# Inkbird ITC-308S Review



## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Glad to see another review from a different user! 
But then that may bring up a question. I may have gotten a slightly different version than you. When you mentioned changing the probe, I thought I might have missed a small point so went to check. I don't find my unit has a way to change the probe without opening the case. You have a plug in your probe cord? Maybe an update already. 
But while thinking about this idea, I learned a small point on the alarms. I may have read it in the instructions but I set off the high temp alarm while standing there holding it and did not know how to silence the alarm or if it reset automatically. While thinking where the directions were and wondering if I needed to push a button, etc. the probe cooled and the alarm went silent. 
The alarm level is reasonable but not one that helps my thinking ! 

Note: The directions say I could have just pushed any button to silence the alarm!


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Mine has a plug about an inch below the case of the unit and the probe cable unplugs. Looks like a stereo jack.

Bump: @PlantedRich I get home tonight I will snag a pic of the plug and post it.

Bump: It appears mine is the S model


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Another small item I had missed. I was not fully aware of the options and you do have a different item with your set. both seem to work well and options are always a good plan for me. thanks for the review and pointing out there are options.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

PlantedRich said:


> Another small item I had missed. I was not fully aware of the options and you do have a different item with your set. both seem to work well and options are always a good plan for me. thanks for the review and pointing out there are options.


I actually find the replaceable sensor to be one of the biggest pluses this particular unit has. I think in some of your diy controller thread you mentioned sensor failure. I have yet to experienced a sensor failure but considering the environment, especially if the unit is being used in a saltwater setup, the possibility for sensor failure is there.

I have the unit setup on the tank it is going on. Temperature out of the box is aligned with the mechanical thermometer I have in the aquarium. I filled the tank with cold water so I could test the low alarm and it worked as expected and was loud enough to hear clearly. Later this week I will have the hood and cooling array on and will see how that works.

SO far I must say I am pleased with this unit. Setup was a snap and the instructions were easy to understand. I went straight to the menu flow chart and used that to guide me through the setup. It couldnt have been easier.


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

I just received the 306t today. 

I have a couple questions. It has you set a temp differential so it seems to me in needs to drop by the set differential before it kicks in? Mine doesn't go lower than 1° so does that mean my tank has to constantly be heating and losing that 1°? Doesn't seem very consistent for the fish. 

Second is how accurate do you find yours? I recently bought a really inexpensive digital thermometer to try and verify the temp reading from my fluval g6. The digital thermometer reads about half a ° higher than the G6 and the ink bird is reading a full degree higher than the digital. 

What do you guys use to calibrate yours? What's the most accurate? Just a regular thermometer like mom used to use? 

Thanks


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Plantednoob7 



> It has you set a temp differential so it seems to me in needs to drop by the set differential before it kicks in? Mine doesn't go lower than 1° so does that mean my tank has to constantly be heating and losing that 1°? Doesn't seem very consistent for the fish.


These units are a multipurpose device. They allow you to set a differential as to when the heat kicks on. If you set the heat differential to 1 degree that means the heater will be turned on when it drops 1 degree lower than means temp. So if you set the mean, or target if you will, temp at 75 the heater will turn on at 74 and will heat the tank to 75 then turn off keeping the tank with in 1 degree of target. I'm curious what you find inconsistent about it? I have had heater controllers on all my tanks and during the winter they stay within one degree of the target temp, very consistent in my book. 



> Second is how accurate do you find yours? I recently bought a really inexpensive digital thermometer to try and verify the temp reading from my fluval g6. The digital thermometer reads about half a ° higher than the G6 and the ink bird is reading a full degree higher than the digital.


I dont have your controller I will need to look it up but the 308 has a calibration that allows you to adjust the temperature. I tested my itc-1000 against a digital cooking thermometer and they were within 1 degree. The 308S I reviewed here I measured against a mechanical thermometer, a standard glass suction cup aquarium thermometer, and it was within 1 degree. If you try a few different thermometers and they are within 1 degree I would call it good. These devices arent made for performing critical scientific measurements. In my opinion we're looking for consistency and they provide that. 



> What do you guys use to calibrate yours? What's the most accurate? Just a regular thermometer like mom used to use?


