Farm Innovators TC-3 Cold Weather Thermo Cube Thermostatically Controlled Outlet - On at 35-Degrees/Off at 45-Degrees
by Farm Innovators
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List Price: Our Price: $9.79 You Save: $6.00 (32%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Lawn & Patio See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Farm Innovators TC-3 Cold Weather Thermo Cube Thermostatically Controlled Outlet - On at 35-Degrees/Off at 45-Degrees
Customer Review: Several uses for this great product
Summary: 5 Stars
I have searched for several years to find a product like this that actually works as claimed. When not home for several days, we have concerns about our heat going off in our house and the water pipes freezing. I have a light hooked up to alert our neighbors if the room temperature drops below 35F. Also, we have a refrigerator in our unheated garage that of course cannot be operated in the below freezing temperatures of Wisconsin winters. I purchased many watchman type warning thermostats and attempted to use them to alarm if our heat went off and to control the temperature in our garage refigerator. Even in the winter, in Wisconsin we need additional storage for beer, wine and soda, but don't want it to freeze. I had run a 110v power cord with a conventional outlet into the refigerator. I use the outlet to power an air pump for a minnow pail in the summer and to "heat" the refrigerator using a 15-watt light bulb in the winter. The watchman-type thermostats were effective in turning on the power when the temperature dropped below set point,say 35F, but did not turn off when the temperature increased, even above 50F. These Thermo Cubes energize the circuit at 35F and turn off at 45F. I love them and they're a lot less expensive than the watchman-type units. One small disadvantage of the Thermo Cube is the loss of vesatility in selecting the "alarm" temperature. I highly recommend this product.Honeywell CW200A1032 Winter WatchmanCustomer Review: Used for automatic anti-freeze applications but sticks
Summary: 2 Stars
I use mine along with a Lasko 200 watt personal heater. I put it in our water heater enclosure which is located on the outside of our manufactured home. When the temperature inside the enclosure drops to under 35 degrees, the heater kicks on and keeps the water lines from freezing. Before coming up with this little setup, we had a -24 degree night, and the hot water lines froze. Since using this, we've had equally cold temps, and no problems. Plus, it doesn't consume any power unless it's triggered, so I can leave the setup there all year long. I have three of these little gems for various anti-freeze applications on our farm.
UPDATE March 2011: I've bought 3 of these. Now I've discovered that sometimes they stick and do NOT come on at the right temperature. With 2 out of 3 I've gone outside with the temp below freezing anf the units were off. I would give them a thump with my finger or tap them with a screw driver and "click" they would come on. If you need a reliable thermo switch, this may not be the one your looking for.
Customer Review: Prevent winter freezing in R.V.
Summary: 5 Stars
This is a great idea (product). When freezing tempertures were predicted. I use to run a heater on a 'timer' in my R.V. when it was unoccupied to prevent freeze damage to canned goods etc. stored inside the R.V., and of course, the R.V. itself. (guesswork at the best). The reason for the timer was to control the run time on the heater and to save on my electricity bill. I would set it to turn on & off at predetermined times during the predicted "freeze" period. But I always had to remember to set it up everytime I needed it. With the 'Thermo-Cube', I just plug in the heater, set the heater to a reasonable temperature in the on position, and forget it. As soon as the inside temperature drops to 35, the heater will come on. And when (with or without the heater running) the temperature rises to 45, the Thermo-Cube shuts the power to the heater off, saving electricity. The same idea could be applied to someone who wants to prevent a pump house or other unoccupied space from freezing in very cold weather, by running a heater or heat lamp.Customer Review: Two dead in a row?
Summary: 1 Stars
The product itself is great. I am not sure why I would have gotten TWO dead in a row. The packages are easy open type so it is hard to say if they were defective from the factory or if they were misused and burned up due to overload, then returned and restocked. I took these babies down into the teens and they did not come on. I got one and AMAZON replaced it a rush speed with a second(both DEAD). Amazons service is as expected, rock solid. I am now sending back two and I will get what I need elsewhere. I simply don't want to repeat this a third time. I suggest the stock be tested for a bad run or other problem. Amazon is so easy to deal with, I am not mad...how could I be? The great thing about Amazon is the ease with which they handle such issues. My review of Amazon's service is FIVE STARS. The product itself when working is great too. I simply can't rate dead product with anything more than one star.Customer Review: Works great within its limits
Summary: 4 Stars
I've used this ThermoCube for a few years to protect some vulnerable water pipes in an otherwise unheated shed.
There are several cosmetically-identical versions. The TC-3 model (on this page) is designed to turn on at 35F and off at 45F, which is pretty critical information that should be in the product description. It's rated 15amps and 1800 watts according to [...], which sells these for over [...] each.
I've been using this device to switch a radiant oil heater. The new ones will control 250-watt brooder heat lamps. If you're worried about pipes freezing, it's cheap enough and simple enough to be worth a try.
It gets 4 stars because the temp sensor is not accurate (on at 38F) and there's no indicator lamp confirming the device is getting power from the outlet.