ReptiTemp 500R issue

I got a scare this morning when I checked on the bps... I have 2 bp enclosures on UTHs sharing one 500R t-stat. This has been working for me for over 3 months now. The t-stat probe sits on top of one of the UTHs and both enclosures are spot-on with the temp... until today. The enclosure with the probe was still spot-on but the other one read 104! Good thing the snake was not in that hide.

So, what just happened? And how do I keep this from happening again?

Are both UTH's exactly the same make and model?

I don't know how the thermostat, with its identical dual outputs, could be cranking one of the heat pads a lot more than the other.

Also, I would recommend a different thermostat, or back that one up by something else.

JonV

I have the 500R t-stat's also and that has happened to me alot too. Where do you have the probe located on the tank??? i have mine on the outside but im thinking of moving it to the inside. I really wished i had read the threads about thermostats because i should have gotten the herpstat II it is alot more reliable. If it is possible switch to a more reliable thermostat, but if its not just keep watching the temp.

500R stats are a great alternative to dimmers when you haven't got the funds for a better stat. They are, however, cheap and can fluctuate without warning. Because they are dial and not digital, you can never really be sure of what temp the stat probe is reading.

Now, since your one enclosure still read spot on...I would deduce that it was the UTH that spiked. That can happen more often than the stat going haywire. I would recommend putting a different UTH on that enclosure and see if it balances out again.

As for probe placement, NEVER put the thermostat probe inside the cage. One tiny movement, or liquid or feces on it, can throw everything off. This is why you place the stat probe directly on the heat source outside the enclosure. :)