I used a digital cooking thermometer and I also have a spare heater controller I use. Like I said if you are using two thermometers and they are within a degree or so I would call it good. In your case if I was to do anything I would split the difference between the g6 and the digital, calibrate to that temp and call it good.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

The price point on these seem rather good.

That being said I would not mind one of the new Seneye monitors.










There are three versions of the Seneye, with potentially more on the way. Current choices are the Home model, the Pond model, or the Reef model

All models test for ammonia, temperature, water level, lighting and pH, and record near continuously. The unit communicates with Seneye online every 30 minutes or so and if anything appears wrong you’ll get an email or text letting you know what the problem is.

But these units are between $90 to $150 each, and that is without the wireless module.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/content.php?sid=4491


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

thedood said:


> @Plantednoob7
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Thanks so much for all your answers. I think I was just overthinking the whole thing. You are quite right 1° of accuracy is great. I was thinking of the heater as maintaining a constant temp but obviously it does not. 

Much appreciated. 

If and when the probe wears out on this one I would go with the one with replaceable probe. That's a great feature. 

I must say I do love the bright display mounted to the back of my cabinet.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Plantednoob7 Thanks for reminding me of something I want to add to this and I am glad to have helped! Another feature I like is the dual display of target temp and environment actual temp. The dual display rocks in my book.


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

thedood said:


> @Plantednoob7 Thanks for reminding me of something I want to add to this and I am glad to have helped! Another feature I like is the dual display of target temp and environment actual temp. The dual display rocks in my book.


Agreed! 

Was looking at one of the finnex controls before stumbling across this device. Great device imo for the price. 

Do you Max your heater or just a few degrees above the controller set point? I believe my heater may be off by a couple ° so I had to raise it


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I raise mine by a degree or two. Not to much, if there is a malfunction on the sensor or something I dont want fish soup.

It is a great device for the cost and I have had good luck with the itc-1000 units I had prior to the itc-308s/


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I may work it a bit different on which to let do the most work. Both the heater and the controllers have set points to control the temperature. That leaves us letting one be the first line, switching on and off and the second as a fail-safe. Which we each use probably makes little difference other than the first line unit will get a bit more wear than the second. Just because I already had my heater adjusted to the temperature I like, I set my controller as the backup. In using the controllers, I find they are much more flexible in what I can tell it to do. The heater can be set to a point like 76 but I can't adjust how far it lets the heat move off that point. Since my tank temperature tends to drift slightly due to difference in room temps, I like to set the controller and then I can adjust the limits on it. With being able to adjust how far off the temp drifts before it turns heat or cooling on, I can let my tank drift enough to cover normal day to day swings but still be ready to shut it down if the heater sticks. Most likely I would get the same result if I fiddled with the heater adjustment but the controller lets me do it much easier. On the cooling fan I have no control at all so the controller will do all the switching for that. 
My limited effort thinking lets me set the temp, set the difference and then set the alarm a couple points higher. Just seems to flow easier than fiddle with the heater which I know is a pain to get set to an exact point. 
My larger tank is more stable so I may be a bit spoiled but I now expect to see 76.4 on the controller pretty much all the time except when the room is warm. Knowing thermometers, I know that this may actually be 77.4 or 75.4 but that doesn't bother me a bit because before I went to this type controller, I was looking a the red line in a thermometer and trying to guess which line it was near! 
To calibrate the temp reading, I used four liquid type thermometer and took a more or less "average" as correct. When shopping for those I look at several on the shelf and take one that reads in the middle of the group???? Consistent, they are not!


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@PlantedRich has demonstrated very well that there are a few strategies one can employ using these controllers which is nice because it means they can be somewhat flexible. One advantage to his strategy is much less wear and tear on the heater from turning on and off if I am reading this correctly.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

thedood said:


> @PlantedRich has demonstrated very well that there are a few strategies one can employ using these controllers which is nice because it means they can be somewhat flexible. One advantage to his strategy is much less wear and tear on the heater from turning on and off if I am reading this correctly.


