Refrigerator brumation shopping list for beginners
Please note: the products listed here are examples only. Equivalent, safe and reliable alternatives are, of course, just as suitable – what matters is that they meet the criteria given below (e.g. min/max measurement and frost alarm for thermometers, fine adjustment in 0.1 °C steps for the emergency cut-off thermostat).
Example products:
1️⃣ Probe thermometer with min/max temperature and frost alarm
➡️ 1 thermometer per box
Example products (German retailers):
• Rossmann indoor/outdoor thermometer:
or
or
Important:
• Min/max temperature measurement
• Frost alarm function
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2️⃣ Universal thermostat (in German) as an emergency cut-off (e.g. UT300 or equivalent)
A) Tried-and-tested classic:
• UT300 universal thermostat (no longer available)
➡️ Proven over decades – if you still have one, you can keep using it.
B) Functionally identical alternative to the UT300:
• Universal thermostat with the same functions:
Alternative (still being tested; reliability under review):
• Alternative thermostat that works the same way:
⚠️ As the UT300 is no longer available, an alternative emergency cut-off thermostat must meet these criteria:
• an ultra-thin, long sensor cable (so that the refrigerator door still closes tightly)
• adjustable in 0.1 °C steps
• freely adjustable hysteresis (in German) (switch-on/switch-off temperature)
• suitable for refrigeration appliances
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3️⃣ Wireless thermometer with frost alarm
A) Classic wireless thermometer:
• PEARL wireless thermometer:
https://www.pearl.de/a-NC3911-3043.shtml
• TFA Dostmann climate monitor:
Smart solution (temperature monitoring via app):
• Starter set with gateway and Pro sensor (2 measuring points, long range):
• Additional sensor (for further boxes):
💡 Advantage: temperatures and alarms can be monitored from anywhere in the world on your smartphone.
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4️⃣ Digital scales
Reliable digital kitchen scales with a bowl, or baby scales, for monitoring weight:
• when moving the tortoises into the refrigerator
• and then at each check
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🔧 Set-up instructions
1️⃣ Connecting the UT300 emergency cut-off:
• Plug the UT300 into the socket → plug the refrigerator into it → set the desired temperature (“Cooling” appears).
• Pass the probe through the door and secure the cable with duct tape.
• Insert the sensor in the coldest box, slightly into the substrate under the leaves.
⚠️ The UT300 is only programmed once the refrigerator has been stabilised without animals and the temperatures on each shelf (measured with the probe thermometers) are known.
➡️ This way, you can identify the coldest zone and set the UT300 correctly.
The UT300 serves only as an emergency cut-off, not as the refrigerator’s main control!
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2️⃣ Probe thermometer:
• Place the device on or next to the refrigerator.
• Pass the sensor through the door and secure the cable with duct tape.
• 1 sensor per box or shelf, inserted slightly into the soil under the leaves.
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3️⃣ WeatherHub / gateway (for app monitoring):
• Connect the gateway to the router or add it to the Wi-Fi via a powerline adapter.
• Install the app and register the sensors.
• Check reception between the sensors and the gateway; if necessary, move the gateway closer to the refrigerator.
• Place the sensors (with 2 measuring points) at the back of the boxes and insert the probes slightly into the substrate.
⚠️ Do not tape over the sensors!
If you do not have a WeatherHub:
• Use a wireless thermometer with a temperature alarm.
• Make sure reception is good (not all models transmit reliably through refrigerator walls).
• One sensor per box or shelf, inserted slightly into the soil under the leaves.
• Activate the temperature alarm and frost alarm on the base station.
How to use all these items is explained in detail in the Refrigerator Brumation Handbook.