What do you think of your Inkbird controller

shwareefer · Oct 20, 2020

I've been using one for a couple years now and although it is keeping my temperature adequately stable, I find it has a weird quirk. It will be at 78 and turned off and then it will suddenly plunge down to 76.4 (for example) turn back on and then climb back up closer to the 78 degree shutoff all within 20 seconds. It's like a brainfart that it then realizes and corrects. Anyone else got weirdness with their inkbird?

Reefing_addiction · Oct 20, 2020

shwareefer said:
I've been using one for a couple years now and although it is keeping my temperature adequately stable, I find it has a weird quirk. It will be at 78 and turned off and then it will suddenly plunge down to 76.4 (for example) turn back on and then climb back up closer to the 78 degree shutoff all within 20 seconds. It's like a brainfart that it then realizes and corrects. Anyone else got weirdness with their inkbird?

Sounds like it needs to be replaced. Mine doesn’t do that buts it less than a year old. If my temp gauge gets out of the water the temp drops but that’s to be expected.

AcanthurusRex · Oct 20, 2020

One of the newer aquarium specific units with the plastic encapsulated temp sensors?
I re-calibrated the one I am using. Both the Neptune and Inkbird were off, Neptune high, Inkbird low.

Rjmul · Oct 20, 2020

Love it

Reef. · Oct 20, 2020

Love mine too.

Sleeping Giant · Oct 20, 2020

Need to get one

xxkenny90xx · Oct 20, 2020

I've been happy with mine for many years

Reef. · Oct 20, 2020

Sleeping Giant said:
Need to get one

not sure if all models are the same but you need to use heaters with thermostats on them, mine has a setting that can’t be turned off, if the max temp is not reach within 1-72 hours it turns off, thinking there is an issue, to get round this I use the InkbirdSmart for day to day control and then use the heater thermostat as the back up, set slightly higher than tank temp...not sure if that was clear.

Opus · Oct 20, 2020

Reef. said:
not sure if all models are the same but you need to use heaters with thermostats on them, mine has a setting that can’t be turned off, if the max temp is not reach within 1-72 hours it turns off, thinking there is an issue, to get round this I use the InkbirdSmart for day to day control and then use the heater thermostat as the back up, set slightly higher than tank temp...not sure if that was clear.

I bought one during prime days since they had a good sale on them. I asked about it on the thread in the lounge and they didn't know what you were talking about when I brought it up. I haven't hooked it up yet so don't know if that is going to be an issue. If it is I will just use it the way you are using it.

Mical · Oct 20, 2020

I just bought a pair of the 306A (dual heater outlets & dual plastic probes) They're not as accurate as Apex temp probes and wander .2 degrees either direction of the Apexs. But as long as it's only a couple of tenths I can live with that, the Apexs back them up in case of catastrophic failure

zoaprince · Oct 20, 2020

shwareefer said:
I've been using one for a couple years now and although it is keeping my temperature adequately stable, I find it has a weird quirk. It will be at 78 and turned off and then it will suddenly plunge down to 76.4 (for example) turn back on and then climb back up closer to the 78 degree shutoff all within 20 seconds. It's like a brainfart that it then realizes and corrects. Anyone else got weirdness with their inkbird?

yes I've seen the same issue. it's on most of the time, but if for some reason it gets turned off, when I turn it back on the temperature is never the same. It usually only moves around <.5 degrees though. Yours is more extreme.

HockeyRooster · Oct 20, 2020

On to my second inkbird and only because I wanted a wifi unit. Both work great!

shwareefer · Oct 20, 2020

I was just looking through my amazon order history and I bought this Feb 2019, not even 2 years then. It's ITC-306T. As I said, it maintains the temperature but just does this weird display change on a regular basis. You can watch it count down really fast and click on, then climb back up.

Mical · Oct 20, 2020

shwareefer said:
I was just looking through my amazon order history and I bought this Feb 2019, not even 2 years then. It's ITC-306T. As I said, it maintains the temperature but just does this weird display change on a regular basis. You can watch it count down really fast and click on, then climb back up.

It's a timer that you can set different temps day & night -> https://www.ink-bird.com/products-temperature-controller-itc306t.html

Reef. · Oct 20, 2020

Opus said:
I bought one during prime days since they had a good sale on them. I asked about it on the thread in the lounge and they didn't know what you were talking about when I brought it up. I haven't hooked it up yet so don't know if that is going to be an issue. If it is I will just use it the way you are using it.

not all models are the same, mine is the 306a, it has a safety device on it were if the set temp is not reacted within a user set margin of 1 hour to 72 hours it turns off, this means you can’t use the Inkbird as a last fail safe, as if you did the set temp would only be met if the heater failed in the on position, so I use the inkbird to control the tank temp so the set temp is reached within the time limit and the heater’s thermostat set sightless higher than tank temp, then becomes the fail safe.

Opus · Oct 20, 2020

Reef. said:
not all models are the same, mine is the 306a, it has a safety device on it were if the set temp is not reacted within a user set margin of 1 hour to 72 hours it turns off, this means you can’t use the Inkbird as a last fail safe, as if you did the set temp would only be met if the heater failed in the on position, so I use the inkbird to control the tank temp so the set temp is reached within the time limit and the heater’s thermostat set sightless higher than tank temp, then becomes the fail safe.

That is what I bought. He swore it worked as a fail safe. It doesn't matter to me which way I have it setup as long as there is a fail safe.

Mical · Oct 20, 2020

I have my 306As set at - low 78 deg, high at 78.5 my Apex(s) are set at low 77.5 and high at 80.0 and between both tanks they're averaging 78.33 & 78.41 over a one week period.

josephxsxn · Oct 20, 2020

Used a few 306T with the metal probes for a while. Got a new 306A with the dual probes for my new build. Very happy with this brand as a whole.

#Edit
See my comment later in this thread, I dont use the Dual Probe 306A anymore.