Thermostats

[Jenminer]

Hello forum members. I have never used a thermostat with any of my critters before, but I have also never tried a closed chamber enclosure (none of them had the humidity requirements of a baby tortoise). There are so many different thermostats out there ranging in options and prices, can any one give me their opinion on which brands have worked well for them?

 

[Tom]

For most applications I use one of these $30 jobs:
https://www.lllreptile.com/products/13883-zilla-1000-watt-temperature-controller or:
https://www.hydrofarm.com/p/MTPRTC

If you want something more precise and more reliable, for a corresponding higher price, then @Markw84 recently suggested this one to me. I've bought one and installed it on my new giant incubator and I could not be happier. It works perfectly. http://helixcontrols.com/?page_id=42
I got excellent customer service and conversation, and the product works perfectly and is very easy to use.

 

[Jenminer]

Thank you for the reply Tom.

 

[Moose]

I will add another question to the original:

Any recommendation on a power supply with thermostat with wifi and smart "app" access? Being in Texas, our "Winter" weather is unpredictable at best and creates paranoia as a happy owner of an adult sulculta that I am maintaining a stable temperature environment as needed. I have been relying on a simple wireless / digital thermometer setup allowing me to manually monitor the enclosure's temperature from within the house but obviously this only provides the information I need when I am at home. I would like to find a wireless / smart app thermostat system that would allow me to monitor at anytime, any place - and most importantly the capability to be alerted if system status or temperatures change.

Thanks in advance for any experience or recommendations.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Any recommendation on a power supply with thermostat with wifi and smart "app" access? I would like to find a wireless / smart app thermostat system that would allow me to monitor at anytime, any place - and most importantly the capability to be alerted if system status or temperatures change.

The only reason I don't have something as you've suggested for my human home is that they are very easily hacked. I've read wonderful stories of people coming home from vacation only to find the heater turned up to the 90°'s in their house and still running full blast. I like the concept, but they contain too many security holes for me.

 

[saginawhxc]

The only reason I don't have something as you've suggested for my human home is that they are very easily hacked. I've read wonderful stories of people coming home from vacation only to find the heater turned up to the 90°'s in their house and still running full blast. I like the concept, but they contain too many security holes for me.

You could always use the system to monitor and never set it up to control.

Edit: It would be silly to do for a home, but what I was getting at is I could see a concerned tort parent being interested in setting one up that way.

 

[saginawhxc]

To answer the original question though, for most people I would personally recommend either of the first two that Tom suggested, but I actually wire all my own enclosures myself and have been happy with Inkbird thermostats and humidistats.

 

[Markw84]

I use inkbird I wire myself on my enclosures and Helix as Tom mentions on my incubators. To monitor temperatures I use SensorPush. Monitors temp and humidity every 10 seconds and logs the data so you can see actual history. Views from my iPhone and also has a wifi module so I can read from anywhere. Doesn't control heat just reads temps so no worry about hackers. Also can set alerts to notify you anywhere if temps exceed or go below your setting.

 

[Cowboy_Ken]

Doesn't control heat just reads temps so no worry about hackers. Also can set alerts to notify you anywhere if temps exceed or go below your setting.

So I've just spent too much time reading up on these SensorPush Monitors. The more I've read the more I like them. I've got my controllers already but the devices I've used for monitoring what is happening temp and humidity wise are RadioShack devices.
They are currently out-of-business and before going under they had stopped selling my thermostat and hygrometer unfortunately it's a great little device. But heck the SensorPush looks great as a reader and at less than $50.00 you can't beat it.

 

[saginawhxc]

I've never even looked at these SensorPush items. Now you guys have me looking them up.