iPower Professional Digital Heating and Cooling Thermostat Controller for Seed Germination Reptiles and Brewing Breeding Fermenter Greenhouse Grow

*DISCLAIMER* I used this unit not for its originally intended purpose for horticulture. I used this for regulating temperatures for reptile caging. I am using this unit to regulate the temps for two racks. 16 tub 6qt hatchling rack made by Reptile Basics, Inc. These racks feature a 11" flexwatt back heat which is not very efficient and you have to push your temps considerably in order to properly heat your tubs. This is not a proportional thermostat nor would it complete with something like the hobby specific thermostats like Herpstat, Helix, etc. This unit turns on to reach the temps you desire and then turns off when the point has been reached. After the temps drop below 2-4° below your desired temps then it kicks on again. This unit has worked flawlessly for the past 2 months and actually functions better than another unit I purchased which cost more! I will be choosing these to regulate some of my other individual cages which do not require the precision of a Herpstat (which are fantastic by the way). I would say to any reptile enthusiast that you should always place a thermostat on your reptile's heat source. Dimmer switches simply cannot control the temps when your ambient temps rise. Dimmers give constant power without regulating the temps. These kind of units or any thermostat specifically controlling temps will ultimately save you on your energy bill too. Read more

I bought three of these to use for my ball pythons when we were first getting into the hobby. i only ended up using one and it worked great. I used it with heat rope instead of tape at first. Right now it is hooked up to an adult snake rack with heat tape and its working great. The only downfall is in order to be able to monitor it correctly, you have to hang it up which means putting holes in your walls or the rack systems themselves unless you want to pick it up to look at it everyday. it isnt heavy so a thumbtack held mine just fine and it never fell. A plus is, it comes with a metal tipped probe which is a must for reptile use. It is great for a temp heat control source, but if you are going to breed snakes, I would advise getting a herpstat brand or vivarium electronics brand thermostat. for the price and ease of using though, for a beginner hobbyist, these thermostats are good enough. Read more

I am a budding flower farmer, and needed to stretch my dollar as far as I can. These mats were a good choice. I started out with two a month ago, but liked them well enough, I have added two more to the set. Looking at what I still have to do, I will add probably one more to ensure I have enough. I will not hesitate to buy this brand once more. They do an excellent job of maintaining the seed trays at 70 degrees in my 55-60 degree unheated basement. I do use a temp control with them. Four of them cover a 4x8 sheet of plywood perfectly. You can squeeze a fifth tray on the pad, but I am not sure how well the edge trays may stay warm, so I would not put the seeds that have to stay the warmest on the outside. They are durable, and I did have a tray with a significant leak, get water all over on one of them, and had no issues. If you are looking at a relatively dependable mat, without having to spend tons of money, then this is the one! I do recommend getting the controller for seed starting, to ensure that you can maintain the temperature manually. Even with the controller, they are still an economical choice. Read more

I ordered a NEW Thermostat controller, but received an obviously USED & ABUSED unit (DIMPLED LCD power light, DEEP SCRATCHES, SMUDGED & SOILED (food or ??? – yuck!). After submitting requested personal purchase information & a copy of the Amazon receipt by email to iPower, I was immediately sent a replacement – not soiled, although still also somewhat scratched on the face. I’m very satisfied with the cordial & responsive Customer Service. What a pleasure & surprise to not be forced to fight for what I’ve been promised or paid for! So far, after less than one week of use, this thermostat is super simple to use & has performed as represented by the seller/manufacturer. I have a surge protector plugged into the unit controlling power to a large pet heat mat (cat/dog hard plastic design, 90Watts), along with a large heated bird perch (Toucan sized, 9Watts), set at 40 degrees F, used in a 4 cubic ft, insulated chicken coop. The design of the thermostat control unit afforded easy attachment to a convenient, weather protected upright beam on the exterior of the coop. The sensor is dangling in a protected, screened-in area in a lower corner of the enclosed coop. My thermostat is successfully reading ambient air temps in the area of the sensor. The unit’s ‘heating’ light & temperature LCD display indicates that the thermostat opens the circuit at about 39-40 degrees & the two mentioned appliances do indeed provide heat as long as it is colder than 40 degrees. It closes the circuit at about 40-42 degrees, preventing over-heating of the enclosure & eliminating unnecessary electric consumption. I can imagine this little ‘heat’ thermostat being valuable in a wide range of applications where open circuitry is reliant on a specified heat requirement of a specific area. [Obviously, for ‘cooling’ purposes, opposite circuitry would be necessary & a ‘cooling thermostat’ required.] This thermostat simply opens & closes the electric circuit (power to) the ‘plug in’ receptacle molded into the unit’s bottom, according to the one (1) temperature you digitally ‘set’ & is ‘read’ by the specifically positioned sensor ... designed to control power supply based on a ‘near’ temperature (2-3 degree variance) to a specific appliance (more than one appliance if using a multi-plug adapter or surge protector) within ‘total’ safe amp/watt limits. The plug receptor on the unit will even accept a large gooseneck type outdoor 3-way adapter without interfering with the sensor line or power input cords, but this method may prove to be too heavy & susceptible to dislodging. This unit allows my heating appliances to operate (use power) when needed – NOT CONSTANTLY! 24 hr or high constant temp designed heat sources (appliances, such as mine) could cause over-heating & stressing of my cold acclimated hens – not to mention, wasting my time & electricity. Here, in an already frigid (Sept), high altitude, this unit seems to be the solution to better management of my time, as well as (most importantly) safe, happy, healthy & cool (but not frozen) chickens! If it continues to operate with the current (admittedly short term) consistency & quality, this thermostat is a winner! If not, I’ll be back with another honest update & change in ‘coop accommodations!’ Read more