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Temp controller for a space heater/heating a Fishroom


Dan_C
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I am looking for ideas to heat my Fishroom.  My quarantine tank in the basement snowballed into a rack and YadaYadaYada, 14 tanks later I think its time to heat the room instead of the individual tanks.  My Fishroom can get to low 60’s F in winter here in upstate NY. 

I was thinking of using an electric oil filled radiator, which I already have, but would like a thermostat or controller to plug it into.

I would like to hear what other people use to heat their fish rooms and what they use for temperature control.

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Others will have to confirm it for me, but if I'm not mistaken I think the Inkbird brand makes a thermostat monitor that can work with a space heater. Most use it with their heaters IN their tanks but I'm pretty sure you could use it to monitor the temperature of the room and it will turn a space heater on when necessary.

I run low tech so I rely on my house to keep my tanks at a good temp- I use a space heater but it has a built in thermostat. I would presume some of the better oil heaters do too?

Edited by xXInkedPhoenixX
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You could buy an oil heater with a thermostat built in but you may find it to be inaccurate when it comes to maintaining a desired water temp. You might have to set the heater to a different "set temp" to hit your desired "tank temp" and it could change depending on the ambient temperature.

One cool solution may be buying an Inkbird controller and putting the probe in one of the tanks in the center of the rack.

You would leave the heater "on" plugged into the controller and the inkbird will cycle it on and off to maintain whatever temperature you set.

You just have to make sure your heater doesnt exceed the rated wattage for the controller. Using the traditional 1500w oil filled on an inkbird wont work. You would have to use a lower wattage heater or be certain you are using the 1500w on "low" or in a setting that does not exceed the inkbirds rated wattage.

There are other temperature controllers on amazon that are rated for higher wattage but I have not used them and am not sure if I would trust pushing them to their limits. 

I was watching a fishroom build on youtube and the owner installed a wall mount heater that had built in thermostat and wifi. Maybe this could work for your application and you can skip the inkbird? It looks like they have a smaller sized one without wifi as well.

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On 10/25/2021 at 11:51 AM, s1_ said:

You just have to make sure your heater doesnt exceed the rated wattage for the controller. Using the traditional 1500w oil filled on an inkbird wont work. You would have to use a lower wattage heater or be certain you are using the 1500w on "low" or in a setting that does not exceed the inkbirds rated wattage.

I love the idea of an in-tank thermostat controlling the room heat. I'll bet you could use the inkbird to operate a relay that could handle as many heaters as you wanted. I'm filing that thought away for this time next year when I plan to be living elsewhere with a dedicated fishroom. 

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On 10/25/2021 at 1:51 PM, s1_ said:

One cool solution may be buying an Inkbird controller and putting the probe in one of the tanks in the center of the rack.

You would leave the heater "on" plugged into the controller and the inkbird will cycle it on and off to maintain whatever temperature you set.

I really like this idea.  I haven’t thought of that.  In my searches the inkbird seems to be the best option. It may be worth a try.  If the inkbird doesn’t work this idea could probably be incorporated using an Apex.  I do have one from my last reef tank sitting in a box.  I didn’t plan on using it in the fishroom but could expand it with an extra energy bar. Not sure what kind of wattage an apex can handle, will have to look into that.

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On 10/25/2021 at 1:51 PM, s1_ said:

You just have to make sure your heater doesnt exceed the rated wattage for the controller. Using the traditional 1500w oil filled on an inkbird wont work. You would have to use a lower wattage heater or be certain you are using the 1500w on "low" or in a setting that does not exceed the inkbirds rated wattage.

This was my concern with the inkbird.  That’s why I was asking around for something more “industrial” than the Inkbird.  Just as you I was under the impression that the 1500 watt rating on the heater was for the highest setting.  If I can get away with a lower setting I should be OK.

 

Thank you all for your replies.  

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On 10/25/2021 at 10:51 AM, s1_ said:

One cool solution may be buying an Inkbird controller and putting the probe in one of the tanks in the center of the rack

This may be a bit "dangerous" with a bang-bang controller like the ink bird.  It would slow down the dynamics and cause ambient to swing by quite a bit. 

 

I think keeping the probe in air and using a fan to keep the air circulating would give the best results.

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They sell an inkbird kit that is geared more for the diyer. It comes with controller components and a relay. They can handle a lot more load.

Alternatively you could do as Ken said and simply buy a relay with a 120v control coil and wire it to a plug that is plugged into the standard inkbird.

 

The easiest and safest is probably buying a heater that has a reliable thermostat built into it. 

Edited by s1_
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