Can BBQ thermometers be used for taking personal temps in this age of the Coronavirus?
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Thermometers and the Coronavirus
Collapse
X
-
Club Member
- Mar 2016
- 1776
- North Central Iowa & the Iowa Great Lakes
-
Bronco Pro Barrel Smoker
PBC
Pit Boss 757GD Griddle (2)
Blaz'n Grill Works Grid Iron
Weber Genesis E-310
Original Original Grilla
Smokey Joe® Charcoal Grill 14"
Fireboard 1
Thermoworks ThermoPop
Thermoworks Thermapen Mk4
Thermoworks Smoke Thermometer with gateway
2 iGrillminis - from before they were Weber.
Interesting idea. I might try aiming my IR thermometer at my wife's head and see what I get. Besides a lump on my head for pointing a "gun" at her.
- Likes 7
Comment
-
Club Member
- Dec 2018
- 828
- Northeast Iowa, USA
-
Warm Morning G3 propane grill, 1970s vintage, https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/grills-and-smokers/gas/618448-vintage-warm-morning-broilmaster-grill
Weber Genesis II 330 SE, 3-burner propane grill
Hasty Bake Continental charcoal cooker
Smoke Vault 18, propane cabinet smoker
Amazen pellet smoker, https://www.amazenproducts.com/category_s/12.htm
Thermapen, Chef Alarm, https://www.thermoworks.com/
Yes, you can. I've used my thermapen and my IR gun on occasion. Just be real super careful if you use a thermapen type thermometer with those sharp tips. I'd hate to go to the emergency room for any reason right now, but explaining I'd managed to skewer my tongue with a sharp thermometer probe would make a bad matter even worse.
- Likes 7
Comment
-
Under the arm, add a degree.
- 2 likes
-
Not that I’m recommending anyone here to go ahead and use their meat thermometer for that (and I’d never cook with it again), the er staff have seen far more embarrassing scenarios. Some not appropriate to mention here. That show "*** sent me to the er" comes To mind. But even this would be crazy embarrassing.
- 2 likes
-
IowaGirl If I pierce my tongue with the thermometer, I can just add it to my list of culinary flubups including getting a fondue fork stuck in my hand and having to go to ER to get it cut out when I was in 6th grade. Fortunately it didn't hurt much and it didn't bleed, as it had just came out of the hot oil we were using for the sirloin. PSA - when fonduing sirloin, don't get greedy and try putting 2 chunks of meat on the same fork....just sayin'.
- 3 likes
-
Club Member
- Jul 2016
- 3412
- Elizabethtown, KY
-
Current line-up of cookers: Oklahoma Joe's Bronco Pro, Masterbuilt Gravity Series 1050, Blackstone ProSeries 4 Burner 36" griddle, Weber Performer Deluxe and Weber Smokey Joe.
Just stick the MK4 in the thickest part of your body, avoiding bone. Or you could go with a leave-in type thermometer and set an alarm to let you know when a fever is coming on. It would hurt, but should get the job done.
- Likes 19
Comment
-
Club Member
- Aug 2017
- 10015
- Hate Less, Cook More
-
OUTDOOR COOKERS
BBQ ACCESSORIES
WOOD & PELLET PREFERENCES
SOUS VIDE
INDOOR COOKWARE
I would think logically it would work, same with an IR gun. But interestingly enough I was trolling YouTube last night and came across this couple that were two older folks from Australia that got caught on one of those cruise ships quarantined in Japan. They ended up in a hospital and wanted to document their experience. The funny thing was they said that even at the point of being the sickest they really only had a mild fever and a cough, not much worse than a cold really.
But what's that got to do with a thermometer? Well in taking their temperature (which they had to do 4-5 times a day) this guy became (out of boredom I suppose) a thermometer expert. He claims that all themos are calibrated for various parts of the body; either under the tongue, under the forearm or in the old derriere. I would have never guessed that in a million years. Wonder what a Thermoworks probe is calibrated to if at all ???
- Likes 2
Comment
-
In my doctor's office and in the local hospital where my wife was, they swipe the thermometer across your forehead. We have one here at home that you press against your temple. This is why I thought of aiming it at my wife's head.
When my wife runs a temp of 98 she has a raging fever. I heard a program recently where a researcher compared temps from the civil war to today. The average normal temp is lower today, and he speculated that in those days everyone was a little sick all the time.Last edited by Bogy; March 17, 2020, 02:42 PM.
- 1 like
-
It's calibrated for in the butt of course...
-
An ear (tympanic) temp is 0.5°F (0.3°C) to 1°F (0.6°C) HIGHER than an oral temperature. An armpit (axillary) temp is usually 0.5°F (0.3°C) to 1°F (0.6°C) lower than an oral temp. A forehead (temporal) scanner is usually 0.5°F (0.3°C) to 1°F (0.6°C) LOWER as well.
As long as you know that, any good thermometer could be pressed into service. Even if it doesn’t strictly meet guidelines...but for a quick check at home I can’t see too much harm, so long as the unit in question is accurate enough.
-
- Likes 16
Comment
-
Administrator
- May 2014
- 19028
- Clare, Michigan area
-
Follow me on Instagram, huskeesbarbecue
Smokers / Grills- Yoder loaded Wichita offset smoker
- PBC
- Grilla Silverbac pellet grill
- Slow 'N Sear Deluxe Kamado (SnSK)
- Masterbuilt Gravity 560
- Masterbuilt Digital Charcoal Cabinet
- Weber 22" Original Kettle Premium (copper)
- Weber 26" Original Kettle Premium (light blue)
- Weber Jumbo Joe Gold (18.5")
- Weber Smokey Joe Silver (14.5")
- Brinkmann cabinet charcoal smoker (repurposed)
Thermometers- SnS 500 4-probe wireless
- (3) Maverick XR-50 4-probe Wireless Thermometers
- A few straggler Maverick ET-732s
- Maverick ET-735 Bluetooth (in box)
- Smoke X4 by ThermoWorks
- Thermapen MkII, orange & purple
- ThermoPop, yellow, plus a few more in a drawer for gifts
- ThermoWorks ChefAlarm (wife's)
- Morpilot 6-probe wireless
- ThermoWorks Infrared IRK2
- ThermoWorks fridge & freezer therms as well
Accessories- Instant Pot 6qt
- Anova Bluetooth SV
- Kitchen Aide mixer & meat grinder attachment
- Kindling Cracker King (XL)
- a couple BBQ Dragons
- Weber full & half chimneys, Char-Broil Half Time chimney
- Weber grill topper
- Slow 'N Sear Original, XL, and SnS Charcoal Basket (for Jumbo Joe)
- Drip 'N Griddle Pans, 22' Easy Spin Grate, and Elevated Cooking grate, by SnSGrills
- Pittsburgh Digital Moisture Meter
Beverages- Favorite summer beers: Leinenkugels Summer & Grapefruit Shandy, Hamm's, Michelob Ultra Pure Gold
- Fav other beers: Zombie Dust (an IPA by 3 Floyd's Brewing), Austin Bros IPA, DAB, Sam Adams regular, Third Shift amber or Coors Batch 19, Stella Artois
- Fav cheap beers: Pabst, High Life, Hamm's & Stroh's
- Most favorite beer: The one in your fridge
- Wine: Red- big, bold, tannic & peppery- Petite Sirah, Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauv, Sangiovese, Syrah, etc
- Whiskey: Buffalo Trace, E.H. Taylor, Blanton's, Old Forester 1870, Elijah Craig Toasted, Basil Hayden's. Neat please.
- Scotch: Current favorite- The Arran (anything by them), Glenmorangie 12yr Lasanta, sherry cask finished. The Balvenie Double Wood, also like Oban 18yr, and The Glenlivet Nadurra (Oloroso sherry cask finished) among others. Neat please.
About me
Real name: Aaron
Location: Farwell, Michigan- near Clare. (dead center of lower peninsula)
Occupation:- Healthcare- Licensed & Registered Respiratory Therapist (RRT) at MyMichigan Health, a University of Michigan Health System.
-
We laugh about this at work. I have poked a Thermoworks RT600C (Serial # ending in 468) in too many raw chickens and raw chicken parts to count. The probe is bent a little and I've been using it 5-6 days a week (12 hour shifts galore) for over three years now. It gets calibrated daily on the cold end (32.0-F in ice water) and even out beats a Thermapen which sometimes settles at 32.1-F.
Anywho, I can't for the life of me use that thermometer to check my food, check my temp, or get that probe tip anywhere near anything that won't get heated with fire in the not too distant future, even though it gets cleaned and cleaned and cleaned. Just the thought of where it has been.....and after all, it's the thought that counts.
