Will single pole baseboard thermostat work?

[rebelcowboysnb]

Quote:
Yes but if you moved the thermostat right by the light it would start absorbing light energy when the light comes on. The thermostat will still kick back off at 106 but because its absorbing light energy (like the sun on your skin) it gets to that 106 before the air in the incubator goes above 101. When the thermostat kicks off the light it is no longer being hit by light energy so it drops back down to the same timp as the air. When the air cools back down to where you have the thermostat set to come on it will kick the light back on an start the proses over again.

 

[Barry]

This info make sense to me. I have been searching for a fancy temperature controller but your idea of placing the thermostat closer to the heat source should do the trick. Thanks.

 

[toxo]

Check my BYC page for a cheap electronic thermostat that that switches on/off within seconds with no temp loss at all. Comes as a kit buy very easy to build. In fact it was fun to do.

 

[Emilys3guppies]

Quote:
If there's no temp loss then how does it know to cycle? What is your temperature range with that thermostat? Also, in your BYC page you mentioned that, since it only goes to 30deg c, you had to tweak it. What did you do? It required soldering?

And, thank you so much Rebelcowboy. You were concise, knowledgable and generous with your info...I understand perfectly what you are explaining and had never considered the cycling patterns before. This is the most helpful post I think I've ever read, in terms of how it's going to be able to help me with my hatches. Thank you.

 

[speckledhen]

Thanks for the explanation. I knew that the air temp in the entire bator wasn't getting all the way to 106, but since I wasn't sure what it was getting up to, decided to go with the wafer instead.

 

[toxo]

Quote:
If there's no temp loss then how does it know to cycle? What is your temperature range with that thermostat? Also, in your BYC page you mentioned that, since it only goes to 30deg c, you had to tweak it. What did you do? It required soldering?

Sorry if it wasn't clear on my page.
What I meant was , once it reached temperature and cut out, it switched back on within seconds, hence no temperature loss.

Yes, you do have to solder it but it's easy to do. Yes you have to replace 4 small resistors and the adjuster bit (which you buy at the same place as the kit for pennies) because without them the range will only go to 30 degrees.

I'm only promoting this one because it works as a thermostat should and it seems every other post on these boards is about problems with one thermostat or another.

If you don't want the satisfaction of building it yourself, here's an Ebay links for aready made one.

So far I've only had my bator on test for a week and it held rock steady. I'll never look for anything else after what I've seen on here.

Needless to say, I'll help all I can should anyone need it and no, I am not connected to Maplins in any way. I just love their kits. In fact, a couple of weeks ago I built the light sensor kit to couple up to an electric aerial to open/close the pop door. No more getting up at silly o'clock for me.



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Soldered-Ther...ltry?hash=item41473e87c3&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14

 

[toxo]

I should also explain that it reacts so quickly because it's electronic. There are no moving parts, unlike wafers and such which rely on bits of metal to expand /contract, to make/break the contacts which of course takes time..

 

[rebelcowboysnb]

That thermostat is almost the same one that comes in some of the foam incubators. When its new it should be about the most accurate thermostat you can get. Two fail points I see an there the same fail points on the foam bator thermostats.

1. The relay. Relays have a fail point after so many cycles on an off. Its not a matter of if its going to fail but when. In a car they start failing in about 5 years an some last 15 years. How many times do you cycle your car on an off in those time frames? It seems like a lot? Put a relay in a thermostat that cycles every time the temp goes up or down 0.1* You may squeeze those five or so years worth of relay cycles in to a few months. Also every time you cycle your heat source on an off you shorten its life. I know as a kid most of us have fried a light bulb or two by turning the light on an of to much. So is more sensitive really better? To a point then it becomes debatable. The fix to these issues it simple. Backup relays and/or make them unplug an be replaceable. Also use more than one heat source.

2. The adjustable resister. The part with the turn knob. They rely on a friction contact to work. Its the same knob as the volume on your radio. Put your radio in the bathroom an see how fast the humidity kills the volume control. Haven't fount a fix for this yet.

The fact is there is no perfect thermostat. Some are better than others but they all have issues. Wafers leak, pressure switches burn out contacts or they can stick, air coil thermostats get softer over time an water heater thermostats have to be placed just right to be usable.

So I say find a thermostat you are comfortable with, know its drawbacks an fail points well, have back up parts ready an build the incubator where the backup parts can be installed in minutes without having to completely rebuild.

 

[toxo]

You make some good points Rebel but as you said nothings perfect.

I'd rather go with the stable temperature and take a chance on something going wrong in 3 years time. After all how many times is the bator going to be used? I know some folks use them a hell of a lot but I think they're in the minority. Some people will maybe use them 3/4 times a year, others might only use them once every two years.

As to the operating conditions, you have the option of putting it in a sealed box with just the thermistor hanging out. If you look closely at my set-up, you'll see that the only part that's in the humidity zone is the thermistor.

Go with what you're comfortable with by all means provided the swing isn't too great. I just thought I'd throw this in as a cheap option.

 

[Ken H]

Range is of secondary importance, what is the minimal differencial. Range is the span in which the thermostat will control. Differencial is the number of degrees between the on and off temp. Most 'off the shelf' thermostats have a minimum differencial of 2 degrees or more. That means that if you have it set for 99 degrees the 'on' temp will be 2 or more degrees lower.For my home built incubator,I bought a Ranco model ETC-111000 which has a differencial or 1 degree. It is also a thermocouple type thermostat which means it never needs calibration. Also, it can be located up to 500 feet away from the sensor location meaning that I could mount the control in a remote location, read and control the temp from my house.