Given my carb'd O-360, I've read all I can about carb ice, and now I have a carb temp number available to me on my recent JPI install, but I'm unsure how to use the gauge. Prior to having the gauge, I left carb heat off in climb and cruise (vfr), turned it full on when reducing power for descent, and then turned it off on short final in preparation for go-around. I've read carb ice is a non-issue at carb temps outside the 22-40F range, but my gauge typically reads in the 20s-30s F in cruise. So I've been turning carb heat partially on in cruise to raise temps into the low 40s- this is a simpler approach than assessing ice risk in each case based on OAT and humidity, and it seems to come with no performance cost. Mike Busch even says a smidge of carb heat can improve mixture distribution and thus makes it easier to lean aggressively in cruise. I still turn it full on for descent, when I have more to focus on than dithering with partial carb heat. No instrument rating yet, but I will also need to know how to use it in IMC eventually.
I'm finding very little written on how to actually use carb temp gauges, so my question to the carb'd Mooney community is: how do you use your digital carb temp gauge, and why?