Good Pool Thermometer?

[Bjarni]

Hi all,
I searched this forum for a recommendations for a good pool thermometer and found only 3 threads that dealt with them, but none of the reviews were all that great. The best one was an Acurite wireless from a couple of years ago that still had a lot of negative comments. I then searched Amazon and also found some pretty lack luster reviews. I wouldn't think a good floating pool thermometer would be that hard to make...

Does anyone recommend a good thermometer? It can be either the simple floating type or the fancier wireless digital one.

Thanks!

 

[jblizzle]

I kind of like the one I have that is built into the skimmer lid ... then the kids do not mess with it and break it. Nothing fancy or wireless though.

EDIT: Sorry, I thought I had written that this was made by Pentair.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

Hi all,
I searched this forum for a recommendations for a good pool thermometer and found only 3 threads that dealt with them, but none of the reviews were all that great. The best one was an Acurite wireless from a couple of years ago that still had a lot of negative comments. I then searched Amazon and also found some pretty lack luster reviews. I wouldn't think a good floating pool thermometer would be that hard to make...

Does anyone recommend a good thermometer? It can be either the simple floating type or the fancier wireless digital one.

What are the criteria for you? I am brand new to pools and bought mine at Ollies (kind of like Big Lots) for cheap. I think I paid $2.99 for it. It works, it floats, it lays on the side from time to time but otherwise no complaints. Basic analog - no string included - I added a simple nylon one from a builders twine roll at the house.

 

[Bjarni]

I kind of like the one I have that is built into the skimmer lid ... then the kids do not mess with it and break it. Nothing fancy or wireless though.

That's very nice. Where did you get that from?

 

[Bjarni]

What are the criteria for you?

I just want something accurate and durable.

 

[jblizzle]

I had my deck redone and they messed up the lid and gave it to me. I later realized they gave it to me since the temp was WAY off, like 30 degrees or something too low. Finally, I figured out there was a nut on the back of the thermometer that allows you to adjust the needle, so I think it might be calibrated now.

You can find them on amazon, but they are kind of stupidly expensive ... $65-$80.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

What are the criteria for you?

I just want something accurate and durable.

The one I got is durable - 8 and 12 year old and friends keep checking it. Accurate? Really hard to judge. It's not digital, it's fluid filled - I assume Alcohol based not Hg based due to the red color of the fluid. These are pretty accurate if the scale is properly applied but who can say.

I can tell you that 76 is the coolest we've seen and 84 the highest. Oddly 82 has felt colder than 78 depending on how our bodies felt and the outside air temps. I do not doubt the results were relatively accurate from an absolute temp perspective but I doubt that there is a need for true calibrated temps from a pool for my purposes.

 

[Durk]

If you want accurate, you don't want a floater. The top 6" of my pool, and I suspect any pool, are quite different than the bulk of the water. I use a stainless Taylor that they don't make any more and hang it six feet down on the south side (i.e. in permanent shade.) It is at least 20 years old; every five years or so I take it apart and clean it.

It looks like this, but this is not a Taylor:

I replaced the cord with insulated 14ga. auto electric wire about 15 years ago. Nylon cord and chlorine don't mix.

The closest I can find now from Taylor is a plastic job for about $7. These are the same people that make our water testing supplies. They make great thermometers. I have one for inside/outside, one in the fridge, and an instant read digital meat thermometer for cooking roasts.

 

[elwood58]

I bought one from Walmart for a few dollars. It came with a removable float and thin rope. I took the float off, tied the rope to my safety rope anchor point, and let the thermometer hand a few feet down into the water. It is accurate enough for anything I use it for, which is mainly to read the delta created by aeration.

 

[UnderWaterVanya]

I bought one from Walmart for a few dollars. It came with a removable float and thin rope. I took the float off, tied the rope to my safety rope anchor point, and let the thermometer hand a few feet down into the water. It is accurate enough for anything I use it for, which is mainly to read the delta created by aeration.

The cheapo one from Ollies has a removable float - I may try that. Do you find the water below warmer or cooler?

 

[harleysilo]

Pentair makes the skimmer lid therm.

 

[bikerskid120]

I bought one for $5 from big lots and it is
wonderful. And accurate. it floats but I have it tied to the
side of the pool.
And you can see it on the website for big lots

 

[Isaac-1]

My current one was about $7 at Lowes. It is on a rope and plastic, most importly it works.

Sent from my GT-I9000 using Tapatalk 2

 

[timerguy]

Hi all,
I searched this forum for a recommendations for a good pool thermometer and found only 3 threads that dealt with them, but none of the reviews were all that great. The best one was an Acurite wireless from a couple of years ago that still had a lot of negative comments. I then searched Amazon and also found some pretty lack luster reviews. I wouldn't think a good floating pool thermometer would be that hard to make...

Does anyone recommend a good thermometer? It can be either the simple floating type or the fancier wireless digital one.

Thanks!

My second accurite just crumped the same as my first one --each less than a year! I called accurite who told me they have discontinued this thermometer due to performance issues. I have read some reviews for a couple other wireless pool thermometers and they all seem to have a less than one year life span!

 

[tomtc]

I already had a Davis weather station at my house so I simply added another sensor for the pool temp and hung it over the side about 3 feet down in the water (The sensor is waterproof). It is accurate to about 1/2 a degree.