Accurite malfunctioning!

Well, I was working on setting up my tub (I've had the supplies for over a month, but didn't want to set it up until I knew exactly what I was getting).

I kind of did it little by little, so yesterday I had the basic stuff set up and I put batteries in the accurite thermometer and it was working fine and reading the room temperature (The room I have it in has it's climate control or whatever, and it was pretty much spot on with the thermostat on the wall). I still didn't have the heat mat/thermostat plugged in though.

Well, this morning I got all of the heating set up but when I looked at the thermometer, it read 32.5* F.. and I KNOW that isn't right, lol. So I took out the batteries and put them back in, and now it's just - - where the temperatures should read, and it says HI for the humidity.

I tried changing the batteries and it still is doing that.

What happened? It didn't get wet, and I have not really done anything to it other than put batteries in it yesterday and mount it in the tub.

had one do the same thing cord was messed up.got mine at the big box store the one that takes anyhing back you should get a new one heck i got a couple.

Sounds like a malfunction to me

I also dont think water is a problem. When I mist I get a little bit of water on all my digital thermometers and they still work fine!

proabably wont work if you dunk them in water though lol

I say just return it and get a new one

Yeah, it's still being weird.. Unfortunately, I bought it online so I can't return it..

But I guess I'll just head down to walmart and get another one. Only twelve dollars, after all.

This is the kind of thing that makes me glad I set up everything in advance, though!

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Originally Posted by alittleFREE

Yeah, it's still being weird.. Unfortunately, I bought it online so I can't return it..

But I guess I'll just head down to walmart and get another one. Only twelve dollars, after all.

This is the kind of thing that makes me glad I set up everything in advance, though!

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I would email the support on the website you got it from and tell them to you send your another one.

Did you set the time on the clock? There is a little button on the right hand side that says "Temp/Clock". If it is in Clock mode you may have been reading the time 3:25. Also, the humidity will read "Hi" if it gets above 90%. Depending on where you are located and the relative humidity, this will happen in a tub if you don't have enough holes or ventilation. Just some things to think about if you get another unit and get the same types of readings...

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Originally Posted by Vypyrz

Did you set the time on the clock? There is a little button on the right hand side that says "Temp/Clock". If it is in Clock mode you may have been reading the time 3:25. Also, the humidity will read "Hi" if it gets above 90%. Depending on where you are located and the relative humidity, this will happen in a tub if you don't have enough holes or ventilation. Just some things to think about if you get another unit and get the same types of readings...

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It was on temperature. I mean, the humidity is probably high here (south georgia) but on my other accurite in my Beardies cage it reads 44%.

I'll definitely remember to check that out when I get the new one, though.

Well in your beardy cage doesn't it have lights shining down on it? That would lower the humidity significantly.

That is really strange about the temp reading. I haven't had that happen. Have you tried changing from Celsius to Fahrenheit?

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Well in your beardy cage doesn't it have lights shining down on it? That would lower the humidity significantly.

That is really strange about the temp reading. I haven't had that happen. Have you tried changing from Celsius to Fahrenheit?

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It does, but I turn her lights off at night and in the morning it's only at about 60%. It's humid here, but I don't think it's quite THAT humid, especially in our air conditioned house.

I tried everything I could think of. I'm not sure what happened! I've taken the batteries out, put new batteries in, cleared the device, switched from F to C and back again.. it just kind of went wacko on me, and now it kind of died and doesn't read anything at all.

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Originally Posted by alittleFREE

It does, but I turn her lights off at night and in the morning it's only at about 60%. It's humid here, but I don't think it's quite THAT humid, especially in our air conditioned house.

I tried everything I could think of. I'm not sure what happened! I've taken the batteries out, put new batteries in, cleared the device, switched from F to C and back again.. it just kind of went wacko on me, and now it kind of died and doesn't read anything at all.

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:( That is really bizarre. Is it the older model? I would contact the website and see if you can return it. Sounds like a malfunction. While rare, it happens sometimes.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

:( That is really bizarre. Is it the older model? I would contact the website and see if you can return it. Sounds like a malfunction. While rare, it happens sometimes.

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Yes, it was.

I thought about contacting the site but all in all I figure it's not worth it, since it's been over a month since I received it (although I just now opened it) and I'm not even sure if I have the packaging it came in any more.

I have one in my incubator right now. I can't get the humidity to read higher than 25%, and the temp is a full degree lower than the thermostat is set at. I know they can be off by a little, but I put in a little fluker therm/hygrometer and it reads spot on in temp and 99% humidity. The egg tub does have condensation building up in it. I don't trust the accurites as far as I can throw them. I only keep it on to sense any changes, while comparing it to itself. As for your problems, it is a mass produced thermometer. Maybe it is just faulty and you need a new one.

Yeah, I'm gonna head to walmart this afternoon and pick up another one. Hopefully I will have no trouble with it.

