• @SomeoneSomewhere@lemmy.nz
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    602 months ago

    IR thermometers aren’t particularly accurate. Especially when pointed at reflective surfaces like glass, where some of the return will actually be reflected heat coming from you.

    Most wall thermostats are designed to read the temperature of the air; the wall behind may be warmer or colder.

    • @BakedCatboy@lemmy.ml
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      82 months ago

      This is why it’s important to get one with an adjustable emissivity, so you can adjust it to whatever material you are measuring. Or you can stick some electrical tape on what you want to measure, 3M super 88 is 0.96 so I just set my fluke to 0.96 and stick that shit everywhere I want to measure.

      • @TrickDacy@lemmy.world
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        42 months ago

        Why is this joke downvoted? It would make no sense to take this at face value unless we assume you are extremely mentally ill

  • @jet@hackertalks.com
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    242 months ago

    A man with one clock knows what time it is with certainty. A man with two clocks is never sure

  • @Mike85k@lemmy.world
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    62 months ago

    Point it at the wall right next to it and see. I’ve noticed this on mine but it will match with the wall. The reflective comment could be. I’ve always assumed that it has to account for the slight heat that the thermostat generated just by running. My experience is with an ecobee smart thermostat so probably generate a a bit more heat.

    • elmicha
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      12 months ago

      I have an IR camera adapter and pointed it at a computer fan. I was astonished that the motor in the middle was warmer than the blades, although the fan was off for a long time. Then I saw that it measured the reflection of my head in the name plate.

  • The thermostat reads the temp in its immediate area, and many times it’s mounted on the wall where the heating or cooling vent is located. This is why your thermostat reads one temperature but your room across the apartment feels colder.