If you are using a thermometer with a probe attached (or ‘plugged in’), you can clean the probe using a probe wipe. All TME probes are waterproof so are safe to clean in this way. Mostly you will need to clean a probe if you are using it to measure something unclean, for example if you’re using a needle probe to measure the core temperature of meat, and then you want to use it to measure the temperature of a sauce, you will want to clean it inbetween these uses. The thermometer itself should need cleaning less often, however TME thermometers are all either waterproof or splashproof, so wiping them down with a damp cloth should be sufficient. Please note wipes within sachets are now recommended as tubs of wipes may dry out if the lid is left open.

“HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point) is a system that helps food business operators look at how they handle food and introduces procedures to make sure the food produced is safe to eat.” - http://www.food.gov.uk/business-industry/caterers/haccp HACCP guidelines are put in place by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). Some of the HACCP guidelines that relate to temperature are: “Refrigeration: A food temperature of 8°C or below is effective in controlling the multiplication of most bacteria in perishable food. It is recommended practice to operate refrigerators and chills at 5°C or below. Freezing: Freezing of food at temperature of -18°C or below will prevent bacteria multiplying. Cooking: Temperatures of 75°C or above are effective in destroying almost all types of bacteria. However, cooking temperatures below this level are also effective provided that the food is held at these temperatures for a suitable time period. (refer to the Cooking HACCP chart) Hot holding: Temperature above 63°C will control the multiplication in hot food. Cooling: Food should be cooled as quickly as possible and then refrigerated. This will limit the growth of any bacteria or germination of spores that may be present. Reheating: All food that has previously been heated and is to be re-heated, must be raised to a temperature of 82°C, which will ensure that the food has been reheated to a safe and, in some cases, legally required temperature. Using a suitable time/temperature combination will also ensure that food has been reheated safely should higher temperatures be detrimental to the quality of the food, for example reaching a core temperature of 70°C for 2 minutes.” - https://www.food.gov.uk/sites/default/files/multimedia/pdfs/cshrtempcontrol.pdf

The most common food safety temperatures, as advised by HACCP, are as follows: Frozen food to be kept at -18°C of below Refrigerated food to be kept at 8°C or below Cooked food to reach temperature of 75°C Hot food to be held at 63°C When reheating, food should reach temperature of 82°C - These critical temperatures are subject to variation depending on your agreement with your enforcement officer. For example, it is safe to cook food at less than 75°C, provided that the cooking time of the food is increased accordingly.

Most of the time it is not ok to leave a thermometer in the oven. Some thermometers are specifically designed for this purpose, however most TME thermometers have an operating range of about 50°C, meaning that they will not be able to operate when left in temperatures higher than this. This rules out leaving them in an oven. However, TME manufactures multiple probes that can be left in an oven. Typically, this would be a probe with a stainless steel cable, such as the TP09 Needle Probe, the TP12 T-Bar Heavy Duty Needle Probe, or the TA06 Black Body Probe, which can all operate in temperatures up to 400°C. Using probes like these instead of a standard probe with a plastic handle/cable, you can leave the probe in an oven whilst attached to your thermometer (which is placed nearby) without risking any damage to your thermometer.

HACCP guidelines recommend that food thermometers are accurate to within +/- 0.5°C. All TME-made thermometers and probes are at least this accurate, and most of our equipment is accurate to within +/- 0.25°C

A thermometer is an instrument that is used to measure temperature. Traditionally, thermometers consisted of a glass tube with a bulb at the end containing mercury, which would extend along the tube as it expanded to react to fluctuations in temperature. Nowadays, most industrial thermometers are digital. To find out more about thermometers, see our History of Thermometry page.

These days, all industries have legal requirements and regulations that they need to meet. Many of these, within the food catering/manufacture/retail industry and the facilities management industry especially, are based around temperature. Food served at the wrong temperature can be life threatening to a consumer, and water that is stored at the wrong temperature can be a breeding ground for the deadly legionella bacteria. Within manufacturing as well, there is a fine line between the right temperature, and one which will spoil an entire batch or product. In scientific applications, accurate thermometers are even more important, as temperature must be controlled extremely strictly. With this in mind, a lot of industrial bodies have issued guidelines about temperature control. For food, the HACCP regulations are very strict about temperatures of chilled, cooked and stored food, and recommend a thermometer with an accuracy of ±0.5°.

