Now that I have a temporary greenhouse that looks like it will stay up through the winter (watch this be the year we get a 12" snowfall that collapses it), I just checked and am really surprised at how warm it is in there. 25F outside and 41F (maybe slightly higher) inside. I'm now interested in getting a simple old-fashioned, non-digital min/max thermometer to put in there so I don't have to go check the temps 4 times a day.
Any suggestions? Any specific style to avoid? I really just want something cheap, but something that will last a few years. I also don't want to have to change batteries (hence the non-digital requirement).
I'm still trying to figure out from some photos I've seen how exactly these min/max thermometers work. Looks like magic.
Alan, I have one I don't like - what I don't like about it they all share. You have to shake the living crap out of it to reset the recorded min/max readings. I put mine in the greenhouse since I don't care to record that data there, but had originally bought it for outdoor temp recording. The shakedown was annoying enough that I replaced it with a digital one. They are not cheap either, in the range of $25.
My observations on my 2 layer plastic with air blown in between poly tunnel - on a sunny day the temp may go 40+ degrees above outdoors; at night the difference is more like 5 degrees after several hours of darkness but I do not see frost or light soil freeze for several hours after that. I've learned that I have little chance of soil freeze unless outdoor temps go below +20F at night and it is not sunny the next AM so I don't turn my heater on unless teens are expected for lows. With my 11,000 btu heater, it will generally maintain a temp around 20F higher than outdoors and this hoop house is 20x24x12. This morning for example the hoop house was +36F and outdoors it was probably around +14F. I had turned the heater on around 11PM and the sun was not yet a factor.
I saw one that had a "reset button" but looked non-electronic ?? Also one that used a magnet to reset it.
Ok, going to the other end of the spectrum, what about digital stations with wireless transmitting sensors? One of those that can support at least 2 sensors (one for in the greenhouse, one for outside) would be cool too. Anybody have experience with these?
I use one of the La Crosse Technology wireless weather stations which has a range of 300ft and 3 sensors along with humidity, wind, pressure and history and I've never had any problems with it.
I've seen weather stations in department stores, or convenience stores such as CVS that sell for about 10-20$, but I would recommend something semi-decent so that it lasts. Many of them have multiple sensors and sensors built into the main frame.
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The sensors were pretty much indestructible. My base station eventually stopped communicating with the sensors, but that was after many years of abuse.