I expect that is true that the heater will last longer. I know my heater uses a mechanical switch on the AC portion as I can hear it click. That click is a relay closing. I use a type heater that has the controls and relay outside the heating tube and it is far larger than those that would fit inside the glass. I know that relays that have larger contacts will often last longer than tiny contacts. 
But even with the larger contacts, I'm pretty sure there is still a certain amount of wear on those contacts. Just guessing as I have not looked but I assume the Inkbird will be using a solid state circuit to switch the power. With contacts to burn in the heater and none in the controller, I feel letting the controller do most of the switching might be better.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

PlantedRich said:


> I expect that is true that the heater will last longer. I know my heater uses a mechanical switch on the AC portion as I can hear it click. That click is a relay closing. I use a type heater that has the controls and relay outside the heating tube and it is far larger than those that would fit inside the glass. I know that relays that have larger contacts will often last longer than tiny contacts.
> But even with the larger contacts, I'm pretty sure there is still a certain amount of wear on those contacts. Just guessing as I have not looked but I assume the Inkbird will be using a solid state circuit to switch the power. With contacts to burn in the heater and none in the controller, I feel letting the controller do most of the switching might be better.


Thanks for the tip. I have a few months before it will cool down enough for my heaters to start kicking on again. I may be rethinking my strategy.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Were you in the bunch that had to get out to clean the points on cars? You know what I mean about taking care of those contact points, if you are. 
We may fuss about the way new cars are made but that may be due to selective memory. The first few cars that came out and people couldn't reach the sparkplugs, took some flack before we all woke up one day and found we didn't need to change the spark plugs and it was okay to not know how to open the hood!


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

Noticed something odd today. 

Inkbird, fluval g6 & digital thermometer in tank are all reading 82.5. Set point at 83 on inkbird. I see a green led on heater control indicating power but no red for hearing. I bumped up heater control a couple degrees. Heater kicked on then off shortly thereafter. I cranked heater to max of 92 to see what would happen and same thing... 

I know the heater has a rating of +/- 2°. I don't know why suddenly it has been hooked to inkbird it could be reading so far off... Possibly just coincidence?? All equipment is about 16 weeks old. Heater is a finnex hma 300. On the assumption the heater is going bad what would you guys recommend. I really like the "hob" control of this heater. It's mounted in my stand along with the inkbird. 

Tank is 75G planted discus tank. Trying to keep temp 82-83. With the discus accurate and consistent temp is very important. 

Thanks ahead of time


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

PlantedRich said:


> Were you in the bunch that had to get out to clean the points on cars? You know what I mean about taking care of those contact points, if you are.
> We may fuss about the way new cars are made but that may be due to selective memory. The first few cars that came out and people couldn't reach the sparkplugs, took some flack before we all woke up one day and found we didn't need to change the spark plugs and it was okay to not know how to open the hood!


My project car is a 78 beetle


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Nordic said:


> My project car is a 78 beetle


Let me be sure of a couple things first, please. 
You have the heater power cord plugged into the outlet of the Inkbird and the Inkbird set for 83? 

In this setup the Inkbird will only provide power to the heater until it reaches the limit that you have set for the temp to rise above the setpoint. If the set is 76 with your differential set to 2, the heater will only get power until the temp reaches 78 and then it will be disconnected. Not sure of which lights you are looking at but if I understand right, turning the heater control higher will not let it go past the limit set on the controller. 

Correct me if I'm not getting the right idea of how you are set.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

@Plantednoob7 I think Rich quoted the wrong post, just tagged to alert you to his response...


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Plantednoob7 If the light is green on the heater then the inkbird is supplying power and the heater is in the temp is ok mode so it isnt heating. Set the target temp on the inkbird to 83 and the heat differential to 1 and see how it behaves. I would turn the heater itself down some, if something goes wrong you dont want to cook your fish.

Bump:


PlantedRich said:


> Were you in the bunch that had to get out to clean the points on cars? You know what I mean about taking care of those contact points, if you are.
> We may fuss about the way new cars are made but that may be due to selective memory. The first few cars that came out and people couldn't reach the sparkplugs, took some flack before we all woke up one day and found we didn't need to change the spark plugs and it was okay to not know how to open the hood!


I havent gotten away from points yet. I have a riding more that has points but I do plan on converting it to solid state. Same with my Harley. I have a 35 year old sportster I am restoring and I will be converting it to tunable electronic ignition.


