Reddit reviews Inkbird ITC-308 Digital Temperature Controller 2-Stage Outlet Thermostat Heating and Cooling Mode Carboy Homebrew Fermenter Greenhouse Terrarium 110V 10A 1100W

> 40 gal screen top tank

> No thermostat as there is a thick layer of substrate in the tank

/r/ballpython 's worse nightmare. Haha

I see you live in Southern (?) Florida, that's a huge reason why you haven't had an issue keeping the way you have. Decent on/off thermostats like this Inkbird are so cheap there's pretty much no reason not to have one. Check out /r/ballpythons sticky thread. I'm sure you can agree that even if you haven't had an issue in all this time that there's always room for improvement. Here's to 20 more!

You're going to want to pick up something like this. You set a temperature and an acceptable threshold (i have mine varying by only one degree), and it will automatically turn the heat lamp off and on to keep it at a consistant temperature.

I also have a under-tank heat mat for my hot side, which is the main thing used to warm my snake. I absolutely recommend getting one to put under your tank. Corns like to burrow and will get more benefit to having one on the hot side. I just use the heat lamp to keep the ambient air in the tank at an acceptable level. You will want to get a separate controller for the heat mat.

Edit: I also have an Indoor/Outdoor Thermometer just chilling in the tank to get a more accurate reading inside. Your tank atmosphere is going to usually be a bit different than the atmosphere in your room. I have the "inside" number reading the ambient temp of the tank, the "outside" number reading the inside of the under-tank mat (controller probe goes between mat and glass on the outside, and this prob sticks to the glass on the inside under the substrate), and it also tells me the humidity in the tank.

You want to keep your numbers as consistant as possible. I like to shoot for 85 degrees on the hot side, 75 degrees on the cool side, and between 40%-60% humidty. I hope this information helps. Let me know if you have any questions.

Edit 2: GoHerping does a great care guide video on YouTube, which is where I got most of my setup and care info from. There is also a link to their discord on the YouTube page that is full of friendly people that can answer a lot of your questions.

Edit 3: You're going to be better off using a Ceramic Heat Emitter instead of a bulb. It just produces heat and no light, which will be better with the controller ( you don't want the light isn't constantly turning off and on). Corns don't need UVB either, and do fine with just natural lighting (assuming the light in the room still follows the normal day/night cycle).

My condolences for your loss, it always hurts bad when a pet passes away.

Not having a hot spot would explain the lack of eating, but he shouldn't have starved in such a short time. Was your room super cold? Cold BPs can succumb to respiratory infections, which generally have obvious symptoms - wheezing, drooling, open-mouth-breathing, that sort of thing.

Did his body have any discoloration on the belly? An unregulated heat mat can reach dangerously hot temperatures, capable of burning/cooking a snake. It is possible that your heat mat shorted out after being on "full blast" for too long.

Unfortunately, cases like these are par for the course when it comes to reptiles and reptile equipment sold at chain pet shops. Their snakes are usually not very healthy to begin with - they generally sell the "less desirable" snakes produced by local breeders, and pet shops usually keep them in poor conditions (inadequate feeding, humidity, temps, overcrowding, etc), which weakens them. The quality of most big box heating products (Zoomed, etc) is garbage too.

If you want another snake someday, I would recommend buying from a good private breeder (avoid large-scale operations, like LLL Reptile, BHB, Underground, Big Apple, etc.). Most large cities have a reptile expo once every month or so, if you're up for the drive, or you can buy online and have a snake shipped (it's much safer and less weird than it might sound!). Get a radiant heat panel or a square foot of heat tape, and get a nice thermostat to control the temperature.

your boyfriend, is incorrect im afraid to say, all heating elements need a thermostat to regulate the temperature. https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC this is a good brand and its only 30 bucks.

Tramontina 126-Can Beverage Center $250

7 gal | Brew Bucket Brewmaster Edition $229

Inkbird $35

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC

I don't use them for this purpose, but I use them for beer brewing and other hobbies. You plug this inline with a heating/cooling source and place the probe in the desired location. Ten years ago I would make them from scratch and build in redundancy in case of failure, but I have two of these that have been working fine for over 3 years of nonstop use.

You may be right. If it got cold enough, you could have frost in a line or faucet. That'll make a nucleation point and draw a lot CO2 out of solution.

You could add a little heater to the fridge and set it with a temperature controller.

Custom made out of plywood. Exhaust on that Sony is in that front corner, so I put two fans, buy I'm actually only using one. I left a small gap along too back for intake.

