Warmer cabinet question

[Pete D]

Probably obvious but not too me.
I have acquired a warmer cabinet with a light, fan and a digital temp display.
I have set it to 47 and it runs quite nicely but it keeps bleeping all the bloody time. What am I doing wrong.
Thanks Pete

 

[Pete D]

Forgot this.

 

[oliver90owner]

Pete,

I think you omitted reading all the instructions. It should tell you what circumstances will cause the bleeping? If it doesn't, then ask the vendor is my advice.

RAB

 

[Pete D]

Thanks Rab, however I have no instructions and the cabinet formed part of a load of bee stuff collected from a gent in Lincolnshire who was giving up. It's a home made cabinet. I can't find his phone number anymore as I got it several months ago and have only now used it. A it seems to work fine just keeps bloody bleeping.
Thanks

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Mine did that for a while - for some reason it wouldn't read the temperature and kept alarming under/over heat - it's an STCW unit by the looks of it - on the way to the Royal Welsh in a minute - when I get home tonight I'll try and dig out the instructions and scan them for you. (they don't say much though!!

 

[oliver90owner]

Have you tried turning the set point a) exactly to and b) below the actual? There may be an alarm setting for x degrees above or below, that needs setting wider?

An alternative controller from China (STC 1000) are cheap. Bought a couple in the last year and neither were much over a tenner delivered and they were dual contacts (heating and cooling). If that controller was designed for vivarium use, it may well be telling you your reptile is too warm!

Yet another suggestion is to find the transducer and snip the connection!

You could always turn your ears off (earplugs, earmuffs or headphones?), move it out of audible range, or sit something adjacent that drowns out the beeping (ghetto blaster type of thing?).

You are probably luckier than me - I can't hear much at high frequencies, so it likely wouldn't bother me. (And no, I won't swap it for one of mine - they are used for brewing/vintnering!)

RAB

 

[Hawklord]

I've used reptile thermostats with alarm systems. Usually an alarm goes off if the heater can't reach the desired temp or its too cold when initial switch on therefore takes too long to warm up. Heater failure and also If the temps outside are higher than the set temp on the stat. Hope this helps.

 

[Pete D]

thanks for replies, as normal on here I didn't give you enough info in the original post.
When it alarms out it is always a degree or so below set temp, it alarms by giving a single short bleep repeatedly for about a minute, towards the end of this minute the bleeps change and it gives a few shorter bleeps and then it stops. When it alarms the fan stops and I assume the bulb goes out as the temperature drops a degree or so.
Thinking about it I have never seen it reach the set temperature so maybe it is as you say alarming because it is taking to long to achieve target.
I will drop the set temp a few degrees and see if the alarming stops.

If that doesn't work I will go with Rabs suggestion that my reptile is too cold.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

thanks for replies, as normal on here I didn't give you enough info in the original post.
When it alarms out it is always a degree or so below set temp, it alarms by giving a single short bleep repeatedly for about a minute, towards the end of this minute the bleeps change and it gives a few shorter bleeps and then it stops. When it alarms the fan stops and I assume the bulb goes out as the temperature drops a degree or so.
Thinking about it I have never seen it reach the set temperature so maybe it is as you say alarming because it is taking to long to achieve target.
I will drop the set temp a few degrees and see if the alarming stops.

If that doesn't work I will go with Rabs suggestion that my reptile is too cold.

If the lamp is the source of heat and it's not reaching set point try a higher wattage lamp. Input must exceed losses for the controller to be able to function.

 

[itma]

Forgot this. {photo}

Thanks Rab, however I have no instructions ... it seems to work fine just keeps bloody bleeping.
Thanks

It looks like it might be this one,made by Willhi.
Instructions PDF http://www.biopowered.co.uk/w/images/8/88/WH7016C_instructions.pdf

However, it doesn't mention a buzzer!
But it does mention all sorts of limits, and it might be that you are getting the alarm as you approach/hit a limit. Which you might do if you were controlling it by the limits, rather than the proper setting and hysteresis controls ...
I'd think that you'd be wanting the hysteresis set to minimum, 1 degree C. (I run my STC1000 with the equivalent setting at 0.3°C.

 

[oliver90owner]

Those instructions suggest there is, or can be, a time delay between the controller calling for power and actually closing the contacts - normally only used for fridges which have compressors which need a time delay between motor starts. The buzzer may be a warning during that delay period? The delay should be set at zero for heating applications, as there is no motor to start. Your controller is for heating or cooling, dependent on programming, so it could have been set up wrongly.

Just guessing here.

Regards, RAB