HG23
- 204
- 28
I am looking for a temperature/environmental controller and I haven't been able to find one with everything im looking for. I want it to be able to control my exhaust and intake fans (cooling) as well as defumidifier and/or humidifier when needed during the day cycle. Obviously, most controllers can handle that much. I would also like it to be able to switch to heating mode and control a heater at night. To me this sounds like it should be the basic plan for environmental controllers however Sentinal products look like they can only be in heat or cool mode period, no automatic switching or anything, even for the night cycle. Sentinel controllers have a "night device" output, but I don't believe it uses the temperature control logic and is just activated all the time at night. As far as I can understand you set the night temp, but if you have the controller set in cooling mode, as you would for the day cycle, it cannot switch over to heating mode for the night cycle. I suppose I could plug my space heater into the night outlet and just let it run until its too hot at which time the controller would kick on the exhaust/intake but that seems really inefficient. I have also checked out the Titan Kronus 4 controller and it's night output can be used in "night heat" mode which would solve one of my issues, but it will not control humidification, just dehumidifcation. It also uses logic for CO2 which I don't need and don't want to pay for. As of right now, I'm thinking of just buying a Sentinel UTC-1 temperature controller ($100) for my intake and exhaust fans and putting the space heater on a photocell so it flips on at night and then the intake/exhaust would cool things down when temps get too hot. The space heater has an analog temp contol but I don't trust it to maintain things in the garden. Anyone have any advice? I feel like there should be a controller that you put in target day/night temps and humidities along with the respective deadbands, plug in heating, cooling, humidification and dehumidification devices and it can handle the rest no matter if it needs to switch between heating and cooling modes as well as humidify/dehumidify. None of this heat or cool mode only.