Using this to automatically turn on.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_RAztDbWC9XWZ6

And then the noctua plugs into this.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MGG6SC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_IHztDbJCPQ5XY

And then I found a good temp for it to turn on, and it balances out nicely and keeps temps from skyrocketing, and even runs til it cools down and shuts off.

Lined it with carpet, and overall noise is good. Never hear it. That being said, I'm weird, and I could hear it in quiet scenes, and then I'd START listening for it, ruining the movie, so I made the box. Most normal people don't have this problem. 😆

If you’re truly setting up your kitchen for prep, eliminate the standup refrigerator, convert another chest freezer into a chest fridge with a $35 part off amazon

This should be a significant power savings.

There are models that you simply plug into the wall and then plug the fridge into them. Should work universally. Just set the fridge's internal thermostat a little colder than you want it, then set the external therm where you want it.

Here is a moderately priced one.

Inkbird ITC-308 Heater Cooler Device Temperature Controller Carboy Homebrew Fermenter Greenhouse Terrarium 110V 10A 1200W https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xs1jDb09EQ53M

He's controlling it with an Inkbird temperature controller, we use one connected to a chest freezer for the same purpose.

Very configurable, if you wanted to you could even add a heating element and keep it from getting too cold (if you're fermenting in winter).

7ft+ chest freezer (or smaller of space is a concern. 7 should give you took for two vessels most likely)

Inkbird or DIY BrewPi if you don't mind the DIY projects

Small heater with a fan

And a thermowell for whatever fermentation vessel you have. If you're looking for that too, I can't recommend Fermonster enough in terms of price/quality. Though your budget may allow a SS Brewbucket

For me the path of least resistance was to buy an external controller like this one. You simply plug the fridge into the controller and place the probe inside the fridge. Takes a few minutes to setup and you're done.

You can if you're willing to create a safe enviroment for it. I used a temprature sensing power outlet and connected it to two small fans inside an entertainment stand total setup is about 85$. Has been working for 4 years. 3 digit temps are very common for me.

This is the plug I used
https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC/

I do a similar sous vide bath type setup, but have an Inkbird controller driving an immersion coffee heater and fountain pump in my cooler so it's 100% hands off

​

Nicely done!

Temp controller : https://smile.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?crid=1CZISB4U1CU9M&keywords=inkbird+temperature+controller&qid=1556415981&s=gateway&sprefix=Inkbi&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1

Sorry for the late response. Their are two versions, the 306 model and the 308 model. The 308 model has the ability to control a fan or chiller if it gets too hot and the 306 doesn’t - so it just turns the heater off if it gets too warm.

Inkbird ITC-306T Pre-Wired Electronic Heating Thermostat Temperature Controller and Digital Timer Controller for Aquarium, Seed Germination, Reptiles, Hatching ect, Without Cooling Controlling https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01486LZ50/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_cGVVCbSZA8C0W

Inkbird ITC-308 Max.1200W Heater, Cool Device Temperature Controller, Carboy, Homebrew, Fermenter, Greenhouse Terrarium Temp. Control https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_lEVVCb1KF4RSS

If the fridge is your only option and you can't get above 45F then you can look into getting a heat wrap and a temp controller. There are several options to choose from. I personally use these (you can find both for quite a bit cheaper than those listed prices):

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501262251&sr=8-1-spons&keywords=inkbird&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/Weekend-Brewer-COMINHKPR125665-Fermentation-Heater/dp/B01J1WZNM2/ref=pd_bxgy_86_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B01J1WZNM2&pd_rd_r=RFQ7WFS8YVB9XMBQQY2D&pd_rd_w=gm24D&pd_rd_wg=Nn18Z&psc=1&refRID=RFQ7WFS8YVB9XMBQQY2D

They're quite easy to make. I use mine all winter long. Just need a heater and a controller. I use the two below.

Brew Fermentation Heating Belt, 1-Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001D6IUB6/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Q3L1BbH29S370

Inkbird ITC-308 Max.1200W Heater, Cool Device Temperature Controller, Carboy, Fermenter, Greenhouse Terrarium Temp. Control https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_04L1Bb1CAC4VY

One like this should be fine. You can look at similar products and find what suits your needs financially and such.

Thank you. But We would like to clarify the 34.99 is non-wifi version, and the this $35 version is adding WiFi. The original price is $50. There are 2 different versions. Thanks.

ITC-308: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC
ITC-308 WIFI: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PVBG8K1

For the future, if you want to be super safe, you can get a temperature controller. That way if the heater thermometer breaks again and causes the heater to stay on, then the temperature controller will catch it and turn off the heater:

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC

At a price point not far from an Arduino, you can get an Inkbird that is built for this.

