General Info.

Should I get a stand-alone unit or a commercial package?

• Stand-alone units are perfect for small-scale composters. If you are planning on having 1-3 thermometers total and you have access to WiFi on-site, then the stand-alone thermometers are a good choice. If you are a large-scale operation and/or you are planning on having more than 3 thermometers and/or you only have cellular service on site, you will want to look into the commercial packages.

Can I go from a stand-alone unit to a commercial package at a later date?

• Yes! Our system is designed to be convertible from single units to multiple units that connect to a home base station if you and your operation grow over time.  

How do your devices connect to the cloud?

•  Our Home Base Stations connect to the internet using your site’s WiFi (stand-alone and commercial units) or cellular satellites (commercial units only).

Do I have to pay for the cell service/data plan?

• No. However, we do require a monthly subscription for the usage of the devices. Please visit ‘The Dashboard’ page for more information on the pricing structure for subscriptions.

How long will the thermometer probes last between charges?

• Stand-alone thermometers will last at least 6 months and commercial thermometers will last at least 9 months between charges

How do the multiple sensors per thermometer work? Can I add more sensors later?

• In the standard length thermophilic thermometers, you can choose to have between 1-3 sensors per thermometer. There will be data sent for the tip of the tubing, the middle of the tubing, and the upper part of the tubing every time a reading is taken if you have three sensors.
• You must specify how many sensors you would like at the time of purchase. They cannot be added later.

How long are the probes? Can you sell longer ones?

• Through our experience with composting, we prefer a 91.44 cm (3′) long thermometer for thermophilic composting and a 20.32 cm (8″) long thermometer for vermicomposting. Those are the standard lengths that we produce. The housing for the electrical components on the probes adds to the total unit length. Please see the Specs of the individual items in the store for more details.
• Custom length temperature probes are manufactured upon request. Please contact us with an inquiry, if interested.

What if I don’t have cell service or WiFi at my site?

• • Please contact us directly and we will speak with you about potential options for your specific situation.

How do you measure the ambient temperatures at a site?

• The data for ambient temperatures is pulled from your area’s local satellite data.
• However, if you would like to know the ambient temp. and humidity at your specific site, we do have a thermometer unit that similar to the compost thermometers, but without the tubing. We have done testing and it is a great way to know the temperature and humidity of any given microclimate.

Commercial Packages

How many probes can connect to one base station?

• As many as you would ever need at a given site.

Do both base station options have a battery?

• No. The indoor plug-in version is intended to be always plugged in and does not have a backup battery. If there is a loss of power at your site, you can always plug in the base station to a different power source (computer, portable charging unit, etc.) via a cord until power is restored at your site. The solar base station has the ability to charge the battery via the power of the sun (and can also be plugged into the wall to charge in extenuating circumstances). 

How do I know if I can use the solar powered base station?

• This is highly dependent on several factors, including your climate, the time of year, and your individual site. We have three different solar panel size options and we do our best to pair your composting location with the proper solar panel by using a detailed online solar calculator. Please contact us if you would like help determining whether or not the base station solar panel will work efficiently at your site. 

How far away can the base station be from the probes still receive a reliable signal?

• • We are currently doing testing on distances in different situations and will update this page when we have more concrete data.