Temp gauge issues

[DATsBBQ]

Fired up Einstein to do a chicken. Seemed to be taking alot longer than normal to get to temp. Felt the heat coming off the dome and thought it was closer to 275 than the 200 the temp gauge was reading. Took the gauge off, scaped the tip with a wire brush and put back on. Within a minute it was a 300! #-o

Now was it crud build up (didn't take that much off) or could it be cause by the damn water that somehow, always gets inside those thermometers? can the damn thing be trusted from here on out? Observations gentlement?

 

[Nick Prochilo]

Soot and carbon are a good insulator. I'd bet that was the problem.

 

[Captain Morgan]

If you can take it out and test it, do so. If it's ok, just clean it more often.
If not, replace.

 

[DATsBBQ]

It has a hex nut, and I've calibrated it in the past. It appears to be working now. There really wasn't much carbon on the tip - granted it wasn't shiney. But there is water inside the face plate. Could that rust the mechanism and then causing it to stick? We've had alot of rain over the past week, something we typically don't see.
Thanks
Dave

 

[Finney]

Probably the crud. :dunno:

 

[wittdog]

I bet those grill wipes that Joker wrote about would do a good job of cleaning the crud of the therm..............

 

[DATsBBQ]

Gentlemen,
I defer to your judgement. I'll make a point of cleaning the gadget more often.