Inkbird ITC-308 https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_c65pDb5V1K87G

Commonly used for homebrewing, plug the fridge into it, along with a small heating pad, lightbulb or other heat source placed inside the fridge. Set your heat and cool setpoints and walk away.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B01HXM5UAC/ref=ox_sc_act_image_1?smid=A1RUFFFCQ74BCW&psc=1

I use one of these to regulate my heating pads. Allows you to set a 1 degree differential. It’s a little pricey but super worth it to never have to worry about your heating pad going on the fritz and heating out of control

Or...if you want to go all in....go get you a chest freezer and one of these. Careful though, its a slippery slope into a endless hunt for the next upgrade.

How often depends on the outside temperature and how well your house is insulated. What you could try is to use a temperature based solution similar to https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HXM5UAC/ref=s9_dcacsd_dcoop_bw_c_x_1_w Place the temperature probe on the pipe and when the water/pipe temperature drops below a certain temperature, the pump will turn on. The one I referenced may not be the best solution for you, but it was the first thing that came up.

Not sure if one of these would help you but:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_apa_i_kPjUDbR0GRYKV

Why not just connect the heater to a temperature controller like this.. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_aXE1DbPZY09PC

Hi are you by any chance referring to this? https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=asc_df_B01HXM5UAC5114756/?tag=hyprod-20&creative=395033&creativeASIN=B01HXM5UAC&linkCode=df0&hvadid=198101685250&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=2806952839949716824&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=t&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9060374&hvtargid=pla-318107594620


It seems like they're used for terrariums and plants? I do have a crockpot and im actually pretty intrigued.

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So I actually posted this as a thread about 20 minutes ago but it was removed without telling me why... Maybe it fits better here anyway...

So I'm about to set up the laser in the garage - after drilling the hole for the venting I'm hoping to have it up and tested this weekend. And then I thought of something....

I'm going to have a glass tube filled with water in an unheated garage... There's a server-rack in the corner, and it's not likely to get below freezing in there, but it's possible. I really don't want the water freezing in the tube.

I have a CW-5000 chiller sitting in the box waiting to be installed. There doesn't appear to be any protection against freezing built into it either, so I'm wondering what the options are:

• Antifreeze. This seems to be problematic. According to 'lasergods' (really?) the conductivity is an issue, and RV antifreeze - which has the lowest conductivity - is prone to "excessive" bacterial growth. I've seen tig welder coolant suggested as a low-conductivity alternative, but that seems to be corrosive to some things, and I'm not sure if it would be a problem for the cooling system loop components.
  
  
• Warming the water. The tank of water is contained within the CW5000, so I doubt that's an option. If I get an inline heater, I'd still have to pump it through the system, and I'm not sure if the CW5000 would allow that (depends on which type of pump it uses itself)
  
  
• Draining the tube/chiller at the end of every session. That doesn't seem like a great plan.
  
  
• Warming the garage up. I guess I could put a space heater in there, but I'm not overflowing with enthusiasm for this idea either. Those things have been known to go on fire, and we do go on vacation in the winter...
  
  All this assumes there's a temperature-monitoring system that can control an external pump/heater, but aquarium monitors have that down pat, and some temp. monitors can control relays like that too.
  
  So, in a plea to the wisdom of crowds... What do y'all do ? :)

You could use a temp controller like this

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC

If this model can't handle the wattage of your heater they have other models. I use the C929 to control an older AC and it works great.

VPD is important. But you don't have to hit numbers exactly.

Best way to maintain moisture in a dry climate is with your ventilation. A programmable thermostat will let you keep your exhaust off until it's needed. Which allows humidity to build.

I'm in a cold, dry winter climate, too. I tell the fans to kick on at 77 degrees, and off at 74. Even in a 60 degree, 30% RH ambient room, my tent RH stays in a happy range 90% of the time.

With those fluctuations in temperature and the humidity issues, it sounds like you’d be better off spending your money on buying a temperature control unit online (~$35 for an Inkbird) and trying to find an inexpensive chest freezer on Craigslist. I know that isn’t a utilization of the crawl space, but it would yield way better cellaring conditions. Which, in theory, should yield better cellared beers. Or maybe just less spoiled by temperature fluctuations, etc.

I picked up a heating wrap and a temp controller to run mine in the colder months.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01J1WZNM2/

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC/

This handily fits my one gallon jugs and my three gallon carboy, which I then wrap in a towel or two. Although it's a bit bigger than the gallon jugs I haven't had any problems using it, just use a few pieces of masking tape to hold it to the carboy. I have not tried with the five gallon bucket but I don't normally brew in that batch size much.

