what kind of thermostat..?

just bought a rack that is equipped with heat tape.. need a thermostat to regulate it... what kind do you suggest?
i was told a while ago that ranco was a good way to go if i don't have much money to work with for now, but when i search on ebay for them it pulls up a bunch of refridgerator thermostats, that look like i would never be able to figure out how to work.. so what exactly am i looking for with ranco's?

Go check out reptilebasics.com for that Ranco. If you have the money I would go with a Herpstat or Helix though.

I was just asking this in the subforum. Personally I'm about to order a Herpstat ND because of the nifty Night/Day function.

Hey there,

I don't know about Ranco or Johnson T-stats, but if I could gather up the extra dough I would go with a helix or a herpstat. I have both. I prefer the Herpstat ND over my helix DBS 1000. It's mostly the night drop, but I think the Herpstats have a more user friendly interface. Just me though. good luck

I use a herpstat ND... Perfect for my big rack and has some nifty little features!

Yeah I agree if you can get the cash together I would get the herpstat. However the Rancos are not too bad. I actually find that they are easier to use than the Helix I have on my ball rack. I use the Helix as my primary t-stat and then I have the Ranco set up as a backup. The user interface on the Helix really sucks, there's only one button to change the temp so if you want to go down in temp one degree you have to hold the button down and scroll through like 40 degrees lol it's annoying! I mean it really does do a great job and I've never heard of anyone having a problem with them but that button thing is super annoying and the Herpstats from what I've seen are a lot easier to use :D.

I know with the Ranco you can wire 4 probes in combination series-parallel and do temperature averaging. Something I'll probably look at doing when I get more animals and a rack. The relays on the Ranco are quite audible when they switch over. I don't care, but some might not like it. Mine is in my room and it never bothers me at night though. As long as it isn't cycling every minute you probably won't care.