Thermocouple Testing

I'm not sure of the exact value for the K thermocouple but most thermocouples will read around 4 to 5 millivolts with a 100 degree centigrade temperature differential. So if you can heat up the end and see that much of a voltage rise with your meter it won't tell you if it is accurate but could tell you whether it is dead or not. Good Luck!

Depending on the used type of thermocouple you can try to measure the functionality of the thermocouple. A K-style has a typical value of 41 micro Volts per degree Centigrade. With a zero passage at approx 23°C (why it is so easy to connect it wrong) If you doubt on the functionality: try to measure the intrgrity of the system, with an Ohm meter you must find a short circuit (at least a closed) Google around.

Check out Omega's web page for testing thermocouples. It even has a table of values for K type T/C's.

Yea, you can test type-K or Cr-Al thermocouple by DVM/DMM.

Use lighted candle and heat one end of the thermocouple. It will generate 40uV/C output. For flame temperature of 800C, it will have 3.2mV which is measurable as most DMM have 200mV range.

Change of direction changes polarity. Wires are like battery in thermocouple with hot and cold junctions. Cold junction is actually open end you connect to DMM/DVM

Shyam

I used thermocouples and they have a chart of voltage to temperature. Use ice & boiling water to test the reading.