Like several gadgets that I have reviewed, I am often attracted to products originally designed for children. Many children’s gadgets are brightly colored and are simply designed which makes them visually appealing. The ShowerPets Starfish Water and Temperature monitor naturally fits into these categories, Plus…
Who wouldn’t want a starfish to hang out in your tub to tell you the temperature of your bath and sing to you when the water level is getting too high?
The Starfish Monitor itself is fairly simple. The front of the Starfish is made of aqua colored plastic with a LED display in the center. The material used for the body has a nice texture and is very smooth to the touch. Each one of the “arms” are rounded nicely with no obvious seams or sharp edges.
The back of the Starfish has a very large suction cup used to adhere the device to the walls of the tub. The suction cup is sturdily attached to the back, and provides fairly good amount of suction so that it stays in place as long as desired. One edge of the cup has a tiny handle so that it can be removed easily after use.
The battery compartment resides inside the case, which can be easily disassembled by a screw on the back. Two AA batteries are necessary to power the device.
Notice the two small metallic bumps of the bottom, these are the water sensors. When they both come in contact with water, an alarm sounds. However, I was disappointed to discover that that the water level alert is not especially musical: in fact it is the same droning noise that most alarm clocks use to drag us out of out of blissful sleep each morning. Not exactly the noise I associate with a relaxing bath, but it certainly gets my attention.
The Starfish displays the water temperature without complete submersion.
However, an additional immersion based probe is also included for better accuracy.
I tested both methods of measuring water temperature on the starfish with my ThermoHawk Infrared Thermometer and the difference between the on-board sensor and the external probe deviate by only 1 degree. I don’t require this level of accuracy for my baths, so I usually use it without the probe.
Author’s Note: The rose petals that are in the bath are purely to show the water level, and are not enjoyed by the author in any way except for the intellectual enjoyment of the advancement of science.
Overall, I felt that this gadget was quite sturdy and accurate for the price and I plan to use it quite frequently while drawing a hot winter’s bath.
Price: $9.99 from Amazon.com
Pros:
Never overflow the tub again
Never step into a “too hot” or “too cold” bath again
Cons:
Alarm could be more musical
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Well I guess you can get some Leakfogs as backups if the starfish fails.
Actually, that would be an ideal product to keep near my 260 gallon and 90 gallon turtle tanks to alert me if there is a leak.
Another con: It looks like the temperature indicator is hard to read from above in the standing position. Unless you have sharp eyes, you may need to bend over the tub to tell the temperature.
Still another: When you get in the tub and the water level rises you may have to let water out to turn off the alarm. I think I’ll stick with the foot method.
CLT
How many of these do you think it would take to construct an effective warning system to detect warming oceans and rising water levels? I’m looking for a Christmas present for Al Gore.
Buy a ShowerPet, save the planet 🙂
Great review! I do have a question. How does this thing take the water temperature without the probe and alarm going off?