Thermometers: Choose and Use

It’s easy to select the right thermometer for the task at hand. Start with the requirement that is most important to you and look for the recommendations under that category.

Accuracy:

• Calibrated Thermometers—Fractional Degree
• Mercury Thermometers, Total Immersion
• Enviro-Safe® Thermometers

Low Cost:

• BASIX Spirit-filled Thermometers

Safety:

• Enviro-Safe Thermometers
• Teflon-coated Mercury Thermometers

Durability:

• 6" (165 mm) Enviro-Safe Thermometers
• 8" (203 mm) Spirit-filled Thermometers
• Teflon-coated Thermometers (Spirit-filled)

Immersion: (The two types of thermometers are not interchangeable)

• Partial: For general use, thermometers should be immersed in the test solution up to the line printed on the thermometer.
• Total: For highest accuracy, the entire thermometer column needs to be immersed in the liquid to be measured. This gives the highest accuracy, but using a total immersion thermometer improperly will result in errors.