Or remote wireless hemostat.. Does heating or cooling. I'm using one to control a window AC. Or an Inkbird type with the probe inside the garage. There are a bunch of models and probably clones.

fermenter: 30L

Temp controller

Tap

I also have 2 kids - 3 and almost one. I usually brew on weekdays and it goes into late night, so I basically sacrifice some of my sleep to brew.

As other people said preparing beforehand helps, i.e. you could do prepare your water / mill grains / measure mineral additions a day before.

You could also have a timer based water heater, something like Anova for sous vide can work well, it can keep the required temperature for you. Or you could just have a simple heater + temp sensor like this inkbird - https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC/

This way you would just need to put the grains in the water as you arrive. This work perfectly for BIAB.

Another thing to consider is shorter mash / boil, look at brulosophy short and shoddy brewing techniques. Most of the mash happens in the first 20-30 minutes, if you have slightly lower efficiency you can compensate by putting more grain into the mash. The same goes for the boil - a bit more hops if you need more bitterness.

And the other thing is two day brew where you start one day and finish on the next day, I did it several times as well.

Yes

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=sr_1_1?m=A1RUFFFCQ74BCW&marketplaceID=ATVPDKIKX0DER&qid=1550597694&s=merchant-items&sr=1-1

​

Realistically, the only thing that you need to create a keezer is temperature control, and even that is optional depending on what your freezer is capable of.

The key to making a freezer into a keezer is getting the temperature right. The easy way is to add temp control, something like an Inkbird ITC-308 is relatively inexpensive and is plug-n-play. These max out at somewhere around 10 amps, so there is an upper limit on freezer size because larger freezers have larger amp draws during the compressor startup. I have run two different ~6-cuft chest freezers off an ITC-308 and they both worked fine. Another option is to locate the coarse adjustment setting on the freezer's own thermostat and adjust it until you can maintain beer fridge temps. I have successfully done this as well.

As for the collar, Most chest freezers are tall enough for a keg to stand up on the floor without a collar. In-fact, you'll find many keezers that use towers mounted to the top of the lid rather than collars for mounting taps. If you are willing to serve out of a picnic tap, you don't even need a tower. I ran a keezer with picnic taps for almost a year because it allowed me to very quickly and easily convert it back to a fermentation chamber. Another added benefit to not adding a collar is not having to lift the keg as far to get it in.

It’s a good point with GFCI but it is protecting you against quite a few hazards. If you’re worried over that then I would look into a GFCI breaker on wherever that outlet runs. They’re a little safer I think but most people are probably hesitant to toy with their breaker box. I think it’s an easy install, but don’t quote me on that!

So you can do that with loc line or have it set up so your nozzle breaks the surface quickly enough that little water is drained. I mentioned the Random Flow Generator or Inductor nozzles as they have open slits to force water in and add current, and these slits break the siphon quickly without forcing your nozzle to face directly upwards.

What do you mean by glue both sides of the bulkhead? I normally stick to threaded fittings in case it ever needs changed. Don’t use Teflon tape though as it’s not recommended for the tapered threading. Use Teflon/PTFE paste or whatever it is called.

With four heaters you should run them on a strip to a controller just in case. It’s a cheap addition and can handle a chiller too.

These are all small nitpicks though, overall you’re definitely going to be set for a pretty nice setup.

I use that one but I bought it in 2015 heard they are not made as well recently so was suggested this one Inkbird ITC-308 Max.1200W Heater, Cool Device Temperature Controller, Carboy, Homebrew, Fermenter, Greenhouse Terrarium Temp. Control https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0POhDbS76GY6G

Yeah, no problem! I bought this thermometer
and this fan. My aquarium is 29 gallons, so you may need to get a different fan if yours is larger.

The fridge is hooked up to a temperature sensor, so it only runs when the internal temp is above 75 degrees F. The temp controller turns off the fridge when the temp gets to 75 degrees F.

I'm going to add a heating mat to the inside back wall of the fridge so the temp controller can warm up the fridge when it gets below 75 degrees F

here's the temperature controller I use.

These are good and inexpensive.

https://smile.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=inkbird+itc&qid=1562805679&s=gateway&sr=8-3

You could get something like this, but it may be overkill. Put that in between a smart outlet and the AC

Inkbird ITC-308 Digital Temperature Controller 2-Stage Outlet Thermostat Heating and Cooling Mode Carboy Homebrew Fermenter Greenhouse Terrarium 110V 10A 1200W https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01HXM5UAC/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_0G2pDbAZ23QY1