Temps in my rack are off

[dr del]

Hi,

I would find the shelf for the probe that puts the most tubs in the right temp gradient and fit inline dimmers for the ones that are still getting too warm at the top.


dr del

[Doxster]

Hi,

I would find the shelf for the probe that puts the most tubs in the right temp gradient and fit inline dimmers for the ones that are still getting too warm at the top.


dr del

Is it possible to get dimmers to work side by side with the thermostat or do I need to take the heat mats that are not as accurate as I want on dimmers and the rest on the thermostat? Sorry but I'm not a electric wiz hehe.

[dr del]

Hi,

No you want them all to be controlled by the thermostat to prevent overheating.

The dimmers will simply mean less power gets to the top ones when the thermostat is providing it meaning they will not get as hot.

It will take a little tweaking at first but once you work out the set point on the dimmers the whole system should regulate itself perfectly well under the control of the thermostat.

Oh and save yourself some heartache by testing the dimmer switches on a lamp first and marking the dimmer in permanent marker with which way is turning the power up and which way is down - sounds stupid but it is a real pain to try and work that out reliably on a heatmat.

If you test it on a bulb you can see instantly and you then also know the dimmer works. This can save time is you wire it into the heatmat and nothing happens as you know both components work so it must be the connection between em.


dr del

[OhhWatALoser]

I just drilled holes in the tubs on top to allow a little more heat to escape.

[Watever]

Your rack is too HIGH.

Physic 101 : Remember that hot air go up and cold air goes down.

Meaning the heat used to heat the bottom move up and heat the other tubs.

Also, I think the heat mat are less constant than the flexwatt tape. I was using heat mat when I was younger, and I always had difference in temperature when I was switching them. They tend to lose their heat capacity when they get older. But I still have inconsistent temperature on my flexwatt tape, from one end of a shelf to the other end. Not a lot, but still.

One suggestion would be to build rack horizontally instead of verticaly. Let's say, instead of having 6 rack of 12 shelves high, you build 6 rack of 2 shelves with 6 tubs per shelves. And you uses 1 thermostat for each like you would. That should help you get a consistent hot spot.

If you are using an Herpstat Thermostat for your racks, I suggest you go with a PRO version or a model II. They have 4 probes, each being on separate line, meaning that if one broke, the others are still running. And a pro cost less than 4 basic, and you have more option in them.