Honestly, when you spend $12 on a thermostat/hygrometer you have to know you're not getting the best technology/accuracy out there, right?
They're junk.
I used these things for about three months ten years ago; bought six, set them all up with the probes within an inch of each other in the same room. Got a difference of 12 degrees between them all, returned them all and bought my first (real) thermostat (Helix and the time). Best $120 I spent and it worked like it should.

...The accurite is not a thermostat and cannot even be compared to a helix or herpstat.

Obviously it isn't the most accurate thermometer in the world, but it is MUCH better then those crappy round stick on things that most newbies have.

What would YOU prefer to use in terms of digital thermometer/hygrometer combinations? Aside from a temp gun.

What's wrong with a temp gun? $25; problem solved. They're accurate to within =/+ 1 degree?
I haven't had a thermostat/hygrometer in my facility or in my bins in years. If you have a thermostat and a steady ambient room temperature, you know spot on what your temps are thereby eliminating completely the need for a digital thermometer/hygrometer.

Though I haven't shopped for one in many many years, I would imagine (like every other retail item in the world)that a price bracket or two up that you would find a slew of digital thermometer/hygrometer combos that are infinitely more accurate. Or use two, or three or four and you can find the mean temperature and humidity without a malfunction/guessing game with a single one.
Tape an old fashioned glass thermometer (like the one mommy used to use when you felt poopy) to each side of the tank. $20; accurate. Problem solved again.

Just to make things clear, I do have a thermostat. I simply want the thermometer/hydrometer to make sure that there's no heat build up inside the tubs/that heat is actually getting inside the tubs to the correct temperatures.

It gives me peace of mind to have have something I can take a quick glance at if need be.

I realize that this is a $12 piece of equipment, which is why I have said that I'm just gonna chunk it and get a new one and it's not that big of a deal. I was just wondering if anyone else had had the same problem and/or might know what went wrong (if anything I did) so I can prevent it from occuring again.

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Originally Posted by mykee

What's wrong with a temp gun? $25; problem solved. They're accurate to within =/+ 1 degree?
I haven't had a thermostat/hygrometer in my facility or in my bins in years. If you have a thermostat and a steady ambient room temperature, you know spot on what your temps are thereby eliminating completely the need for a digital thermometer/hygrometer.

Though I haven't shopped for one in many many years, I would imagine (like every other retail item in the world)that a price bracket or two up that you would find a slew of digital thermometer/hygrometer combos that are infinitely more accurate. Or use two, or three or four and you can find the mean temperature and humidity without a malfunction/guessing game with a single one.
Tape an old fashioned glass thermometer (like the one mommy used to use when you felt poopy) to each side of the tank. $20; accurate. Problem solved again.

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I do the same thing. I have a temp gun for my rack. No other thermometers or hygrometers. But for newbies with single tank setups it is pretty important to have a digital probe thermometer right on the hot spot and a thermometer on the cool side as well as a hygrometer.

Sure there are better hygrometers and thermometers out there but this accurite model is fairly accurate (much more so then those round dial things) and much more affordable then digital thermometers and hygrometers from the pet store.

Sure you could spring for a $50 weather station, but that isn't very practical for most new keepers. And by that time they should already have a reliable thermostat.

I concur. It's been a while since I've had a ball in a fish tank, so my thoughts on this may be biased.
I found those round stick on thingies to be fairly accurate (at least as accurate as the cheapo digis wer're discussing). I just never stuck them to a wall because ball pythons don't spend their lives hovering four inches above the substrate stuck to a wall for that reading to be accurate.

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Originally Posted by mykee

I concur. It's been a while since I've had a ball in a fish tank, so my thoughts on this may be biased.
I found those round stick on thingies to be fairly accurate (at least as accurate as the cheapo digis wer're discussing). I just never stuck them to a wall because ball pythons don't spend their lives hovering four inches above the substrate stuck to a wall for that reading to be accurate.

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Many of them are not very accurate at all. They might have been way back when. But now they are cheap pieces of plastic and sometimes the dials won't even move.

That being said, most newbies will stick them on the sides of the tank or at the very top of the tank. Which makes them even less accurate. There really is no good place to put those things at the snakes level unless you want them to be laying right on the substrate. Then they are kinda hard to read.

I'm thinking of ditching the accurites as well and going with a temp gun since all three of mine are acting up (tried changing the batteries...no good)... :( So instead of buying three new accurites, I'd rather invest in the only thing I really need: a reliable way to measure temps (Racks and Houston-livin' have taken care of the humidity)!

Any recommendations on temp guns?

I have two accurites for my 2 snakes and I'm happy with them, I altered them so the unit is outside the cages and the probes all go in, and comparing them with any other weather station I've had my hands on, my temp and hudro readings on both units are spot on. I check them every month or two to be sure though.