Thermostat help

[bassin32]

I live in a small town in Kentucky and cannot locate a thermostat for my UTH. The local pet store has UTH in their snake tanks, however they do not or sell a thermostat to regulate the heat. I found a dial type thermostat at Wal Mart but I have no Idea how to hook it up to my UTH. I have read that the dail types are really no good to use. Any of you snake experts out there can help me out I would be most greatful. I have looked online but all I can find are thermostats that are very expensive.
If I can locate a thermostat how do you hook it up to the UTH

Thanks for the help to all !!!!!!

Mike

[Mochelem]

If your finding thermostats at wal mart they are for your house, the kind you mount on a wall and controls your ac and heat these are different from what we use on a UTH. Thermostats are not cheap, any of them that are arent reliable and you shouldnt trust your animals with it.

www.reptilebasics.com thats about as cheap as you can find them anywhere

If money at the moment is a problem you can use a dimmer switch AKA a rheostat. They are around $15 and you can find them at lowes or home depot. There is a sticky at the top of the page on how to use them.

[bassin32]

Thanks for the help I will bw looking for a rheostat at lowe's.I could not find the sticky attachment.

THANKS AGAIN !!!!!!

Mike

[Mochelem]

heres the post srry...

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...=dimmer+switch

[CurtisCr79]

I would spend a little more and get one better and easier then a rheostat. With Eheostats you are going to being adjusting the temps all the time. Every time the room temp changes so will you hot spot. Get you a thermostat. I use a Ranco, they are cheap and simple. You can get them many different places, just do a search. I have even seen them on ebay for about $30. They are $75 plus shipping at this site,

http://www.rancoetc.com/ranco-etc111...a81bc19b06d95c

If money is not a factor, get you a Helix!!

[Argentra]

Stay away from rheostats UNLESS your room temps never fluctuate more than a single degree.

If you can spare good money, the best option is to get a Herpstat or Helix proportional t-stat. They run about $110+ but are the best out there. They're found at BeanFarm, Spider Robotics store site, and the Helix is available at ReptileBasics.com.

If money is kinda tight, go for the next best thing: the Johnson or Ranco t-stat. Those are $80 or so, and best got from ReptileBasics.com.

If you, like many, just don't have the money right now...then for $20 or so you can get a ZooMed ReptiTemp 500R t-stat from ReptileSupply.com. Yes, they are cheap but they DO work. Especially better than a dimmer or rheostat for the same cost. They can also be found at Petsmart.com...but for $10 more.

It's sad that stores don't sell thermostats, since they're the most important piece of equipment you can have for snakes and reptiles.

[JD07]

I too have a few questions about thermostats because I'm completely new to the whole deal and I've never actually seen one in a set up before:

Do you keep the device inside the cage or out?
Do you put the probe on the hottest spot?
Do you set the temp on the actual thermostat?
If you set the temp on the thermostat, what's the point of having a thermometer except maybe for the cool side?

Sorry if these are really stupid, I just don't want to do anything wrong. I'm sure if I had one in my hands I could figure it out, but I'd rather know before I go and spend tons of money on one =] This is the only part of setting up the cage that's confusing me

[Spaniard]

I too have a few questions about thermostats because I'm completely new to the whole deal and I've never actually seen one in a set up before:

Do you keep the device inside the cage or out?
Do you put the probe on the hottest spot?
Do you set the temp on the actual thermostat?
If you set the temp on the thermostat, what's the point of having a thermometer except maybe for the cool side?

Sorry if these are really stupid, I just don't want to do anything wrong. I'm sure if I had one in my hands I could figure it out, but I'd rather know before I go and spend tons of money on one =] This is the only part of setting up the cage that's confusing me

1. The device is kept outside of the enclosure.
2. Most people including myself tape the probe directly on the UTH or flexwatt.
3. You set the temp you want the UTH at on your thermostat. You may need to set it to 97 degrees on the UTH to get 94 degrees in the tub. Not those exact numbers but just an example.
4. Since the probe is on the outside of the enclosure you need a thermostat to verify the temp of your basking spot, ambient temps, humidity etc.

[Argentra]

The point of the thermometer is to make sure the temps you want are what you're getting. More often than not, the t-stat reading is anywhere from 3 to 12 degrees over what the actual temp in the enclosure is. The digital, probed thermometer...and temp gun, let you see what the temps really are and adjust the t-stat settings accordingly.

[Spaniard]

4. Since the probe is on the outside of the enclosure you need a thermostat to verify the temp of your basking spot, ambient temps, humidity etc.

That should have read thermometer not thermostat...