# Temperature thresholds and alerts

Set a safe range and an alert delay for each thermometer. When a unit stays out of range, Mays creates a task at that location and notifies whoever is on shift.

For: Admins, Managers · On: Web, iOS, Android · [Help Center](https://www.mays.app/help) › [Food safety & signage](https://www.mays.app/help/food-safety-devices) · Last updated October 3, 2026 · Mays Team

Set a safe range and an alert delay for each thermometer. When a unit stays out of range, Mays creates a task at that location and notifies whoever is on shift.

**Who:** admins change ranges and delays. Managers see them. Everyone at the location can handle the alert task in the app.

## Set the safe range

1. Go to **Thermometers** on the web.
2. On the thermometer, click **Edit**.
3. Set **Min °F** and **Max °F**: the lowest and highest temperature that's still OK. For example 33 and 41 for a walk-in cooler, or −10 and 10 for a freezer.
4. Set the **Alert delay (minutes)**, from 0 to 120. It starts at 15.
5. Click **Save**.

![The Walk-in cooler thermometer open for editing: Device name Walk-in cooler, Location South, Min 33 and Max 41 °F, and Alert delay 15 minutes with the explanation that it filters door-open spikes](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__temperature-alerts__01-edit-range.ab51ad0f57.png)

Use your own rules and your inspector's advice for the numbers. A cold unit is usually kept at 41°F or below.

## How an alert is decided

Mays gets a reading from each sensor every five minutes.

- The first reading outside the range starts the clock.
- If a later reading is still outside the range once the **alert delay** has passed, Mays raises an alert.
- A reading back inside the range stops the clock. The next time it goes out, the delay starts over.
- After an alert, the same thermometer can't raise another one for **an hour**. If it's still out of range after that, it alerts again, so a unit that stays warm raises a new task every hour.
- Saving a new range or delay starts everything fresh.

So a door left open for a delivery doesn't wake anyone, but a cooler that is really warming up does. With a delay of **0**, the alert comes with the second reading outside the range, about five minutes after the first.

The alert delay only decides when an alert is raised. The temperature log still marks any row with a reading outside the range as **Fail**, a short door-open spike included. See [Health-department temperature logs](https://www.mays.app/help/food-safety-devices/temperature-log-export).

Out-of-range thermometers show in orange on the **Thermometers** page, and **Out of range** filters the list to them.

![The Thermometers page filtered to Out of range: at South, the Pastry case at 44.5°F with a warning sign, range 33–41°F, alert after 15 minutes](https://mays-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/site/help__temperature-alerts__02-out-of-range.f585fee665.png)

## What happens when a thermometer alerts

Mays creates a task at the thermometer's location, for example:

| Part of the task | What it says |
| --- | --- |
| **Title** | *Temperature alert: Walk-in cooler at 44.6°F* |
| **Priority** | High |
| **Description** | *Walk-in cooler is above the safe range (33–41°F). Current reading: 44.6°F. Check the unit, document any corrective action (door left open, compressor noise, contents moved), and reset the thermometer if needed.* It ends with when it was detected, in the location's time, and when the reading first went out of range. |
| **Answer** | Text: what was done. |

- **Everyone at that location** sees the task in **My Tasks** in the app. Whoever deals with it writes what they did and completes it. See [Completing tasks in the app](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/complete-tasks-on-mobile).
- **A push notification**, *New Task* with the task's title, goes to the people on a published shift at that location right now. If nobody is on shift, or you don't schedule in Mays or 7shifts, it goes to the admins and managers assigned to that location instead.
- There's **no email, text message or phone call**.

The task comes from the **Investigate temperature alert** rule that Mays adds under **Automation & AI** when you connect Govee. Edit that rule to change the task or who it's for, or pause it to stop the tasks. See [Automation rules](https://www.mays.app/help/ai-automation/automation-rules).

## Good to know

- **The notification is a** ***New task assigned*** **notification.** Someone who turned that category off in the app still gets the task, without the buzz. See [Notifications](https://www.mays.app/help/mobile-apps/push-notifications).
- **An offline sensor doesn't alert.** Check the **Offline** filter on the **Thermometers** page every day; a sensor that has stopped reporting can't warn you.
- **Unassigned thermometers never alert.** Give each one a location, see [Setting up Govee thermometers](https://www.mays.app/help/food-safety-devices/connect-govee-thermometers).
- **What staff write in the task stays with the task.** It isn't copied into the thermometer's log, so the log's **Corrective action** column is blank. Keep the task history as your record of what was done.
- **Managers** can't change ranges with the built-in Manager role. An admin can give a custom role **Configure thresholds & alerts**; people with it can change thermometers at their own locations. See [Roles and permissions](https://www.mays.app/help/team-roles/roles-and-permissions).
- **Readings typed into a form** (a probe temperature on a custom form) don't go through thermometer alerts. For those, use a pass range on the form's **Temperature** field, or a **Task Form Field Threshold** alert, see [Alerts and scheduled reports](https://www.mays.app/help/reports-insights/alerts-and-scheduled-reports).

## Related articles

- Food safety & signage: [Setting up Govee thermometers](https://www.mays.app/help/food-safety-devices/connect-govee-thermometers) — Connect your Govee Wi-Fi thermometers with an API key, then give each one a location. Mays records every sensor's temperature every five minutes and watches it around the clock.
- Food safety & signage: [Health-department temperature logs](https://www.mays.app/help/food-safety-devices/temperature-log-export) — Download a thermometer's temperature log as a PDF or CSV for any dates, with your license number, the safe range and a pass or fail on every row, ready to show an inspector.
- AI & automation: [Automation rules](https://www.mays.app/help/ai-automation/automation-rules) — Automation rules do routine follow-ups for you. When something happens, like a task rejected, a deadline near or a fridge too warm, Mays checks your conditions and runs your actions.
- AI & automation: [Automation triggers and actions](https://www.mays.app/help/ai-automation/automation-triggers-and-actions) — Every trigger, condition and action you can use in an automation rule, what each one does and who receives the result.
- Mobile apps: [Notifications](https://www.mays.app/help/mobile-apps/push-notifications) — Mays notifies you in the app about shifts, tasks, approvals and chat. See them all under the bell, choose which ones reach your phone, and fix notifications that don't arrive.
- Tasks & checklists: [Completing your tasks in the app](https://www.mays.app/help/tasks-checklists/complete-tasks-on-mobile) — Your checklist lives in the Tasks tab of the Mays app. Tick checkboxes with one tap, take photos, enter numbers, add a note — and fix and resend a task your manager sent back.
- Reports & insights: [Alerts and scheduled reports](https://www.mays.app/help/reports-insights/alerts-and-scheduled-reports) — Get a notification when labor runs hot, a vendor raises a price or a form reading is out of range, and have a labor, prime cost or vendor spend summary emailed every week or month.

## Still need help?

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Canonical: https://www.mays.app/help/food-safety-devices/temperature-alerts