There are many different applications which require the use of a thermometer, from basic everyday tasks such as cooking or testing family members for a fever, to checking fridge/freezer/oven temperature, measuring water temperature to help prevent outbreaks of Legionnaires’ disease, reaching critical temperatures in a manufacturing process, maintaining temperatures during distribution of food products, tyre production, oil production, laboratory testing, facilities/building management and more. The risks of not having a thermometer for these applications vary from a burnt dinner to patients contracting a life-threatening disease.

Simply put, the thermometer is the ‘box’, where you will see a screen that displays measurements, and the probe is the thing connected to it. So the probe (or sensor), senses the temperature and sends a signal to the thermometer, which translates it into a figure (usually °C or °F) and displays it. Probes can come in many different varieties which are designed to suit a specific application (such as needle probes, flat food probes, air probes etc). Thermometers, too, can have many different applications in addition to displaying a temperature reading. Some thermometers have a hold function, or can calibrate other thermometers, scan barcodes or wirelessly send temperature readings to other electronic equipment such as PCs or PDAs.

Different Environmental Health Officers and HACCP Officers will require different levels of calibration. You should always follow the advice of your EHO on calibration. At TME, we are happy for the calibration of thermometers to be tested weekly, which you can do yourself. Most EHOs advise a yearly re-calibration of your thermometer and/or probe, which would consist of sending your thermometer away to be calibrated.

If you don't have any kind of probe, you won't be able to use your thermometer. A thermometer, as we have established, translates a signal from a probe or sensor, therefore in order to have something to translate, you will need to plug a sensor into it. Be careful though, as some thermometers are supplied complete with probes, or have probes built-in. For example, TME's SOLO thermometer has a built-in needle probe, which is attached to, and swings out of the body of the thermometer. If you need a thermometer which you only use for one application (such as measuring core food temperature), these kinds of thermometers are a useful option. If, however, you know that you want your thermometer to measure different types of things (air and water, for example), you may want to think about a temperature kit. These offer a thermometer with (usually) more than one different type of probe, and TME offer a wide variety, tailored for different applications.

We can supply a choice of two hygienic stainless steel wall storage units easily installed by fixing to a wall using screws and the keyhole slots provided. The CAWALLMOUNT holder can accommodate 1 x thermometer and up to 6 colour coded probes and is manufactured with colour coded slots to help keep probes separate and to provide visual guidance on different food group colours. The MMWALLHOLD can accommodate 1 x thermometer and up to 2 standard TME probes.

The CA2005 has an IP67 rating which means that it is completely waterproof. This protection means that the unit shouldn’t come to harm if accidently submersed.

All our instruments have a voltage reference, and they use this to check their own calibration 'Self-Calibrating'. However although this gives us excellent long term stability for many customers they also require an annual calibration check or certificate to external sources.

The biggest problem that you will encounter when trying to measure the temperature of solidly frozen food is how to reach the core of the product whilst the food is still frozen. TME manufacturers more than one probe to help with this issue. Most popular is the TP01 Frozen Food/Corkscrew Probe, which is designed to be ‘screwed in’ to solidly frozen food, using its corkscrew design to allow for easy penetration of the product. We do not recommend using a surface or infra-red probe on solidly frozen food, as it will not give the core temperature of the product.

The best way to measure the temperature of a cold store/fridge/freezer is to use an accurate, good quality probe with a long response time that you can leave in your appliance. A long response time means that your probe will fluctuate in temperature at a similar speed to a pack of meat, so that there isn't a big change in temperature every time the door is opened. TME's Food Simulator Probe, which is designed to have similar thermal characteristics as a pack of meat, can be attached to the inside of a cold store/fridge/freezer, with the thermometer only needing to be plugged in when temperature checks are carried out. There are several low-cost dial thermometers that can be used to measure the temperature of cold stores/fridges/freezers, but these are not recommended for commercial appliances, as they are not sufficiently accurate or reliable to comply with HACCP regulations.

Thermocouple thermometers are the most widely used thermometer in the modern day. Thermocouples use electrical technology to show temperature. A thermocouple ‘couples’ together two different metals, one that is contained within the thermocouple thermometer, and one that forms a probe or sensor, to test the temperature of a substance or atmosphere. The difference in the temperatures of the two metals is expressed electrically through their different voltages. The temperature of the metal inside the thermocouple is already known, so the difference between the two temperatures allows us to easily deduce the temperature of the metal attached to the probe. The deduction is carried out using a microchip inside of the thermometer, and the temperature that the probe has sensed then shows on the display. Thermocouples are essential in many heating, manufacturing and electrical engineering applications, and can be found in different thermocouple types, according to the different metals used in the probes. Thermocouples have the advantage of a very fast response and large potential measurement range – from -270 to 1,800°C. TME thermocouple thermometers are compatible with several different thermocouple types (such as K/T/J/R/N/E/S). Most TME probes are in T type (for food applications) or K type (for non-food application), although we do manufacture probes in all different thermocouple types. In Summary ( Type T Thermocouple) Temperature range : Good Accuracy : Good Time Response : Good

If you have purchased a large number of TME thermometers/probes, and are likely to have a high turnover of breakages, we offer a swap service which charges a set monthly rate in return for an unlimited number of swaps. We can offer this on a next day basis. If you are interested in the swap system, please phone or email TME for advice on how best to set it up.

