How Do You Fix A Mercury Thermometer?
Separated mercury in a thermometer can be a problem for anyone who wants accurate temperature readings. However, fixing this problem is easy and requires only a little bit of your time. Step 1 Shake your thermometer like you normally would. Do this to determine whether the issue is actually a mercury separation. If it is, proceed to Step 2. Step 2 Find a very soft surface. A bed or a carpet will suffice. If you don’t have a bed or a carpeted floor, you may also place a big stack of newspapers on the floor or outside. Step 3 Hold your thermometer vertically so that the bulb faces down. Make sure that the thermometer is at least 1 foot above the surface. Step 4 Drop the thermometer on the surface. Aim it so that the thermometer’s bulb will make contact with the surface and force the mercury back to one end. Step 5 Check the mercury in your thermometer after each drop. If your mercury hasn’t joined, repeat the process until it does. It’s not uncommon for a thermometer to need more than 20
