Hydroponic Thermostat Controller. Heat & Cool Temperature Control for Grow Rooms
$89.95
Sale price
$89.95
Regular price
Hydroponic Thermostat Controller. Heat & Cool Temperature Control for Grow Rooms
$89.95
Sale price
$89.95
Regular price
Quick Answer
- One socket. Plug in a heater or a fan and the thermostat switches it on and off at the temperature you set.
- Heat and cool modes on a switch, so the same unit runs your winter heater and your summer exhaust.
- Mechanical dial and a capillary probe. No screen, no app, no batteries, nothing to fail.
- Australian made, and it fits a grow box, grow tent or a whole room the same way.
- Set it once in April and once in October and most growers never touch it again.
What it actually does
You plug the thermostat into the wall, plug your heater or fan into the thermostat, drop the probe into the grow space and set the dial. When the temperature crosses your set point the socket switches. That is the whole device.
Flick the switch to heat and it powers the socket when the space gets too cold, which is what you want for a tube heater through a Melbourne winter. Flick it to cool and it does the opposite, powering an exhaust fan or a portable cooler when the space gets too warm.
Why a thermostat and not a timer
A timer runs on the clock. A thermostat runs on the actual temperature. A timer will keep a heater running through an unseasonably warm night and leave it off through a cold snap. In a small grow box the difference matters more than it does in a room, because there is less air to buffer a swing and the space heats and cools quickly.
This also solves the summer problem in the other direction. If your exhaust fan runs flat out all day it wastes power and dries the room out. On the cool setting the fan only runs when the temperature calls for it.
Where to put the probe
Probe placement decides whether the readings mean anything. Put it at canopy height, which is where the temperature actually matters to the plant. Keep it out of direct airflow from a fan or an air conditioner, and out of the direct beam of the light. Both will give you a reading of the air moving past the probe rather than the temperature the canopy is sitting in.
What to plug into it
Anything that runs on a standard Australian plug and switches cleanly on and off. Tube heaters, oil column heaters, fan heaters, inline exhaust fans, portable coolers and circulation fans all work. Check the wattage of what you are plugging in against the rating on the unit before you run it.
What it will not do is vary fan speed. It is an on-off switch, not a speed controller. If you want a fan that ramps up and down with temperature rather than switching, that is a different device and you want a fan speed controller instead.
Technical Specifications
- Modes: Heat and Cool, selected by switch
- Outlet: One Australian socket
- Control: Mechanical dial, capillary sensor probe on a lead
- Power: Plugs into a standard Australian outlet, no wiring
- Origin: Australian made
- Suits: Grow boxes, grow tents, grow rooms, propagation areas
If the temperature is the problem, or you are not sure
Heat stress curls and cups leaves in a way that looks almost identical to a calcium or potassium deficiency, which is why growers spend weeks feeding a climate problem. If your plants are showing symptoms and you are not certain heat is the cause, PlantMDx will work through it with you. Free, no signup, about a minute.
For the wider picture, our guide on cooling a grow tent through an Australian summer covers what to do before you reach for equipment, and VPD in Australian grow rooms explains why temperature and humidity have to be read together rather than separately.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will this work in a small grow box rather than a full room?
Yes, and a grow box is where it earns its money fastest. A small enclosed space swings temperature far more than a room does, so a thermostat that reacts to the actual temperature beats a timer by a wider margin.
Can it run a heater and a fan at the same time?
No. There is one socket and one mode at a time. You switch between heat and cool as the season changes. If you need heating and cooling running independently and simultaneously, you need two units.
Where should the probe go?
Canopy height, out of direct airflow and out of the direct light beam. A probe sitting in the exhaust stream reads the moving air, not the space your plants are in.
Is it digital?
No, and that is deliberate. It is a mechanical dial with a capillary probe. Nothing to program, no screen to fail, no firmware. Set it and leave it.
Does it control fan speed?
No. It switches the socket on and off at your set point. If you want a fan that ramps with temperature instead of switching, you want a fan speed controller.
