Archived Posts » 60,595,333
Mercury old school thermometers
1/17/2012 8:26:45 PM
Can these still be purchased? Google did not yield many desired results. New digital ones need batteries...batteries die. Just curious, I'm thinking these would be handy maybe overlooked prep items.
1/17/2012 8:32:43 PM
Originally Posted By ACTUAL:
Can these still be purchased? Google did not yield many desired results. New digital ones need batteries...batteries die. Just curious, I'm thinking these would be handy maybe overlooked prep items.
Can these still be purchased? Google did not yield many desired results. New digital ones need batteries...batteries die. Just curious, I'm thinking these would be handy maybe overlooked prep items.
Mercury is being hit real hard by the EPA. Alcohol bearing thermometers are the current replacement I believe.
1/17/2012 8:55:49 PM
Fisher Scientific still sells them. Just note that some states may regulate them.
mm
mm
1/18/2012 2:43:26 AM
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
1/18/2012 9:55:44 AM
Originally Posted By TigerForce:
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
I think that would apply to a digital thermometer as well.
Alcohol and mercury thermometers have been used for 300yrs.
I have a few of each and even two digitals next to each other are slightly different.
In addition to some stardard alcohol themometers,
I have a few of these type around. Good for checking temperatures in freezers/refrigerators.
Try googling "analog thermometer"
1/18/2012 12:59:33 PM
Originally Posted By TigerForce:
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
1/19/2012 7:59:04 PM
Originally Posted By ACTUAL:
Can these still be purchased? Google did not yield many desired results. New digital ones need batteries...batteries die. Just curious, I'm thinking these would be handy maybe overlooked prep items.
Can these still be purchased? Google did not yield many desired results. New digital ones need batteries...batteries die. Just curious, I'm thinking these would be handy maybe overlooked prep items.
No mercury, just alcohol
I learned this lesson as we only had a digital. Some cough syrup spilled on it during the move and it went kaput. I replaced it as well as buy 4-5 of german made thermometers to be safe. Got them at walgreeens
1/19/2012 8:06:08 PM
What would be the advantage of mercury over alcohol? Alcohol thermometers have been in regular use since at least the 70s, I think.
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile
1/19/2012 11:56:00 PM
Originally Posted By roguetrader:
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
Originally Posted By TigerForce:
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
The freezing and boiling point of water is not even remotely constant.
It changes radically with even minor contamination, and pressure/altitude.
1/20/2012 1:14:33 AM
Although I'm not a fan of the extreme idiocy the Libtards are successfully using mercury as a device to steal this country by preying on the ignorance of the population and killing the economy, I would not rely on mercury oral thermometers for BOB type usage.
They are easily damaged by over temp, the mercury column easily separates and they break, not that it is any significant health issue if you use common sense.
Electronic oral thermometers are my preference and try to find ones using a lithium battery rather than the alkaline or mercury
ones. Buy a couple lithium batteries to stock and by the time they all go bad, there should be a Communist based health care center to take your temp if they haven't killed you yet.
If you can't find lithium battery powered thermometers, then get the 1 1/2 volt powered ones.
If the 1 1/2 volt battery they use isn't available, then use an alternative, any other 1 1/2 volt battery.
If someone can't figure out how to do this or get it done, then it's likely they aren't going to survive long anyhow.
They are easily damaged by over temp, the mercury column easily separates and they break, not that it is any significant health issue if you use common sense.
Electronic oral thermometers are my preference and try to find ones using a lithium battery rather than the alkaline or mercury
ones. Buy a couple lithium batteries to stock and by the time they all go bad, there should be a Communist based health care center to take your temp if they haven't killed you yet.
If you can't find lithium battery powered thermometers, then get the 1 1/2 volt powered ones.
If the 1 1/2 volt battery they use isn't available, then use an alternative, any other 1 1/2 volt battery.
If someone can't figure out how to do this or get it done, then it's likely they aren't going to survive long anyhow.
1/20/2012 10:33:05 AM
Originally Posted By Glide:
What would be the advantage of mercury over alcohol? Alcohol thermometers have been in regular use since at least the 1709, I think.
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile
What would be the advantage of mercury over alcohol? Alcohol thermometers have been in regular use since at least the 1709, I think.
Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile
Fixed it for you.
1/20/2012 11:11:08 AM
Originally Posted By roguetrader:
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
Originally Posted By TigerForce:
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
So... when my thermometer says that water boils at 200 degrees, what do I do with it?
