temperature of the stove and chimney. The current burning temperature of the firebox can be a critical indicator of the condition of the stove heating system.

Almost every stove in the world up to today uses a magnetic spring type thermometer to provide you with the current temperature. These thermometers have been all that was available up to this time. These spring type thermometers provide one thing. The current temperature plus or minus 50 or more degrees F. They do not provide an accurate indication of the temperature of the stove and cannot give information that is helpful in predicting the safe operation of a stove.

What is Wrong with these Thermometers?

First, these simple temperature displays are just that, SIMPLE. Do they display a temperature? Yes. Is it correct? Generally NOT! The accuracy depends on a series of factors. The quality of manufacturing, the age of the device and the handling of the device. Any one of these can affect the readings on a $10 – $30 thermometer that are supposed to indicate temperatures between 200 to 650 degrees F on any given day.

How do they Work?

Spring type thermometers use a specific metal that expands and contracts consistently when heat or cold is applied to the spring. A pointer is attached to the spring and points to the correct temperature as the spring heats up or cools down. As mentioned, this is a SIMPLE means of measuring stove temperature.

When does it go wrong? Over time the spring can change its properties, especially if the spring has been overheated multiple times. This will cause the reading to be high or low depending on how the properties have been varied.

Something as simple as dropping the thermometer can vary the readings. The connection between the spring (the sensor) and the housing (the display) may be slightly rotated and could cause a 50 degree F adjustment in an instant.

Over time the properties of the metal in the spring will also break down and cause incorrect readings.

In a time when we use digital readings and signal for: our phones, our watches, our TV’s, our clocks, our refrigerators, our timers, our scoreboards, our speedometers, our ovens, and on and on… Why would we use an analog thermometer on something as critical as a wood stove?

I have witnessed evidence of the spring type thermometers being over 100 degrees F off from the actual temperature. That is not acceptable when a digital device is now available that can also do more than just display a temperature.

Why would I want a Digital Stove Thermometer?

The primary reason to have an accurate thermometer (hence a digital thermometer) is safety. Having a fire burning in your house can be worrisome to some homeowners and even intimidating to others. It does not have to be either of those or anything in between. Some people will not leave their home with the fire burning in a wood stove. Those days are over!

The second reason an accurate thermometer should be on every wood stove is it can run more efficiently. I will explain that more in depth later. Knowledge about your stove is the third reason to have a digital monitor on your wood stove. Information is vital to understanding how a stove burns and a digital monitor will provide and store that information.

Safety is First

If you could have a tool that would prevent your wood stove from never having a chimney fire would you want it? Of course you would! If you have ever left the door open or the air vent open while starting up the stove and then found the black smoke rolling out the chimney, you know the panic you feel. You need to shut down the stove immediately but the roaring fire will continue until that creosote in the chimney has been turned to dust.

Everyone I know with a wood stove has been there. It is a hair raising event that you (or maybe you it keep to yourself) regale in great detail to others. You may have even had the fire department show up when a neighbor or passerby calls to “help you out”.

Accuracy is King

Wood stoves burn hot. This is not new news to wood stove owners. To heat a home and burn up the particles that wood emits takes a hot fire. If you have a catalytic stove, you will generally burn even hotter just to reach the temperature that keeps the catalytic device operating efficiently. Knowing the correct temperature is critical to operate the stove safely while not igniting a chimney fire.

Knowing if the stove is operating at 500 degrees F or 600 degrees F could possibly prevent a chimney fire. Recently I witnessed a real world example when two spring type thermometers produced readings of 500 degrees F and the real temperature was 600 degrees F.

If Accuracy is King – Information is Checkmate

Knowing the precise temperature of your stove can make the operation of the stove easier and your home more comfortable. If you have accurate data on the temperature at all times and have a recorded log of those temperatures, you can act accordingly using that data. Without sitting next to the stove 24/7 for the entire winter heating season and recording this information, you would have access to when the stove hit peaks and valleys in the temperature of the firebox.

With this information you would better know when to fill the stove (on the temperature drop, not at the valley bottom) and when to cut the air flow. A sudden burst of wind may unexpectedly increase air flow and raise the temperature of your stove within minutes. Knowing this allows you to adjust your stove to produce a consistent, even heat for your home.

How a Digital Stove Thermometer Resolves these Issues

Here is a list of the advantages a digital stove monitor can provide:

Digital accuracy to one tenth of a degree F.
High temperature sensor for accurate readings.
Always on display for constant readings.
The monitor is connected by WiFi to the internet
The App connects your smartphone to the monitor to view the temperature of your wood stove anytime/anywhere.
High alarm setting to alert your smartphone.
Low alarm to alert your smartphone.
Storage of data in graph form to view stove performance.
All this with NO monthly fees.

The Best Stove Thermometer Available Today

With all the benefits and value that a digital stove thermometer has, you would think there would be dozens of digital stove thermometers on the market today! But there is NOT! There is only ONE!

This device was created by TempSure and has all the advantages listed above and more. This device is available with either a magnetic sensor that can be easily placed on the stove surface or a 4” probe that is designed to be inserted into the chimney pipe. Either sensor is rated to over 1500 degrees F for high temperature burns and accuracy.

