THERMOCOUPLE MAINTENANCE
General Guidelines
- Do not allow excessive bending of the thermocouples. Cold working can lower the insulation resistance at certain points causing short circuits or decreased accuracy.
- Use protection tubes for corrosive atmospheres.
- Always inspect protection tubes when changing thermocouples. Things to look for include cracks, pinholes, contamination, or discoloration.
- Do not locate the thermocouple too close to a heating element.
- Record the life span and cause of failure for each thermocouple to help track down potential problems.
- Never apply stress to platinum elements, the are fragile and will break easily at high temperatures.