(Yes, it's a trick question.)
1/20/2012 11:18:08 AM
Originally Posted By GlutealCleft:
So... when my thermometer says that water boils at 200 degrees, what do I do with it?
(Yes, it's a trick question.)
Originally Posted By roguetrader:
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
Originally Posted By TigerForce:
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
So... when my thermometer says that water boils at 200 degrees, what do I do with it?
(Yes, it's a trick question.)
I guess that would depend on your location and if you are reading F or C.
1/20/2012 11:21:26 AM
Originally Posted By wshbrngr:
I guess that would depend on your location and if you are reading F or C.
Originally Posted By GlutealCleft:
So... when my thermometer says that water boils at 200 degrees, what do I do with it?
(Yes, it's a trick question.)
Originally Posted By roguetrader:
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
Originally Posted By TigerForce:
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
So... when my thermometer says that water boils at 200 degrees, what do I do with it?
(Yes, it's a trick question.)
I guess that would depend on your location and if you are reading F or C.
There you go. Boiling water is only a constant if you know the temp at which water boils at your altitude. 200F is normal for me.
My water is hard enough that I suspect the freezing point would be measurably below 32F as well, but I have never checked.
1/20/2012 12:25:44 PM
If your water is boiling at 200F, you would probably be at 5000-6000ft elevation (Denver or Santa Fe)
If not, thermometer is wrong
If not, thermometer is wrong
1/20/2012 12:57:20 PM
Originally Posted By Monsterbishi:
The freezing and boiling point of water is not even remotely constant.
It changes radically with even minor contamination, and pressure/altitude.
Originally Posted By roguetrader:
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
Originally Posted By TigerForce:
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
I've been told that mercury or alcohol thermometers can lose their accuracy. I don't know how often that's the case, though.
You can always chek the accuracy with an ice bath and boiling water as they are known constants.
The freezing and boiling point of water is not even remotely constant.
It changes radically with even minor contamination, and pressure/altitude.
I would think that if exact temps are nessicary you would know what the variences are for you area, and contamination is a factor but only if you don't use known clean sorces
ETA ––- just got to the end and see that this is addressed it would only be a problem for people that are not familiar with their AO
1/20/2012 8:50:49 PM
well, I will stock both (alcohol and digital) and hope for the "care packages" I am SURE that other countries will air drop in to return all the kindness we have bestowed over the years. I heard the Somali air force is making great strides...in a few mores years, perhaps they will even be able to replace their orange life vests with real body armor. LOL if you get my reference.
1/21/2012 9:00:59 AM
To be candid, measuring temperature is not that critical. If it is within a few degrees that is adequate. As long as the glass tube is not broken, a liquid thermometer just does not go out of calibration.
Most people do not realize it, but alcohol based thermometers have been in use for a very long time. They are every bit as accurate as mercury thermometers and do not suffer from some of the issues others have mentioned that plague mercury thermometers, on top of the inherent hazards of mercury.
As for calibration, an ice bath or boiling water is close enough unless you are worried about very tightly reading the temperature, and I cannot imagine why that would ever matter in context. A degree or two one way or the other just is not important. In any case, the temperature outside can vary substantially even within a small area.
Spring type thermometers do tend to go out of calibration enough that it is noticeable. Just the nature of the beast.
Most people do not realize it, but alcohol based thermometers have been in use for a very long time. They are every bit as accurate as mercury thermometers and do not suffer from some of the issues others have mentioned that plague mercury thermometers, on top of the inherent hazards of mercury.
As for calibration, an ice bath or boiling water is close enough unless you are worried about very tightly reading the temperature, and I cannot imagine why that would ever matter in context. A degree or two one way or the other just is not important. In any case, the temperature outside can vary substantially even within a small area.
Spring type thermometers do tend to go out of calibration enough that it is noticeable. Just the nature of the beast.
1/21/2012 12:33:30 PM
If you want to check the calibration using the boiling point, you can get your elevation and current barometric pressure from NOAA use this Boiling Point Calculator.
1/21/2012 3:03:46 PM
There are some topical thermometers that are great. Not sure of shelf life, but you can get them by the hundreds. Not expensive and are used by NATO
1/30/2012 8:15:17 PM
issue resolved, sorta. SOLAR powered digital. $11 bucks. Got two, still on the watch for a merc.
