# Cleaned the thermal sensor - it makes a (huge) difference! (Gene Cafe)



## Doram (Oct 12, 2012)

I have had my Gene Cafe since 2009. For as long as I can remember I have been setting the target temp to 230C and completing the first crack around 215C. I didn't realise anything was wrong until @MediumRoastSteam (Thank you!!) pointed out that the actual temperature reading is far too low for the Gene and suggested I try to clean or replace the (out) thermal sensor (the one in the exhaust damper, on the left side of the machine). Just to be clear, the roasts themselves were completing nicely in the normal times. I would get to FC in about 10 minutes and complete a roast in ~15 minutes or less. I could easily get to second crack if I wanted, so it wasn't a matter of the roaster not heating properly, but rather it was suspected that the temperature shown as actual was lower then the real temperature. After cleaning the sensor, the Gene behaves like new again, displaying actual temperatures accurately at 245C (and probably beyond, if I set a hotter target). *By merely cleaning the sensor the measured temperature changed by 30C degrees (or more)!*

This is what the thermal sensor looked like before cleaning - black and dirty:









So I took some Oven Mate cleaning gel on my finger and carefully dabbed it on, like this:









I let it sit there for about an hour, and it changed to that: (I could already see it's pulling the burned stuff out, but didn't expect it to be as effective as it was)









Then I wiped it off and was delighted to see the result: it was like magic! (but I still didn't expect much for the temperature reading. How wrong was I!):









Here is a video before the cleaning of the probe - first crack start and completes at ~215C (wrong temp reading):






So if you haven't cleaned your sensors (on the Gene or other similar things) and suspect you are getting a false reading - cleaning can make a huge difference. If the sensor is covered with burnt-on grime, Oven Mate Gel worked like magic for me, so hopefully it can help others as well.


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## Matagalpa (Mar 9, 2021)

I just had a look at the sensor and, as expected after 12 years of regular use and no cleaning, it's covered black. The odd thing is that temperature readings are probably quite reliable. The roaster is usually set to 240c and reaches 237c, maybe more, but I don't stand there long enough to know.


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## IamSound (8 mo ago)

Hi! where might i find this sensor?


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