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

PlantedRich said:


> Nordic said:
> 
> 
> > My project car is a 78 beetle
> ...


Yes heater plugged to inkbird with inkbird set to 83. When the tank temp drops to 82 the inkbird supplies power to heater with my differential being 1°. My understanding is setting differential to 1° inkbird will supply power to heater once the temp drops 1° below set temp. Am incorrect? 

Ie set to 83. Drops to 82. Heater comes on until inkbird reads temp of tank as 83 then turns heater off. 

My issue is that inkbird is sending power to heater but heater itself is not heating due to heater thermostat. I initially set my heater thermostat to a couple degrees higher than 83 to allow for some differential between the inkbird and heater readings. 

Basically inkbird is sending power to heater to achieve 83 but my heater thinks it's warmer than 83 so heater has power but not heating. 

What is odd is I now have to set heater to much higher than inkbird set point so that it will heat when inkbird calls for heat. May be just coincidence in timing of installing the inkbird that my heater is not reading temp properly. 

Thinking heater may need to be replaced even though its only a few months old. 

Suggestions on quality reliable heaters?


Afterthought: I think what I will try first is playing with my heater location. Trying to put it in a position where I can get more return flow across it. Then I can play with location of inkbird probe and also the digital therm probe. I'm assuming the temp reading from my filter is most accurate as it is reading water flow through the filter rather than a static reading.


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## Nordic (Nov 11, 2003)

Check if your heater has an adjustment/calibration screw inside. That is, if you can twist the top off.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I am likely to be missing when I said it came on to let it go one degree higher. I believe it does come on when the temp goes one degree LOW. On cooling it works the other way. What I did was just leave the heater at the temperature it ran on before. I was happy with the way it worked, so adding the controller just gives me a second line of protection from any failure. The heat doesn't vary any more than before but one item or the other will keep any single failure from overheating the tank. 
The Dood and I were discussing whether it makes sense to use the controller as the main switching and let the heater not kick on and off as often. Probably does make some sense to do it that way but it is a pretty "techie" point that may not make a whole large amount of difference, if we can get heaters that last. 
I took a look at that heater and think I see what you mean on the green and red lights. It does look like the green LED on the heater control box should be on when the temperature controller is feeding power. Power getting to the heater, in other words. So if you then turn the dial up, the red LED should come on and stay as long as the heater is providing heat. 
I would just let it settle for a while and watch the temperature on another thermometer to try to determine if it is a heater not working right or it may be just that it needs to settle into the normal for longer.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Plantednoob7 What brand heater are you using? I personally have switched to aquaeon pro heaters and have good luck with them and they have an excellent warranty. My house gets cold in the winter so a good, reliable heater is critical. I am wondering if there is a temp differential between the probe of the Inkbird and the heater itself causing this issue. Can you try placing the inkbird probe near the heater itself assuming it isnt already?


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

Thanks for all the input and suggestions guys. Much appreciated. 

I am pretty sure the issue is with my heater. For whatever reason it is not reading the correct temp. 

Including the inkbird I have three other temp readings that are contrary to what the heater is "thinking." 

I also have come to realize that having a titanium heater without some sort of guard on it is prob not the safest thing for the fish. 

I decided to go with this heater here

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B001...&keywords=fluval+e+300-watt+electronic+heater


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@Plantednoob7 Whats the warranty on that if I may ask? If you havent ordered yet might I suggest a look at the Aqueon Pro? They have a life time warranty granted without the bells and whistles of the fluval.


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

Says 5 years. 

I was considering the aqueon but didn't see an option for the free prime one day shipping, although now I do. I'll give the fluval a try and see how it works. I've never had an issue returning things to Amazon so I think I'll give it a go.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Whew! Ever get the feeling things are getting out of control? Yesterday was my day. For some, Weds. is hump day. For me it is the day when everything I screwed up last week and all I may screw up next week meet and want attention! 
Sorry for any confusion/ misleading thoughts on how the setting works.
When looking for a "best" heater, I'm still looking. I had settled on the Via-aqua even though I ran into several at the start which were bad out of the box. I really like the way the controls were outside the heater tube. Built much like the one you were using. Rather than look at brand or even try to sort through reviews, I try to look for design on heaters. 
I do a lot of checking why electo-mech stuff fails. Instead of actually working, I look at other people's work!!! 
So part of that has lead me to believe that the basic design of many heaters is not too good. Metal glows around 400 degrees in many cases, so when we see a tank heater with a glowing coil, I think of how hot it has to be in that little 1" tube. So if we put the electronics in that tube and heat it to close to 400 degrees with a tiny wad of insulation to protect it, that doesn't look good for electronics to last. Heat and water are about the worst thing for electronics so I like to see them moved away from both heat and water. Putting them outside also lets them design the parts so that they can work rather than what will last in hot/wet and small space. I like the box on the back where it doesn't require a good seal to keep water out. It's hard to make a seal last when it has an adjustment shaft running through it. 

But now, I'm back to shopping for a good heater as the one I had picked is no longer to be found?


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@PlantedRich What surprises me is how long some of these heaters actually last. You make some excellent points about what extremes these devices actually go through. I may get one of the finnex heaters minus the controllers and test it to see how I like it. Something like this: Won Brothers HT Titanium Heating Element


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I have not done the heater search lately and it varies a lot so I will be doing some shopping at some point---again! 
I see nothing wrong with the titanium tube being exposed as I have fish who will not get stuck where the long term heat would hurt them. But I would still like to keep with having two sets of controls as a safety. 
I like the way the Won Brothers is sealed but would want the extra controls. 
I just did a quickie search and found this might be close to what I like. Might want to find one at a lower wattage as I don't need that much heat and too much is just a danger potential for me. That's where we all need to watch a tank for some time to see how much heat we really need. I'm getting lots from lights and filters with an enclosed canopy and two filters under the stand. Plus I never expect room temp to go below 60-65 at lowest. 
ViaAqua 300-Watt ViaAqua LED Titanium Heater CA73337 @ Fish Tanks Direct

I like the ones I have now and they seem to be lasting now once they got a better quality control going. One thing that leads me toward this one is the temperature reading probe is on a different cord so that I can put it off to the side so that I feel I'm reading the tank rather than just what is close to the heater. 
For the Finnex titanium users, how does it read the temp? Separate probe on a cord or internal? 

I'm not needing a heater right now as I'm cutting back on tanks rather than expanding but I feel sure it will come around again soon enough.


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

I'm assuming the finnex reads the temp internally which may be part of the problem. There is no external probe. 

I install pool automation systems all the time and the temp sensors always goes in the pipe right after the pump. 

Pool heater thermostat is also on the outside, on the header of the heat exchanger, screwed into the pipe. 

Obviously the flow of water would give a more accurate reading than a reading inside of a heating tube. I actually have my finnex control set at about 88 to maintain the 83° I want. 

I actually touched the titanium tube on my finnex yesterday for a split second and it was HOT. 

My discus often like to hang out in the back of the tank in the area of the heater. I'm sure they would move faster than it would take them to get burned but still a little sketchy. Especially as the dominant ones are chasing the others and sometimes into the corner. 

I'll hang on to the finnex but going to give the fluval a try and see how it performs.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Interesting! I don't think I've ever really held my heaters while they were running and under the water so I can't really say if they would burn or not. I guess it never came to mind as a hazard. I know they get hot if you lay them down on a table and then power them up! I had it on a power strip and turned off but then I wanted some light to see!! WHOOPS!


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

PlantedRich said:


> Interesting! I don't think I've ever really held my heaters while they were running and under the water so I can't really say if they would burn or not. I guess it never came to mind as a hazard. I know they get hot if you lay them down on a table and then power them up! I had it on a power strip and turned off but then I wanted some light to see!! WHOOPS!


LOL Whoops indeed.


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

Got the fluval heater today.

First thing I notice is that its a really tall heater. I have it prob 2" off the substrate and there is about 4" above it to the top of the tank. 

Other thing I notice is that the temp reading is definitely more on par with the other thermometers I'm using. 

