In message ,
mrcheerful
.. wrote

"Ron" wrote in message
o.uk...
Hi, I am becoming obsessed :-) with temperature and heat loss etc. around
my house and thought I would get an infrared thermometer to measure wall
temperatures and other things such as the temerature of overhead clouds if
possible.

If pointing at a clear sky you are looking through the atmosphere into
space. Space will be around absolute zero (-273 degrees C) - attenuated
by the atmosphere and limited to the range of the device. You may not
see the temperatures you expect to see

If looking at low clouds the water vapour could be acting like a mirror
and reflecting the ground temperature.


Any suggestions as to what type of infrared thermometer I should
get? Not too expensive as my grandson is buying it for my birthday.
Thanks Ron


maplin 30 quid


£40 from CPC for a smaller pocket version with a laser pointer

http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/endecaSearch/partDetail.jsp?SKU=IN02293

Cheaper instruments @ £12 (with a smaller temperature range) can be
obtained on Ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.d...09673&ssPageNa
me=MERCOSI_VI_ROSI_PR4_PCN_BIX_Stores&refitem=2200 32649605&itemcount=4&re
fwidgetloc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widg et
Note that the Ebay item required a 12V battery - not supplied.

My CPC device takes 2 off AAA size 1.5V batteries

Be aware that these instruments are measuring an area of diameter 3 or
4 inches when held at a distance of 2 feet away from the source.

--
Alan
news2006 {at} amac {dot} f2s {dot} com