Vacuum chamber thermometer

[flatslabs]

Maybe a little more high tech than you want to go, but they make Thermocouple Probes with NPT threads on them.

They use them in the brewing industry mounted through the side of a stainless kettle to monitor the water and wort temperatures.

 

[neeee1]

I got my omega mat and went to ACE to purchase a 2 prong plug similar to this one http://bit.ly/1sVTOqA but I'm a little worried with how 'open' it is. Im wondering if there ever was a spark, wouldn't the spark, if large enough, come out from under the plug, possibly causing a fire if near butane? If I was to cover each prong with electrical tape where the screw and exposed wire meet, would that be sufficient to mute a spark and prevent an explosion?

 

[SkyHighLer]

I got my omega mat and went to ACE to purchase a 2 prong plug similar to this one http://bit.ly/1sVTOqA but I'm a little worried with how 'open' it is. Im wondering if there ever was a spark, wouldn't the spark, if large enough, come out from under the plug, possibly causing a fire if near butane? If I was to cover each prong with electrical tape where the screw and exposed wire meet, would that be sufficient to mute a spark and prevent an explosion?

As long as you do a neat job of attaching the wires there will be no sparks, but this is a vacuum chamber thread, here's a thread I started about heating evaporating dishes with silicone heaters.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=286598

If your going to use a silicone heater larger than your dish, it should be very low wattage, like 1.25 watts per square inch, and you're still going to need to adjust the output with a dimmer or a VARIAC. The VARIAC is smooth, I used mine today for a run, slick, but very dangerous if not used with proper isolation from any open butane.