Comparing ECS Temperature Probes - Which one is right for your site?
BlogECS Staff09/29/2025
In general, there are two types of temperature probes used to monitor compost pile temperatures at ECS-designed sites: wireless RF TeleProbesTM and standard cabled probes. There are number of factors to take into consideration when choosing one type over the other that include cost, site layout, and ease of maintenance and troubleshooting. We’ve outlined the pros and cons of each style temperature probe below.
Radio Frequency Teleprobe (RFTP)
Pros and Cons of Radio Frequency TeleprobesTM
Pros
No managing cables. Cables require effort to move, can be run over, chewed by animals, and wear over time. TeleProbesTM avoid these challenges.
Does not require a back push wall to store probes or terminate cables.
Adaptable to all pile configurations. Excellent choice for windrows. RFTPs may reduce the labor costs of taking manual daily temperature readings.
Can be used without a pre-existing hardwired instrumentation system.
Cons
Capex and Opex may be higher.
Battery replacement is required every 2+ years. Replacement typically is done at the ECS shop.
Require operator record keeping to know which zone each probe belongs to, and digital re-mapping when probes are moved or replaced.
Requires installation of antenna tower or mast tall enough for a good line of site to the all the TeleProbesTM. For sites using bunker walls, this may require a ~15-20′ mast height, which may additionally necessitate grounding for lightning strikes.
Wireless communication is subject to interference and data gaps.
RFTP with flag for operator visibility
Pros and Cons of Cabled Temperature Probes
Pros
Lower Capex and Opex.
No battery maintenance.
No installation of antennas and receivers.
Cables allow for foolproof mapping to the correct zone.
Simpler electronics, fewer points of failure, simpler troubleshooting.
Wired probes are often smaller and lighter, without a bulky electronics enclosure on top.
Improved communication reliability and consistency.
Cons
Cable management – The operator must handle the cables with each batch, and store them when not in use. Many probes in per zone increases the required effort.
Requires a storage location, making them impractical for free-standing piles with traffic on all sides.
Expensive to add to large piles without an existing hardwired control system.
Cables are a potential weak point since they can be run over, chewed by animals, and worn out if stored improperly.
Cabled probes stowed in push wall-mounted rack
ECS Engineer, Heather, with a wired temperature probe.
Operator placing cabled probes
ECS Recommendation?
Do a Life Cycle Cost Analysis before deciding how to monitor your pile temps! There is no one-size-fits-all solution for composters, but ECS provides the tools and expertise to help your site realize its greatest potential. Get in touch with us using the form below and let us know how we can help you.
ECS is committed to helping our customers maximize composting stabilization while minimize capital cost. Our designs focus on optimizing process control, which thereby:
-speeds up the process
-shortens the required retention time
-minimizes the footprint and associated costs
Here are some examples where we have helped deliver systems within customer defined budgets.
Composting is a biological process which slows down when material freezes. Fortunately, ECS has developed some cold weather techniques to facilitate semi-optimized process conditions even during harsh winters. See some of our cold weather deployments below, and contact us to learn more.
ECS applies composting science and best engineering practices to our equipment designs to facilitate process control and enable our customers to achieve low odor operations. We also work to provide operator training and the automated tools to monitor key performance indicators. Learn more below, or contact us to schedule a visit and 'smell the difference'.
ECS strives to understand our customers target markets and stability goals to help us develop correctly sized systems. We use a mix of technology and operational procedures to optimize process control and stabilization rates. See some of our example projects below that use different ECS tools to meet customer Product Maturity goals.
