Infrared Thermometers

An infrared thermometer is a crucial equipment that helps you determine plant surface temperature among the weather gauges you have in the garden toolkit. It is a handheld device that can be used for contactless temperature measurement. Let us explore in detail.

An infrared thermometer is a well known no contact thermometer. It can measure temperature from a distance. When you know the amount and level of infrared energy emitted by an object and its emissivity, its temperature can be usually determined but within a certain range of the actual temperature. However, sometimes you may find an error in results because of the reflection of radiation from a hotter body. Not just plants, it is also used in medical settings to measure the body temperature of a person. However, the type may be different. A non-contact thermometer is generally used at a place where other meters or sensors might not work properly. Let us explore some things you need to know to find the best infrared thermometer.

Things you need to know about the infrared thermometer

You can find a wide range of infrared thermometers in the market. They may differ based on many factors like ease of use, price, the field of view, temperature range, calibration and many more. Price and ease of use can be the major deciding factors for you. Infrared thermometers usually range from $10 to upward of $1,300, more, or lesser depending upon the type of your purchase. Another important consideration is the temperature range. You can find them ranging from low to high-temperature applications. For example, some can be available for <32ºF applications, where others can be for >5,000ºF applications. If the range is narrower, you will be able to get more exact results. For selecting the best, you need to know a few things about them. So, read on!

IR thermometer for greenhouse toolkit

Temperature is thermal energy. It affects the germination of the seed, rooting of cuttings, leaf expansion, flowering, and many other things. The thermal exchange between the plant and the greenhouse environment affects the development of the plant. Further, a handheld IR thermometer can be useful here for the growers to detect the temperature quickly. It helps you determine the plant surface temperature and the temperature of the floor heating system, root zone, and other greenhouse equipment. This makes a good addition to your greenhouse tool kit. It will help you make better and informed decisions about temperature monitoring and management.

Benefits of digital infrared thermometer

There is a range of benefits that an infrared thermometer comes up with. It helps you determine the surface temperature of the leaf. This just helps you get information about heat or water stress, transpiration, and disease conditions in a plant. The growers can use both contact and non-contact devices to measure plant temperature. However, with contact devices, the sensor element needs to have good contact with the object. This creates a problem while sampling thin leaves. Infrared thermometers, on the other hand, supports a non-contact and non-restrictive technique. However, some factors like background radiation, setting appropriate values for the emissivity & more can affect its performance too.

Using a non-contact infrared thermometer

This is easy to use the instrument. It is a hand-held device. First, you need to go through the user manual that has come along with the product. Calibrate the device according to the instructions provided in the manual. You can begin to measure once you have calibrated it and determined the appropriate leaf surface and size about the distance. Measure according to the direction provided in the manual. With most of the models, you simply need to press the trigger to receive the reading. It might come up instantly or sometimes, may take a few seconds. However, one should not rely on a single reading. You can take multiple measurements to take out an average reading.