Thermocouple Protection Tubes

Longer Thermocouple Life

• Our testing program proved that thermocouples will last longer when protected by a mullite tube.
• Read about L&L's testing program to determine the best thermocouple system.

Cleanliness

• The mullite protection tube keeps the metal oxides of the thermocouple tip from dropping off and contaminating your work.
• This is particularly important for porcelain work.

Save Money on Thermocouple Replacement

• One major advantage of these protection tubes is that you can replace your old thermocouples with inexpensive standard 8 gauge thermocouples without changing the protection tube.
• A replacement 8 gauge thermocouple is only $32 vs. $70 for the metallic thermocouples.
• Protection tubes rarely need replacing.
• The tubes protect the end of the thermocouple form damage while loading.

Thermocouple Offset

• A thermocouple in a protection tube does have a delayed response and hence an offset needs to be programmed into the control. (Exposed Type K, small-diameter Type S thermocouples, or metallic sheathed thermocouples are more sensitive and need no such offset).
• However, our test indicated that every thermocouple measured slightly different temperatures anyway. The DynaTrol control has thermocouple offset and cone offset to allow you to compensate for any such effects. The One-Touch™ control also has thermocouple offset.
• For ceramic work we recommend calibrating the kiln performance with cones and adjusting the control to match the performance of the firing cones. The most important thing is to get a consistent reading from the thermocouples.

Size and Description

• The protection tubes are 3/4” in outside diameter with a 1/2” inside diameter (which accommodates the standard 8 gauge Type K thermocouple).
• There is a flange on the back end of the thermocouple to prevent it from going into the kiln.