Looking for a thermostat to control a small heater in a cold room
I have electricity and nothing else So the heater will be electric Need thermostat that will turn on at and below 32F, off above that
The objective is to keep the room hovering just above freezing, about
32F-34FWarmer is not a problem. Colder is.
Does anyone know of an off-the shelf plug-in thermostat that can be set for that range ?
Looking for a thermostat to control a small heater in a cold room
I have electricity and nothing else So the heater will be electric Need thermostat that will turn on at and below 32F, off above that
The objective is to keep the room hovering just above freezing, about
32F-34FWarmer is not a problem. Colder is.
Does anyone know of an off-the shelf plug-in thermostat that can be set for that range ?
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Never saw one. Most have a minimum of 40. I maintain a large building that is mostly unoccupied but has water for sprinklers and bathrooms and use 40 to 45 as the minimum. That gives me a little margin if the heating systems fail.
Remember, their is also some stratification and cold spots along the wall and windows. There can be some variance side to side depending on solar load, air circulation, etc. If freezing is a danger, you want more than 34 degrees at the thermostat.
Depending on how often the room is checked and what happens below freezing, you may want to kick up the temperature to give even more time, say 12 to 24 hours of no heat before there is damage.
Well, let's see. You want it to maintain a temp just above freezing. That's not a temp range for a house, but it is for a refrigerator. I'd look on Ebay for "refrigerator thermostat". I'm sure you'll find a variety of form factors.
Aside from that, if the goal is to keep things from freezing, I'd go with at least 37F. There can be considerable variation in temps in a room.
Look for garage or low temperature thermostats.
Thanks I'll do that.
This is a semi-underground uninsulated concrete "bunker" under a 3 season porch. It's primary intent is tornado shelter, but it serves as a cold storage room for freezer, spare fridge, and other food items. Temperature never goes above 40F in summer, even with freezer and fridge in it.
Because in winter, temperatures can fall way below freezing outside, the temperature inside follows along.
The intent is to block it from going below freezing. so that stuff like spare milk and canned/preserved foods don't freeze.
# # Well, let's see. You want it to maintain a temp just above # freezing. That's not a temp range for a house, but it is # for a refrigerator. I'd look on Ebay for "refrigerator thermostat". # I'm sure you'll find a variety of form factors.
Nope It's an uninsulated, unheated concrete "bunker" under a 3-season porch, that is intended as a tornado shelter, but serves mostly as a storage room. In winter, because it's partically exposed above ground level, the temperature drops to nearly the same temperature as outside.
And yes, the idea is to keep it just above freezing, with minimal outlay of energy And no, it's not going to be insulated real soon.
# Aside from that, if the goal is to keep things from freezing, # I'd go with at least 37F. There can be considerable variation # in temps in a room.
And ? Do you have a suggestion ?
Then you need to make it come on *before* 32F. how much before depends on the difference between the heat loss of the room and the BTU/h of the heater.
You might get away with a light bulb or two left on. That's what we used in an uninsulated well house and it survived 10 below zero with a
100 watt bulb.You might have to cob it to 'plug it in' - but there are line voltage thermostats that do 40F for $25-30.
Hmm-- Here's a greenhouse therm- 30F-110F - $50- plug in.
Tried that, but I would like to reduce wasted electricity as much as possible, so I want to produce as much heat as possible for the current used. Electricity is getting pretty expensive where I am. And it's bound to get higher as more coal power plants shut down
Wow Thermostatic outlet for either heating or cooling
That seems to fit the bill even though the upper range is higher than I would like
I'll keep this as a fall back, if I can't find something that doesn't go that high
Thanks
If you start with a heater with a bi-metallic thermostat, you might be able to bend/twist/tweak the thing to move the range down. Might be as simple as grinding the stop off the knob or shaft.
Actually found one. I was looking through my memory. Digital controllers start at $50 and go up in price. Many have relay outputs or fairly heavy loads. in searching Internet found a kit. Don't know what op can do. The other thermostat will require ac transformer and suitable relay. Complete systems usually would cost. Here are the two I found.
No specs I found.
It just dawned on me that livestock buildings might use something like the OP wants. One here:
It just dawned on me that livestock buildings might use something like the OP wants. One here:
Feel like I'm back at work. Ok, found a no brainer.
It just dawned on me that livestock buildings might use something like the OP wants. One here:
Most household thermostats I've seen go down to 40-45°F which I suppose is warm enough to keep a whole dwelling above freezing. My digital goes down to 45°F. Here's a link to a digital thermostat of the type I use on walk in coolers for food service and it has a very flexible set-point which makes it very useful for many applications. The type by different manufacturers is available at any refrigeration/HVAC or any industrial supplier. ^_^
Or as simple as using a bi-metal/murcury thermostat and rebend the bi-metal. You may need to adjust the level of the thermostat mounting to compensate somewhat. Run the thermostat on the control side of a contactor with 24 volt winding, using a 24 volt transformer.
You beat me to it, They sell them at feed stores in places where they have cold weather.
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