Propagator Thermostat Controlling 2 old 18W propagators
My new thermostat control for the old propagators arrived. How they manage to make these things and send them half way around the world so cheaply is a wonder to me! We pay a fortune to just post a book to another country. The post must be subsidised to encourage business in China.
Anyway, £7.68 including P&P is just crazy. They even throw in a free travel plug which does UK to Chinese I think. Not that I’ll have much use for that.
I’ve put it on test – after spending some time figuring out the instructions. They’re written in English, but not as we know it. I reckon they were written by an engineer and translated automatically from Chinese. Phrases like ‘After the power off and then retreat The protection’ must mean something.
I set a temperature on the controller and then checked it cut the power when the ambient temperature was higher and put the power back on when lower. The temperature sensor is calibrated as near correctly as I can measure, so good to go. It’s now in the greenhouse and the old propagators are just providing bottom heat when it falls below 10 C to push some onion seedlings.
On the negative side, unlike the thermostats that control my Geopod and Vitopod, the cheap Chinese controller isn’t waterproof so I’ll need to be careful not to splash it when watering. Then again, neither was my old home-made thermostatic controller and that served me well for 15 years.
In the Shed
Over in the solar shed the last of the sweet peppers got moved on from modules into pots. I’m so impressed with the development of the plants in the Geopod under the grow lights that I think I’ll get more of them.
I can see I’ll be starting a lot of things off earlier now I’ve got the polytunnel extending the season so they’ll come in useful to say the least.
I sowed Medwyn William’s new Anglesey leek into modules. They’ve gone at one seed per module so I can get a good idea of the germination rate. I expect they’ll be a winner – Medwyn does tend to win!
The weather has turned from downpours to sunshine so I can get on with things outside again. The sheep will be back in the fields this weekend as well. I can see a lambing shed down the hill and it’s lit up at 3 am and 4 am. Me being a bit of an insomniac, I notice these things.
Could you tell me where you ordered it from, as I could do with one. Regards Paul.
Ebay – sorry, should have said. Search on:
Digital-LCD-UK-Plug-in-Thermostat-Temperature-Controller-Refrigerator-Incubator
How are you getting on with your thermostat? We bought one of these which arrived today from China – I’ve set it up and it appears to be working so far but as you say the instructions are a little confusing!
We are not clear on the two ‘modes’. If you press the middle button for 4 secs the light changes from red to green – do you have any idea what this means and which colour it should be for normal use?
Many thanks,
Brian and Margaret
One way (not sure if green or red and yours may be the opposite of mine!) means it powers on if the temperature falls below the preset level and the other the power is on if it is above. This way the thermostat can be used to control heating and cooling.
Test it with a desk light connected to the power out socket, setting the temperature above and below the current room temperature.
Thanks so much, we understand the two modes a little better now and that’s a very good suggestion for testing it.
You’re welcome – incidentally, you can also test the accuracy of the temperature reading that way as well
Its working very well so far and accurate to within one degree, exactly what I was looking for. We paid £9.35 which is still a crazy price all the way from China, I think its identical to yours.