Low temperature switch?

I have heard that somebody makes something called a low temperature switch. If so, where can I find one? I need something like that to control a small

110 ac heater in my well house this winter. It needs to turn the heater on below freezing temperature. I have used light bulbs in the past, but they are not always reliable. Any suggestions? Thanks.
Reply to
don h
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It seems to me that you would want to turn the heater on slightly *above* freezing, to make sure the temperature doesn't drop below 32 F / 0 C, wouldn't you? If the heater doesn't come on until the temp drops to, say, 28 F, you might have already had a freeze-up before the heat comes on.

In any event, a simple line-voltage thermostat will probably do what you need. Just find one where the lowest temperature setting is around 35-40 F.

Reply to
Doug Miller

Here you go:

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Good for up to 15A load - under $20.00

Reply to
Travis Jordan

WW Grainger line voltage t-stat.

Reply to
SQLit

This is Turtle.

Tell me how much money you want to spend and I'll tell you what type thermostat you want. Range is from $6.00 to $600.00.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

I hope I can find something that is effective and reliable for a reasonable price. 6 sounds kind of cheap while 600 is unreasonable. Can you give me several options I can review. Thanks.

Reply to
don h

This is Turtle.

1) Gemline refrigerator defrost terminator used to control / electrically a 700 to 1000 watt defrost heater element in the freezer coil of the refrigerator. The Terminator will carry or is rated for a 1,000 watts of power easily. Every small appliance supply house will have them for about $3.50 to $12.00 depending on the area and wholesale or retail outlet. The device is called a GL-50 made by Gemline company. It will turn the element on at 30ºF and turn it off at 50ºF. You hang the terminator outside and it will trip faster than it will trip inside where it may not be as cold.

2) One of the other poster suggest the plug in temperature switch which looks good at $20.00.

3) Johnson / Honeywell / Ranco / White Rogers walk-in freezer thermostat control used to control temperature of walk-in coolers or freezers. The temperature range on it from -20ºF to 100ºF and also you can even set the range of the differencial as to 1 degree if you like. Now make sure you get the by-direction temperature type. It will control heating or cooling by tieing it in on each terminal or the 3 terminals. The top terminal to center will get you a cooling control and bottom to the center will get you heating control. It is rated for 25 amps and will carry any heat you want to put on it. This would be the best thing to use in this application. The range in price from $36.00 to $125.00 depending on the type outlet you buy from and wholesale or retail. Now here is a suggestion here. Go to a refrigeration installer of walk-in coolers and freezers and they get bunches of them off old walk-in coolers & freezers that they take out to replace with new ones and they would probley give you one. The installers of the freezers will know about the by-control heating or cooling when you ask for them. One of them is a Johnson Control Catalog Code # 128 or a < A19ABC-24C >.

4) Line voltage thermostats and good for about 10 amps but runs from about $30.00 to $60.00 depending on supplier.

5) Call Johnson Controls and have them build you a temperature control set up and will use lazers temperature controls and will be very good to control the temperature of the water and the equipment. they start about $600.00. They are nice but pricey.

TURTLE

Reply to
TURTLE

Don:

DH> I have heard that somebody makes something called a low temperature switch. DH> If so, where can I find one? I need something like that to control a smal

DH> 110 ac heater in my well house this winter. It needs to turn the heater DH> on below freezing temperature. I have used light bulbs in the past, but DH> they are not always reliable. Any suggestions? Thanks.

Stupid but semi-logical answer: thermostat.

Probably more correct answer: thermostat for controlling the temperature in a refrigerator.

You may have to work with a relay: if the thermostat contacts are low voltage use that to control an appropriately-rated relay ==> low-voltage coil and high-voltage (and current!) contacts to the heater.

- ¯ barry.martinþATþthesafebbs.zeppole.com ®

  • "I think not," said Descartes, and promptly disappeared.
Reply to
barry martin

You could just get a heater with such a control. I have an oil filled electric heater that has an extra low setting (that looks like snowflake) for freeze protection. But make sure it has mechanical controls, because electronic controls tend to reset (heater off) during power failure.

Reply to
David Efflandt

Missed the original article, but have a suggestion. Northern Tools sells a greenhouse thermostat which can work either a heater or fan, the instructions are included on how to set it up (IIRC it's already set up for heating). You just plug the thermostat cord into an outlet and place the thermostat where you want to monitor the temp (the cord is about 5 ft long or so). The plug for the thermostat has a plug on the back side of it and you plug your heater into that.

Dunno your location, but I've had excellent results keeping the temp in the wellhouse up using infra red (heat) spotlight bulbs and the above mentioned thermostat here just west of Atlanta. I made a frame that holds 2 bulbs, but I usually only have one screwed in far enough to light at any one time - hasn't gotten cold enough to use both of them since I moved in 6 years ago, but it guarantees me a spare right there to get me through til I can get a new one if one burns out. I use Oregon Scientific's long range wireless thermometer to monitor the temp - it has an alarm that will go off if the temp gets too low, that way I'll know that my bulb has burned out (I do check on it from time to time though). BTW, haven't burned out a bulb yet....

Later, Mike (substitute strickland in the obvious location to reply directly)

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Reply to
Michael Strickland

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