- Likes 5
Comment
-
Club Member
- Dec 2017
- 362
- Lakewood, CO
-
Weber Genesis Silver B (converted to nat. gas)
Camp Chef Smoke Vault 24 (converted to nat. gas)
Thermoworks Smoke
Thermoworks Classic Thermapen
Thermoworks MK4
Thermoworks IR-IND Infrared Thermometer
Thermoworks TimeStick Trio
Maverivk XR-50 Thermometer
Anova Precision Cooker
Stasher 1/2 gal Silicon Bag
As a joke and an experiment, I took a baseline reading on my kids’ forehead with my Thermoworks Infrared and they took mine. We all registered near 94. Hopefully we don’t have to retest. 😀
- Likes 1
Comment
-
Club Member
- Dec 2018
- 828
- Northeast Iowa, USA
-
Warm Morning G3 propane grill, 1970s vintage, https://pitmaster.amazingribs.com/forum/grills-and-smokers/gas/618448-vintage-warm-morning-broilmaster-grill
Weber Genesis II 330 SE, 3-burner propane grill
Hasty Bake Continental charcoal cooker
Smoke Vault 18, propane cabinet smoker
Amazen pellet smoker, https://www.amazenproducts.com/category_s/12.htm
Thermapen, Chef Alarm, https://www.thermoworks.com/
Duh. Just tumbled to this -- If you have a DOT or Smoke or other thermometer with plug-in sensor probes, use an air probe if you have one to take your temp, rather than a sharp-tipped food probe. Much safer!
- Likes 1
Comment
-
Now y'all got me thinking...with all my Thermoworks stuff, I've accrued a fair number of extra grate temp probes...relatively safe for most any orifice. So hook up that new four probe monitor with four grate temp probes and....
Golly, if the probe wires were long enough you could monitor you and three friends at safe distances, or, just hand out your DOTS, one for each.
- Likes 1
Comment
-
Club Member
- Mar 2016
- 1776
- North Central Iowa & the Iowa Great Lakes
-
Bronco Pro Barrel Smoker
PBC
Pit Boss 757GD Griddle (2)
Blaz'n Grill Works Grid Iron
Weber Genesis E-310
Original Original Grilla
Smokey Joe® Charcoal Grill 14"
Fireboard 1
Thermoworks ThermoPop
Thermoworks Thermapen Mk4
Thermoworks Smoke Thermometer with gateway
2 iGrillminis - from before they were Weber.
We've been adjusting the temp in our second refrigerator's freezing compartment, and I've been using my IR to check the temp. My wife was thinking it only registered hot things, and asked how low it would go. I didn't know offhand, so I checked the Thermoworks page. The range is -76 to 1022°F (-60 to 550°C), in case you were wondering. But we are evidently not the only ones about using BBQ Thermometers to read personal temps.
COVID-19 Temperature Screening
We are receiving many inquiries regarding the suitability of our general-purpose infrared thermometers for fever screening of employees and others. FDA Listed Device is Coming
ThermoWorks is expediting the launch of a new Forehead Thermometer that will be FDA Listed for human temperatures as a Class II medical/clinical thermometer. Availability is expected to be early May 2020. Check back for further announcements. Our Other Infrared Thermometers
ThermoWorks other infrared thermometer products are intended for food service, food processing, industrial, scientific and general home use. They are not FDA Cleared for clinical use. We therefore do not make any claims on their suitability for medical temperatures.
In the current pandemic environment, there is a worldwide shortage of infrared sensors and medical infrared thermometers. If someone were to use a general-purpose infrared thermometer as a substitute scanning tool for detecting elevated body temperatures, we offer the following cautions:
• Forehead temperature is several degrees lower than core body temperature of 98.6°F (37°C). Medical forehead thermometers make a mathematical adjustment to display an equivalent oral temperature. When using general-purpose infrared thermometers to read forehead temperatures, the readings will likely be lower than 98.6°F, even if a fever is present. Normal forehead skin temperature can vary several degrees depending on your environment (indoors or out), exercise, perspiration, etc. It would be normal to read an actual forehead skin surface temperature between 91°F and 94°F if using a general-purpose infrared thermometer.
• The best approach is to know the normal forehead skin temperature of a specific individual in good health. A surface reading would then be more useful in determining whether a fever is present.
• In scanning a population of individuals, if a subject had a fever of 4 to 5 degrees above normal, one would expect the forehead skin temperature to read 4 to 5 degrees higher than the average of other healthy subjects. Still, such a scan could not be regarded as a reliable absolute measurement of core body temperature.
• Users should be aware of the "spot size" of the infrared thermometer’s measurement area. They should also consider the distance-to-target recommendations of the instrument. The angle of the sensor to the subject is also important.
• If the general-purpose IR thermometer has a laser-pointing feature, it is best to turn the laser off if possible (or cover it with tape) and always use great care to avoid pointing it at someone’s eyes. The laser is not part of the measurement technology and is only used to assist in aiming.
• Some industrial IR thermometers allow the adjustment of the emissivity setting. In medical literature human skin is noted to have an emissivity between 0.95 and 0.99 regardless of color. Some users report that by setting an adjustable emissivity to 0.78, the instrument will give a forehead temperature reading that approximates the normal oral temperature. We cannot offer advice on the reliability of this approach.
Comment
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Comment