The watchman has been a life saver for me as a landlord. No more late nights driving though our rental properties trying to read thermometers that we had hanging on every front window. The watchman unit checks frequently and consistently, and sends a text alert to my phone the instant the temperature drops below the threshold (of my choosing) - as a side note I HIGHLY recommend the additional features they offer. I chose the buyout, but there are other options if you prefer. This device wouldn’t work for my purposes without the additional ‘buyout’ features (one of which is an alert if the power goes out. This happening just once during the winter in an empty unit would cost hundreds of dollars in broken water pipes. Definitely worth the extra cost). It works so well in fact that we decided to permanently install a watchman unit in every single rental we have. I found a locking thermostat enclosure on Amazon that looks rather nice - coupled with a USB outlet & outlet cover, the watchman sits high up on the wall with a keyed lock, and is out of sight, constantly keeping our property safe (the Watchman itself is attached to the face of the outlet VIA a 1.5” piece of 3M double sided tape.)... Additionally, representative Moss and pp-Code’s customer service are unbelievable in their commitment to their customers and their products. Every question I had was answered quickly and thoroughly via email, oftentimes on the same day.
Here is the link to the Amazon locking thermometer enclosure. A couple things to keep in mind - you must install a USB outlet in the wall or this enclosure from amazon will not work - the USB cord plus the distance of the power plug (provided with the Watchman unit by pp-Code) from the wall is too deep. A USB outlet solves this problem. This “thermometer enclosure” also comes with a back plate, though I chose not to use it. Also, I don’t recommend purchasing the “see-through” enclosures (also offered on Amazon), as the final product does not look as ‘finished’.
White Enclosure (Amazon):
Universal Thermostat Guard, Off-White, Plastic https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01M0GKBIM/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_KdOGCbHQ0535D
If for some reason your situation has the need to see the screen of the Watchman, here is the link to the clear enclosure that also fits the Watchman+usb outlet+outlet cover. But again, I do NOT recommend using this, as the final product doesn’t look nearly as ‘clean’:
Honeywell CG511A1000/C Medium Thermostat Guard with Inner Shelf to Prevent Tampering https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000BPGP6M/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_JeOGCbXFD58P5
Good luck and I hope this helps some of you out there with multiple properties in need of temperature monitoring!
-Mannox
Based on your suggestion, I routed sensor cable through the freezer water drain into the freezer space - worked like a champ. Here are pictures of freezer install. Thanks for the great suggestion on cable routing.... Note for ease of threading the sturdy cable and large thermocouple I removed the drain tube from both ends. Both ends had a quick disconnect. The top end has some plumbers putty for better seal as I suspect the dip or low point in the tube is intentional – fills with water and keeps warm air out (my guess anyway).
by Michael