Thermometers. Do you have one? Do you like it?

Hartinez

Hartinez

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I’m curious if anyone has a digital thermometer system they use and their opinions of its functionality and accuracy.
What say you??!!
 
Hartinez said:
I’m curious if anyone has a digital thermometer system they use and their opinions of its functionality and accuracy.
What say you??!!
Click to expand...
Home depot has some cheap thermometers that work just fine, I have a version that is just 3" x4" recangle and I just placed it near the trees and use it as a reference to compare against what google tells me. But they also have a larger version that has a wire and a probe, those allow you to put the thermometer inside the house. Another good functionality is you could even measure the temperature of the soil by inserting it if you wanted.
As an electronics engineer I can tell you that thermometers are very easy and cheap to build and you get pretty good accuracy even if it is not "laboratory grade".
 
Grovic said:
Home depot has some cheap thermometers that work just fine, I have a version that is just 3" x4" recangle and I just placed it near the trees and use it as a reference to compare against what google tells me. But they also have a larger version that has a wire and a probe, those allow you to put the thermometer inside the house. Another good functionality is you could even measure the temperature of the soil by inserting it if you wanted.
As an electronics engineer I can tell you that thermometers are very easy and cheap to build and you get pretty good accuracy even if it is not "laboratory grade".
Click to expand...
I'm not saying that you should build one, but that you can trust the cheap ones you find at the hardware store.
 
All good info @Grovic , thank you. Id like a digital setup with a few meters to put around my benches and yard. With a digital display in my house. I’m mostly interested in temps, but other meteorological data would be cool also.
 
I have a wireless one where the thermometer is out by my trees and the display is in the window sill in the kitchen. Really like it!
 
They are only slightly harder to find, but I would recommend getting one that displays humidity, in addition to temperature.
 
Probably overkill for what you want, but I have a Davis vantage vue weather station. This model let me set up a data logger and post the data online, so I can check the conditions from anywhere. I'm a meteorologist, so this kind of stuff lights my fire lol.

https://www.davisinstruments.com/product/vantage-vue-wireless-weather-station/
 
I’ve got a full on weather station attached to one of my benches. Knowing the dew point in my yard is really helpful when guessing how cold temperatures may fall that night. It measures a bunch of other parameters as well... and I’m a bit of a weather geek so it’s cool to know these things 🙂.
 
I have tried 3-4 different brands/types of the cheap ones from Home Depot, etc.
They work great as long as they work. I havent gotten more than 2 years out of any of them and most that I have tried I didnt even get that.
They work great for a while then the sensors get moisture in them (even though they are rated for outside) and they fail.

Rather than continuing to buy cheap ones that I throw away in a year or two, I am thinking of biting the bullet and buying something like the Davis one posted by BonsaiMatt. Tired of continually looking for one and having it fail after a year or so and looking again. We have a Davis one where I work and so far after 2 or 3 years, its still working fine. Another round or two of the cheap ones and Ill have paid for one of the Davis ones anyway.
 
I have a simple max/min digital thermometer that I keep in my unheated studio. I set it outside last night and it recorded a min of 35F, rather than the forecast 31. I’ve been wanting a proper weather station. There are many options on Amazon, with a wide price range.
 
PiñonJ said:
I have a simple max/min digital thermometer that I keep in my unheated studio. I set it outside last night and it recorded a min of 35F, rather than the forecast 31. I’ve been wanting a proper weather station. There are many options on Amazon, with a wide price range.
Click to expand...
I’ve def seen all the options. Just wondering if y’all have a preferred system. Hive mind type ask.
 
Just replaced my old one last winter...with the same product. First one I have had since I did bonsai. I live where WiFi isn't guaranteed...and my cell phone doesn't work from home. I needed/wanted something to sound an alarm for me to hear...so I know when to check if there is a problem. It has done me well over the years. I've a base at my bedside table.
Edit: I've three sensors. One in the tropical room, two in the cold greenhouse. When trees go outside sensors go out with them. As does the one for the tropical when they are set out. If we get a cold spell I'm not aware of...I can be alerted and move them if need be.

www.minderresearch.com

Long Range Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer/Hygrometer - Minder Research Inc.

Long Distance Wireless Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer/Hygrometer (MRI-822MX)
www.minderresearch.com www.minderresearch.com
 
I have a bunch of 1.50 USD humidity/temperature sensors with LCD displays that I have laying around. They aren't waterproof, but they can survive a couple accidental showers.
Compared to analogue (unbeatable by modern day tech) they're actually pretty accurate much to my surprise. The deviation is roughly 3%. They last about a year on a single set of two batteries, usually because the batteries oxidize faster than they drain.

www.ebay.com

New Digital LCD Indoor Temperature Humidity Meter Thermometer Hygrometer Hot | eBay

The indoor temperature and humidity display. Relative Humidity Test Range: 10% - 99%. Humidity Resolution: 1%. Display: LCD (Three and a Half). Default celsius temperature. Size: 4.7cm x 2.7cm x 1.3cm/1.85" x 1.06"x 0.51" (Approx.).
www.ebay.com
 
I am so old school that all of mine are not digital. I only have them in my basement. Not much I can do for the outside so I guess that after 50 years of landscaping and such, I would rather not know. I didn't need an excuse not to go to work.
Pretty old fashioned I know but when you meet young people who can't read a clock face it is really disturbing.
 
@JudyB brought this one to my attention 2 years ago, and there's no turning back for me! Of course it is not a true 'thermometer', but I'm using space heaters, vents, and heat beds, so I think of this tool as a thermometer/thermostat combined. Just bringing it up incase it might be useful for you @Hartinez

It's effectively a thermometer that acts on my behalf, especially this time of year. When temperatures get close to freezing, instead of ringing an alarm in my phone it simply turns the heaters on itself without bothering me LOL 🤣

bayite Temperature Controller 1650W BTC211 Dual Digital Outlet Thermostat Plug, Pre-Wired, 2 Stage Heating and Cooling Mode, 110V - 240V 15A: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

bayite Temperature Controller 1650W BTC211 Dual Digital Outlet Thermostat Plug, Pre-Wired, 2 Stage Heating and Cooling Mode, 110V - 240V 15A: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
www.amazon.com
 
Canada Bonsai said:
@JudyB brought this one to my attention 2 years ago, and there's no turning back for me! Of course it is not a true 'thermometer', but I'm using space heaters, vents, and heat beds, so I think of this tool as a thermometer/thermostat combined. Just bringing it up incase it might be useful for you @Hartinez

It's effectively a thermometer that acts on my behalf, especially this time of year. When temperatures get close to freezing, instead of ringing an alarm in my phone it simply turns the heaters on itself without bothering me LOL 🤣

bayite Temperature Controller 1650W BTC211 Dual Digital Outlet Thermostat Plug, Pre-Wired, 2 Stage Heating and Cooling Mode, 110V - 240V 15A: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

bayite Temperature Controller 1650W BTC211 Dual Digital Outlet Thermostat Plug, Pre-Wired, 2 Stage Heating and Cooling Mode, 110V - 240V 15A: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
www.amazon.com
Click to expand...
I use this in my garage too. Great device.
 
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