SteelThumb

SteelThumb policy

Safety boundaries for garden automation.

SteelThumb products can involve water, electricity, pumps, lighting, outdoor exposure, soil-contact parts, food-adjacent materials, and unattended operation. Every product page must state what is automated, what remains human-controlled, and what safety checks are required before use.

Product-specific boundaries

  • SteelThumb Grow Kit: irrigation, reservoirs, pumps, tubing, grow bags, outdoor exposure, and Tendril automation prep require leak testing and reachable shutoff
  • SeedPort: trays, racks, water, heat, light, airflow, and powered accessories require stable placement and regular inspection
  • PlotTags: stakes, clips, labels, and camera-visible markers must be placed where they do not create trip, puncture, snag, or privacy hazards
  • No product should be treated as a safety-critical, property-protection, medical, or commercial crop-control system

Required customer setup

  • Use GFCI-protected power around water and outdoor areas
  • Keep every pump, reservoir, cord, and controller physically reachable
  • Use drip loops, weather-appropriate enclosures, and strain relief for wiring
  • Keep a manual shutoff available for every water path
  • Keep children, pets, cords, hoses, and foot traffic away from pump, reservoir, and tag placement hazards

Automation limits

  • Treat sensors and firmware as assistive controls, not the only safety system
  • Keep pump control bounded by local water-level and fault checks
  • Keep unknown sensor state as pump off
  • Do not run unattended automation until leak, cutoff, and manual override tests pass
  • Review photos, telemetry, alarms, and plant condition as aids to inspection, not as replacements for inspection

Unsupported use

  • No yield guarantees
  • No safety certification claims without certification evidence
  • No indoor flood-risk use without customer-provided containment
  • No unattended watering where a leak could damage property or create electrical risk
  • No food-safety, food-contact, waterproof, UV-rated, outdoor-rated, or electrical certification claim without exact supplier documentation and review