I'd definitely say the finnex was wayyyyy off. Don't know if it was one bad unit or possibly the design.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I had a random thought last night that might be interesting to look over. But may be totally off the wall! 
No idea of what is in the Finnex so just random thoughts. Could you run a test to see if moving the Finnex away from the controller or running it alone would help the temperature question. 
There's and old theory type thing that I see happen on rare times where one electronics item can be putting out random interference that can be picked up by other items. (EMI?) Remember the cars that used to run away that we had for a while? I suspect they put better shielding around the brains! 
I ran into this with a Via-Aqua that I had mounted next to the ballast on a tube light. It would not settle down but just kept going on/ off until I moved it away. 
Maybe not a bad heater but two items that don't like each other? How lucky do you feel today?


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@PlantedRich I had this same issue you describe with a finnex controller. I had forgotten all about it. In my case the issue was caused by an lcd tv. The temp on it would jump around from 68 to 85 to 74 etc etc. I had forgotten about that until you mentioned it. Good thinking.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

With all of us being surrounded by all kinds of different frequencies almost everywhere we go it's something of a wonder things work as well as they do. 
Now the big question may be if he kept the one he thought was defective and can test? Or he may have already tried it without the controller and it really was going bad going bad.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

In heater shopping I cam across this small bit in the Neotherm heater info. 
Cut and copy from their site: 

SPECIAL NOTE for use with Aquarium Controllers:
APEX users: Please be sure to plug your Neo-Therm into plug 4 or 8.
Digital Aquatics users: Neo-Therms can be plugged into any port without issue.

EMI or RFI are much the same with different names but we might learn to call them something else if they start messing with our heaters? It's when one gizmo starts talking to another gizmo when you don't want them to communicate at all?


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

PlantedRich said:


> In heater shopping I cam across this small bit in the Neotherm heater info.
> Cut and copy from their site:
> 
> SPECIAL NOTE for use with Aquarium Controllers:
> ...


I nominate the word fubar lol. Excellent find.


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

PlantedRich said:


> I had a random thought last night that might be interesting to look over. But may be totally off the wall!
> No idea of what is in the Finnex so just random thoughts. Could you run a test to see if moving the Finnex away from the controller or running it alone would help the temperature question.
> There's and old theory type thing that I see happen on rare times where one electronics item can be putting out random interference that can be picked up by other items. (EMI?) Remember the cars that used to run away that we had for a while? I suspect they put better shielding around the brains!
> I ran into this with a Via-Aqua that I had mounted next to the ballast on a tube light. It would not settle down but just kept going on/ off until I moved it away.
> Maybe not a bad heater but two items that don't like each other? How lucky do you feel today?



So after having the fluval heater for a few days I noticed a few things. 

First off it reads right on par with my G6 and digital thermometer in the tank. 

Secondly I tried playing with location. In some locations the heater will give me a "low-flow" code. When the low flow code is displayed the temp reading on heater is higher than the actual tank temp. 

I think the main issue with the finnex titanium tube heater is the way the temp is read. 

So far I find the fluval is working well. 

On top of that I changed the way I am using my inkbird. I am using more as a heater overheat control rather than the heater control. 

Instead of powering the heater off and on I set the set point a couple degrees higher than my desires temp with a differential of 2°

So far I like the combo


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I am thinking of doing the same thing with my setups. I forget does your inkbird have a cooling side @Plantednoob7?


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

So far, I'm liking the Inkbird. Using it with a 300 watt Hydor inline on a 57 gallon aquarium. I used three digital thermometers to calibrate the Inkbird to their average. One of the thermometers was compared to the house thermostat, just in case. I set the differential to .5 celsius and at the basement temperature, the heater runs for 30 minutes to go back up to 28 celsius. Really cool to be able to see the temperature from across the room.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

hbosman said:


> So far, I'm liking the Inkbird. Using it with a 300 watt Hydor inline on a 57 gallon aquarium. I used three digital thermometers to calibrate the Inkbird to their average. One of the thermometers was compared to the house thermostat, just in case. I set the differential to .5 celsius and at the basement temperature, the heater runs for 30 minutes to go back up to 28 celsius. Really cool to be able to see the temperature from across the room.


I'm the same way. The readouts on these are pretty nice. The alarms works well too and are clearly audible.


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

I set the low alarm to 24 c and the high alarm to 32 c. I hadn't tested the alarms yet though. Curious to see if I can hear it from upstairs.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

hbosman said:


> I set the low alarm to 24 c and the high alarm to 32 c. I hadn't tested the alarms yet though. Curious to see if I can hear it from upstairs.


If the space is open and there are no closed doors then maybe. I can hear mine pretty well until I shut the doors. Its not blazing loud like for example a smoke detector.


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

Some models do. Some do not. Be sure to check if that's a function you desire. I chose for one without as I do not need the cooling function


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## Plantednoob7 (Feb 4, 2016)

Plantednoob7 said:


> Some models do. Some do not. Be sure to check if that's a function you desire. I chose for one without as I do not need the cooling function





thedood said:


> I am thinking of doing the same thing with my setups. I forget does your inkbird have a cooling side @Plantednoob7?



Forgot to link


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

I was thinking of getting the one without cooling function as well but, user rating wasn't as high and I couldn't determine if you could adjust the differential setting to less than 1 degree. I've set mine to .5 for instance.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I'm not sure. My house gets hot so I stick with the controllers with the cooling option. I cant remember if the 308s allows less than a degree increments on differentials, I will have to look tonight.


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

thedood said:


> I'm not sure. My house gets hot so I stick with the controllers with the cooling option. I cant remember if the 308s allows less than a degree increments on differentials, I will have to look tonight.


Yeah, I have the 308s and differential set to .5. you can set it in .1 degree increments if you want.


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## inkbird (May 18, 2016)

ITC-308 Series and ITC-310T are with alarm function when the temperature is over and the sensor is Error. But ITC-306T is without the alarm functiom. Pls pay more attention to this.


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## Axelrodi202 (Jul 29, 2008)

Would this be able to control multiple heaters by using an extension cord in the heating outlet?


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

Axelrodi202 said:


> Would this be able to control multiple heaters by using an extension cord in the heating outlet?


I'm running 2x250 watt on one. The one i have is rated at 1000 watts. Yes you can just dont exceed 1000 watts. I think @PlantedRich said his was good for 1200. The paper work on this model is 1000.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Axelrodi202 said:


> Would this be able to control multiple heaters by using an extension cord in the heating outlet?


Definite yes on this! But then do look at making sure the extension cord will do the job. I think most any cord will carry 1000-1200 watts but check the wire size and how far if you are getting real close. 
I've not got any tanks that will need more than 1000WAttS of heat!!
But then this little gizmo has several other uses around my place. In my area, most houses are built on concrete slabs with the water lines in the floor. So that means the hot water can't be well insulated and the water in the line gets pretty cold. I use a temperature controller to control a small circulation pump to avoid running so much time and water to get warm water to the shower. Instead of running the pump full time to keep the water ready, this lets me run it only when the temperature of the water gets low enough to kick the pump on. 
They would certainly make solar heating water or air much easier to set up.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

I just received a 308S and it is neat to say the least. Has there been any unanswered questions on functionality thus far?


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

After using my 308s for two weeks, I have no complaints. Very easy to change settings. The only thing is, i would have "preferred" two heat plugs vs. one heat, one cooling. But I can use a dual plug adapter or extension cord with multiple plugs, as long as it's rated for at least 10 amps. the other model controllers don't have the changeable heat probe and differential settings I believe. Anyway, awesome product. Great to see temperature from across the basement.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

hbosman said:


> After using my 308s for two weeks, I have no complaints. Very easy to change settings. The only thing is, i would have "preferred" two heat plugs vs. one heat, one cooling. But I can use a dual plug adapter or extension cord with multiple plugs, as long as it's rated for at least 10 amps. the other model controllers don't have the changeable heat probe and differential settings I believe. Anyway, awesome product. Great to see temperature from across the basement.


Are you using the cooling side?


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## hbosman (Oct 5, 2006)

thedood said:


> Are you using the cooling side?


No, not at all. My basement is the coolest room in the house. The hydor inline heater is turned on quite regularly, event this time of year. Controller is set at 28 C (82.4 F) with a differential of .5 C.


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## thedood (May 30, 2015)

hbosman said:


> No, not at all. My basement is the coolest room in the house. The hydor inline heater is turned on quite regularly, event this time of year. Controller is set at 28 C (82.4 F) with a differential of .5 C.


No big deal if that output gets covered up. I have to use an extension cord for my cooling because the power supply is to big.


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