The Thermometer for Life guarantee promises that TME will repair/replace any TME thermometer that is accidentally damaged or malfunctions for no more than £35 (+VAT) for an MM2000 series thermometer, or £125 (+VAT) for an MM7000 series thermometer. As the name suggests, this guarantee is for life and exists outside of your normal warranty.

Most TME thermometers come with a standard 2 year warranty. The Thermometer for Life guarantee exists outside of the parameters of this warranty (applies to products listed with the Thermometer for Life symbol)

If your thermometer is from our MM2000 Range, MM7000 Range, Solo Range or a CA2005 we will repair or replace it for a fixed price under our Thermometer for Life Guarantee. Details of our Thermometer for Life guarantee can be found as a downloadable pdf on those products and the kits that contain those products.

If your thermometer won't turn on, the first thing to do is to replace the batteries with fresh ones. If this makes no difference, you may need to phone or email us to set up a repair.

If your thermometer is showing a temperature that you know to be incorrect, the first thing that you should do is ensure that it is set to the correct thermocouple type, as having a thermometer set to a different thermocouple type to your probe can result in an incorrect reading. Loosely speaking, if you probe has a green lead or plug, it is a K type thermocouple, and if it has a brown lead or plug, it is a T type thermocouple. Ensure that your thermometer is set to the same thermocouple type. If you are sure that your thermometer is set to the correct thermocouple type, but it is still showing an incorrect temperature, the next best thing to do is to try to use it with another probe (if you have one). If you plug a different probe into the thermometer and the reading is now correct, the likelihood is that there is a fault with your probe, not your thermometer. However, if you have tried both of these steps and your thermometer is still showing an incorrect reading, you can phone or email us to set up a repair.

We are happy to provide a certificate of conformance for any of our equipment. This certificate lists the product and (if it's a thermometer), the products serial number, and affirms that the product has been made in accordance with the appropriate specifications and guidelines required. We do not charge for a certificate of conformance, and you will not need to send your thermometer back to us to receive one. We can email the certificate (signed by our Production Manager) directly to you.

TME are happy to issue a certificate of calibration for your thermometer. You will need to send your thermometer back to our Production Department with a note explaining that you require a certificate of calibration, and also listing the temperature points that you would like it to be calibrated at. These usually comprise of some of the critical temperatures that you need for your thermometers’ application. For example, if you are testing for legionella, your critical temperatures will be 20°C for cold water and 50 or 55°C for hot water. You might also want to calibrate at 0°C and at the upper limit of your measurement range, such as 100°C. Generating a calibration certificate can be a lengthy process, as the thermometer needs to be calibrated and several points, and so our charges are: MM2000, MM7000, CA2005 and Solo Series of Handhelds = £35 The 4000, 5000 and 6000 Series of Large Display and Bench Instruments = £55 Your EHO might want you to have your thermometer re-calibrated yearly.

You can. TME offer a repair/calibration service, which is covered by the Thermometer for Life guarantee that comes with your thermometer, and should cost £35 for a MM2000 series thermometer, or £55 for a MM7000 series thermometer. You can see proof of this calibration as the sticker on the inside battery compartment of your thermometer will be updated and replaced. Please remember that this service will ensure calibration of your thermometer, but will not include a certificate of calibration, as generating the certificate is a different process – Please refer to the FAQ ‘I need a certificate of calibration for my thermometer, what should I do?’ To have your thermometer calibrated/repaired, simply send the thermometer back to our Production Department with a note explaining what it is that you require.

To test the calibration of your thermometer yourself, prepare a solution of ice and water, and insert your probe into it. Your thermometer should read 0°C. If it is out of calibration, firstly try using a different probe, just in case it is your probe that is faulty, and if that doesn’t make a difference, contact us for advice – you may need to send your thermometer back for a repair/calibration.

Yes. This would be for our standard UKAS traceable certificate. Prices start at £35.00. Please email sales@tmethermometers.com with the four temperature points required.