Need suggestions on Temp Sensor housing

[edlentz]

I want to set this system up to monitor my heating system and possibly control it in the near future.  I have several of the sensors hanging out all over the house, but they are just that, hanging off the wire.  What do yu guys use to house these small temp sensors?  I have a Stadler Viega sensor housing that is about 1/2" thick x 1.5" x 1.5" approx.  Pretty much the size I want, but I can't seem to find anything like it.
 
Thanks in advance for and help

 

[Tschmidt]

Most of the 18B20 1-wire sensors I use are premade cable assemblies. Some have threaded fitting for water temperature immersion. In our greenhouse I mounted a naked TO-92 sensor in a discarded small equipment chassis to protect it from physical damage.
 
/tom

 

[CAI_Support]

On eBay there are a lot of stainless steel pre-wired DS18B20 temp sensors for really good price.  We brought some and they seem working fine.  On the D18B20 temp sensor, the temperature is sensed by ground pin metal.  I am not sure if those stainless steel parts internally having heat conductor between the shell and ground pin.  These stainless steel parts are a lot easier to install indoors or outdoors.

 

[mwester]

I've generally hidden mine - no container needed that way.
 
For the ones on the heating system, they're taped to the pipes and wrapped with insulation (to ensure they're measuring the pipe temp and are not influenced too much by the ambient temp).
 
For the "room" temp sensors, I've arbitrarily selected something to call "room temperature", and I've attached the sensor to that.  In one room, that was simple -- it's taped behind the thermostat, where while it may not read the real room temperature, at least it should track whatever it is that the thermostat is sensing.  For another, the wiring comes into the room with the TV and network bundle of cables, and I've glued the sensor to the baseboard behind the cabinet -- it may not read room temperature, but it's close enough for my needs.  Most of the others are similarly done; my reasoning is that there is no such thing as room temperature; the temperature varies throughout a given room, and therefore as long as I avoid obvious trouble spots such as external walls and windows, heating/cooling vents, and the like, any place I can put the sensor where it can't be easily seen is just fine.

 

[Shinyshoes]

Along the same lines as mwester, I have hidden mine, however I placed them all directly behind the cold air return vent covers. Gives you a pretty good idea.

 

[edlentz]

Thanks guys I think I have some ideas now.  I forgot for awhile that I have infloor radiant heat, sticking it out in the room measuring the air temp might not be as good indicator as I first thought. I will play hide and seek with them

 

[Del91574]

Along the same lines as mwester, I have hidden mine, however I placed them all directly behind the cold air return vent covers. Gives you a pretty good idea.

Tread lightly with this idea.....wiring and devices should not be installed in spaces used for environmental air.

 

[XRinger]

I wanted to accurately measure air temperature in a finished basement. 
Because of the weak heating source, I knew the air temperature changes would be small, only about 1 to 4 degrees F.
The area I wanted to place the DS18B20 sensor was in a corner of a finished area.
I just stuck the sensor wire into the area using a 1/4" hole in the wall.
 
After a while, I noticed a problem.
Even when the air temperature increased noticeably, the sensor was very, very slow to respond.
 
When I looked at my installation, I realized the tape I used to cover the insulated
solder connections was in direct contact with the wood paneling of the wall.
 
I surmised the tape's heat conduction was causing the sensor to measure the wall's temperature,
more than it was measuring the air temperature. 
 
I pulled the tip of the sensor's tip out about 1" from the wall,
and the displayed temperature jumped up by one full deg F.
It remained stable after that and responded faster when the heat source came on.
 
Bottom line, the cold wall was cooling my sensor.
 
So, when I install more air temp sensors, I plan to get them out into free space, so they
can't be effected by direct contact with any significant thermal mass. 
 
Perhaps some thermal insulation between any cold wall masses and the sensor (and the sensor's wires)?

 

[rossw]

Thanks guys I think I have some ideas now.  I forgot for awhile that I have infloor radiant heat, sticking it out in the room measuring the air temp might not be as good indicator as I first thought. I will play hide and seek with them

 
I have similar heating here. 3,300m of pipe in the floor slab, broken into 24 zones. I measure the temperature of the water into the manifold, and the return temperature. I figure that the return temperature is pretty close to the floor temperature.

 

[CAI_Support]

DS18B20 uses its ground pin to sense temperature. A heat conductor soldered to the ground pin can be used to extend into sensing area.

 

[XRinger]

DS18B20 uses its ground pin to sense temperature. A heat conductor soldered to the ground pin can be used to extend into sensing area.

 
That's good to know. I've wondered about how a package that small could sense temp changes so quickly.
And how they were able to calibrate them.?. (I assumed they are calibrated). Since powered devices make heat.
I guess they must power them up for a minute, at a fixed temperature and send then in the cal off-set needed.. 
I have the spec sheets around here some wheres, I should read them.. :blink: