Air Probes Explained
It is fair to say, that any probe that can measure temperature, could be used as an Air Probe, with varying degrees of success. However, Air Probes are specifically designed for this purpose and so have a higher degree of accuracy and response.
Air Probes are often designed to be very quick responses with a low thermal mass. The sensor is designed to be as small as possible so that the air temperature is transferred to the probe with minimal temperature loss or gain to maintain a high degree of accuracy.
That said, all Comark Air Probes for RF500 for example, are inherently designed to be slow. Why is this? Read on to find out….
Comark supplies a Damped Air Probe style for the RF500 Wireless Monitoring System (and other thermometers), which comes in the form of a small stainless steel bullet-shaped end.
This type of construction has two purposes;
- It protects the sensor from physical damage
- It slows the response of the probe down significantly
In certain scenarios, it is beneficial to have a slower response to changes in air temperature, hence having a Damped Air Probe. For example, when you place a probe inside a fridge or freezer, you probably don’t want an alarm going off every time someone opens the door.