Winging It In Winter By The Window: Soil Auto Grow

[InTheShed]

They don't come with a thermostat, so all they can do is this:

It says in the product description that it keep roots 10 to 20 degrees warmer than ambient temp.

So if the ambient is 70ºF it will try to get to 90º! That's why a thermostat is needed. Set it for 80ºF (27ºC) and forget it!

Can it get wet?

Yes!

Does it have a temperature control?

That's the thermostat. Otherwise it gets too hot.

I don't think they draw that much power but I can check mine when I get home.

 

[Melville Hobbes]

My vivosun heat mats say they draw 20w each.
They're 25x54cm.

 

[Melville Hobbes]

Double post.

 

[Carcass]

Does it have a temperature control? I'd have to turn it off during warmer hours wouldn't I.

I use a timer instead of a thermostat- half hour on, half hour off so it doesn't get too hot on the seedlings.
You can also time it to go off during the warmer part of the day.
A timer is probably cheaper than a thermostat, but I'm not really sure about that...

 

[Carmen Ray]

That's the thermostat. Otherwise it gets too hot.

Oh right lolololol! Thank you Shed.

My vivosun heat mats say they draw 20w each.
They're 25x54cm.

Thanks Mel. That's very little isn't it?

I use a timer instead of a thermostat- half hour on, half hour off

Okay, thank you Carcass. I will have to price the components. I'd need someone to tell me what parts I must buy lololol. I Google searched for a timer for the heat mat and couldn't find anything. I found a thermostat.

Is this the right thing? Would this be compatible with this?

Do I need special tools? Unfortunately it can't happen for two weeks because there's no money until then and it will also depend what the overall price will end up being. I wonder if there are Youtube videos on how to do it....

 

[Melville Hobbes]

Oh right lolololol! Thank you Shed.

Thanks Mel. That's very little isn't it?

Okay, thank you Carcass. I will have to price the components. I'd need someone to tell me what parts I must buy lololol. I Google searched for a timer for the heat mat and couldn't find anything. I found a thermostat.

Is this the right thing? Would this be compatible with this?

Do I need special tools? Unfortunately it can't happen for two weeks because there's no money until then and it will also depend what the overall price will end up being. I wonder if there are Youtube videos on how to do it....

It's a bit more than a CFL bulb. An ordinary timer will work, but if you're going with a thermostat, yes, that's the right thing.

 

[Carmen Ray]

An ordinary timer will work, but if you're going with a thermostat, yes, that's the right thing.

I will have to ask the hydro shop who sells these because I really don't know what I'm doing with electrics and plumbing etc. It's looking expensive though. Are the timer and / thermostat plug and play or do you have to do surgery on the wiring?

 

[Melville Hobbes]

I will have to ask the hydro shop who sells these because I really don't know what I'm doing with electrics and plumbing etc. It's looking expensive though. Are the timer and / thermostat plug and play or do you have to do surgery on the wiring?

Timer is definitely plug and play, as we're all the heat mat thermostats I've seen. Vivosun had a heat mat that came with a thermostat. I think @Bill284 has one.

 

[InTheShed]

It's basically a box with a display and buttons to set the temperature that you plug the heat mat into. Then the thermostat gets plugged into the wall. There's also a temp gauge lead that you put where you want it to read the temperature. You could put that under the pot so it never gets hotter at the bottom of the pot than you have set it on the thermostat.

 

[Carmen Ray]

Awesome. Plug and play is manageable. I may try to do one rig this month and one rig next month if I can squeeze it into the budget.
My fabric pots are resting in plastic plant trays on top of towels to prevent damage to my dining room table. the heat mat would have to be flat. Will it do the job if it is under the plastic plant tray?

 

[Azimuth]

The issue I have with those combinations is the electricity draw from the controller. I had a version like that with a 25w heat mat I think. Then I looked at the wattage for the controller and it said 800-1,000 watts. That's like 5-6 times more than the entire power used for the rest of my grow including all the lights and fans, etc. for both veg and flower. For a few seeds or a half dozen cuttings??! No thank you.

I ended up getting a reptile heating mat with a built in resistor that you can dial in between off and max heat. They're designed to go under a reptile tank, between it and the table.

I think the thing cost me all of $15 US. I set a glass of water on it next to my cuttings and use a kitchen thermometer to test the water temp and then I can adjust the dial in the direction needed. Works great. Not as fancy and hands-off as the one with the built-in thermostat but much easier on my budget.

 

[InTheShed]

I'm going to plug mine into the Kill-a-watt meter tonight and put the temp gauge on the floor so it will max out. At least that will give us some idea of the reality vs printed specs.

 

[Carcass]

It's looking expensive though.

A non-digital timer is about 2 bucks...
just sayin'....
This one is on the seedling mat that I use for heat in the box.

 

[Carmen Ray]

The issue I have with those combinations is the electricity draw from the controller. I had a version like that with a 25w heat mat I think. Then I looked at the wattage for the controller and it said 800-1,000 watts. That's like 5-6 times more than the entire power used for the rest of my grow including all the lights and fans, etc. for both veg and flower. For a few seeds or a half dozen cuttings??! No thank you.

I ended up getting a reptile heating mat with a built in resistor that you can dial in between off and max heat. They're designed to go under a reptile tank, between it and the table.

I think the thing cost me all of $15 US. I set a glass of water on it next to my cuttings and use a kitchen thermometer to test the water temp and then I can adjust the dial in the direction needed. Works great. Not as fancy and hands-off as the one with the built-in thermostat but much easier on my budget.

Thank you Azi. I have just found a reptile heating pad. Could I impose upon you to look at it and tell me if it would be suitable for underneath my vegging and flowering plants to help them through the colder days?

 

[Carmen Ray]

A non-digital timer is about 2 bucks...
just sayin'....
This one is on the seedling mat that I use for heat in the box.

That is a far better price tag. What would I call it in a Google search? I just searched the following and only found digital timers -"non digital timer for heat pad" was the phrase I used. The reptile heating pads are a lot cheaper so I'm wondering if the one I found will work. What do you think of the reptile heaters, Carcass?

 

[Azimuth]

Thank you Azi. I have just found a reptile heating pad. Could I impose upon you to look at it and tell me if it would be suitable for underneath my vegging and flowering plants to help them through the colder days?

Yep, that'll do. I first got a 7 watt version but that was only able to raise the temps something like 5 degrees above ambient which is not quite enough for winters here so I got a bigger one and have never had to max it out. It's either 15 or 20 watts I think.

 

[Azimuth]

You could search 'analog' timers

 

[Carcass]

What do you think of the reptile heaters, Carcass?

Those look good, and not too expensive (I guess) I don't really understand the prices, though...

Search "Analog Lamp Timer"

 

[Azimuth]

On the reptile mats, 'adjustable' is the operative word. Not all are. Some are preset like the other heating mats and those raise your temps by a set amount over ambient. You want one you can control a bit.

 

[Carmen Ray]

You could search 'analog' timers

I had just dashed back in here to have a chuckle about that... it took me a while but analog came to me eventually lol.
Thanks for the search phrase @Carcass. Does this look like the right thing?
I wonder about the safety factor in using the reptile heat pad which is not made for being near water. I wonder if it can take the load or if it would crack under 20+L. I might feel safer getting the more expensive heating pad and the timer.