The TempSure equipment has been designed and manufactured to meet very high standards. The monitor has been used in commercial installations measuring temperatures 24/7/365 for up to 10 years without replacements or repairs.

Creating this product took years of research, testing and revising to bring the current product to market. The sensor was tested over and over to verify that it would survive the extreme heat and continue to operate and repeat the results over time.

That is why this device is not $19.99. The accuracy must be continuous and repeatable. The product must be of the highest quality and consistent. The connection to the WiFi must also meet these standards.

What is Your Home and Your Safety Worth?

The freedom you can experience by owning this device alone may be worth more than the cost of the device. Knowing the temperature of your stove when you are away from home is a relief that is easy to measure. You can have peace of mind that your stove is burning as planned with a glance at your smartphone.

In addition, the efficient use of your stove will save you time and money. Burning less wood by efficiently filling the stove will pay for the device in a very short time.That is not only money saved but time saved, your time and your energy. Less time filling the stove when it was not required, or filling it when it really is needed,

How about the comfort it can bring by helping you keep your home heat more consistent. No more large swings of temperature or wasted time checking the stove to find it has plenty of wood. The detail from the monitor will give you the information you need to evenly and consistently feed the fire.

Most important of all it will also be the last stove monitor you will ever buy! Because of the quality of the product it will outlast your wood stove.

The Best Stove Thermometer Available Today

This it the TempSure WiFi Wood Stove Monitor

It is simple (with only one button) and can make operating your wood stove easier and more efficient. The one button just toggles between the high temperature, the low temperature and the current temperature. All other operations are managed from the App.

The magnetic sensor was designed to be placed on a flat surface (like the top of a wood stove) and operate with extreme heat applied. The sensor is a K type thermocouple and has been tested to over 1700 degrees F. The normal working temperature is 650 degrees F.

The 4” probe type sensor meets all the same specifications and can be inserted into the chimney pipe to measure the flue temperature. Either probe can be purchased with the monitor as a kit to provide accurate reading on the stove top or in the chimney pipe.

Information at Your Fingertips

The App is what makes this device the perfect wood stove temperature monitor. The App gives you the ability to monitor the temperature at any time and anywhere you are. You no longer have to be within 10 feet of your stove to know the temperature. Just glance at the app and you have the information you need at your fingertips.

Better than that are the alerts that can be set up to warn you of a high temperature event. This alone is the preeminent feature of the TempSure monitor. Having the peace of mind knowing you will be warned if the stove overheats is a comforting realization.

In addition the monitor will alert you through the app if the stove temperature becomes too low. This allows you to know when the stove requires stoking with fresh wood. Your home will remain warm and comfortable even on those cold, windy winter nights.

All this information is also recorded for you to view and analyze in the app. This will give you better insights into the daily, weekly and long term operation of your stove. This will allow you to make better informed decisions on control and maintenance of your stove.

And the App is FREE. There is no charge to purchase and no monthly fee.

The ONE Thing!

If there was one thing that could make operating your stove SAFER and EASIER wouldn’t you want it? This is that ONE Thing! The TempSure monitor is making Wood Stoves safer and easier to operate every day. Here is what some of our customers are saying!

Greg H. from Columbus Indiana wrote:

Thanks Joel for creating this device it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.

And David C. form Vermont wrote:

After 22+ years of heating exclusively with wood, the tempsure device, has made my life easier in a number of ways. First and most obvious, I can monitor my stoves temp when I am not near the stove. It seems so simple but especially in a three story house it is often difficult to run a wood stove when you cannot monitor its temp changes from a distance. This can lead to overheating and damage. It always amazes me how quickly a wood stove can spike in temp when it is not being constantly observed. At night I am the sole guardian of the hearth. This means that if I have to get up on super cold nights to re stoke, I either have to stay up for a while to watch the fire or get up a few more times to recheck or just hope for the best. With constant stove data being sent via wifi to my handheld, (as quickly as one cycle per minute) I can monitor it from bed.

The most surprising benefit from this device, was how it helped me to understand my stove better. First, I found that my metal stove top thermometer was incorrect by nearly 150°. This discrepancy was in my favor, but it caused me to damp down my stove before optimum. With the accuracy of the digital unit I am able to run my stove more like a well oiled machine rather than the seat-of-the-pants. I am also able to learn just how much temp fluctuation occurs with every increment of dampening as well as observe the stoves ups and downs throughout any given day.

The system is easy to set up and works through your home WiFi and the online app allows you to set monitoring parameters to better dial in your style of operation.

In my opinion this has been a long time coming and should be standard issue with any new wood stove. It will help you burn more efficiently and smartly.

Those are just some of the emails I have received over the past few years from customers who are enjoying the benefits of the TempSure monitor system on their own stoves. It truly is the best and most important tool you can own to compliment your wood stove.

To find out more go to TempSure.net and purchase your monitor today.

To find our more information on wood stoves, how they operate and how to burn wood more efficiently, see some of my other articles on: