On 12/1/2015 5:13 PM, trader_4 wrote:
On Tuesday, December 1, 2015 at 7:07:49 PM UTC-5, Ed Pawlowski wrote:
I saw this yesterday when searching for something else. Sounds handy
for preventing freezeups by turning on a heating device when the
temperature inside reaches 35 degrees. Could be handy if you go away
during the winter.
http://tinyurl.com/zlelqkd
Never knew they existed.
I have a similar device, different company, don't remember the name,
but it was discussed here a couple weeks ago. Got it at HD. Reading
the reviews for mine online, a lot of people say they suck. They can
work for a couple months, then don't turn on when it gets below freezing.
I'm still using mine, but don't really trust it. Not sure what similar
thing is reliable. Guess I could check up the reviews on this one.
I picked up one like that at the thrift store. Did some tests in the
freezer and it seems to work as advertised.
10 degrees hysteresis is a lot. I'm using it where a pipe
comes out of the garage floor, so the temperature doesn't
vary all that much.
Installed it yesterday and it clicked on. With 45 degree off temp,
I don't expect it to ever turn off again till spring, even tho
only a small percentage of the time will be below freezing.
In my case, the sensor needs to be on the pipe and adjustable
I did a lot of experimenting with electric heater thermostats.
You can make 'em go that low, but they're very sensitive to the
mechanical variations. Banging on the case causes significant
change in the trip point. Don't trust it.
There's a cheap digital temperature controller:
http://www.buyincoins.com/item/45040.html
Remote sensor and you can set the temperatures either way
for heat or cool with desired hysteresis.
The settings are non-volatile, so it survives a power outage.
I mounted it with a duplex socket into a wall-box. PITA
I plan to stick the probe under the insulation with the heat tape.
They also have a packaged version:
http://www.buyincoins.com/item/15054.html
In hindsight, I should have bought that one. It runs on 120VAC,
so I wouldn't have needed a wall-wart to power it, or
a box to put it in.