Using electronic thermometers enables us to monitor temperature fluctuations far easier and take accurate
readings which can easily be noted and analysed.
When conducting an investigation is common practice to refer to 'cold spots'. The theory behind cold spots is that spirits draw upon the energy provided by the heat of the surroundings, causing an area which is colder. Many of us will experience the effects of walking into a cold spot, simply using our natural senses. Our natural senses can however lead us to false conclusions as we often feel cold or hot for other reasons such as nervousness or anxiety. This becomes clear when working in a team as not everybody feels the same changes in temperature.
There are three main types of electronic thermometer used in paranormal investigations. The first type is the standard digital thermometer which uses a thermocouple either inside the unit, attached to a wire or has two sensors. These are designed to measure the air temperature or surface which it is attached to. An example of this type of thermometer is the In / Out thermometer which have two sensors for taking two temperature readings. These thermometers are particularly useful for obtaining two readings simultaneously over a span of a couple of meters e.g. by attaching the thermometer to a garden cane with the unit at on end and the second sensor at the other we can measure any difference in air temperature.
The second and most popular type of thermometer is the IR (Infrared) non-contact thermometer. These thermometers were developed for measuring surface temperature from a distance without needing to be near to the object or target. When a spirit draws upon the heat of the surroundings and causes a cold spot it is believed that it is trying to materialise, therefore it is signs of materialisation that we are looking for with this thermometer. These thermometers are very fast at refreshing the temperature reading making them ideal for detecting rapidly appearing and disappearing cold spots. Many of these thermometers come with a laser guidance, to assist in pointing at the right target when at a distance. The accuracy of IR thermometers is very good and in order to be able to take accurate readings from a distance it is important to look at the distance to spot ratio. Four example ratios; 1:3, 1:6, 1:10, 1:12 the higher the second number the further you can be from your target whist maintaining accuracy.
The third type of thermometer which we would use when conducting paranormal investigations is the data logger. Data loggers are used to take multiple readings automatically in different parts of the location being surveyed. Data loggers can memorise several thousand temperature readings, which can be set to be recorded at equal time intervals e.g. on reading very minute. At the end of the investigation we simply gather all of our data loggers noting the location where each one was, on a diagram of the site. Connecting the loggers to a computer enables the results to be downloaded and presented in graphs. This helps us to see how the temperature fluctuated at each location during our investigation.
By using a combination of different electronic thermometers to perform our investigations it is possible to increase the success rate of investigations and detect cold spots with ease.
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