Thermostat

Kraniumz, man that is sad, I use a space heater durring the winter to keep temps in the room up its always a worrie to me even though I have taken all the nessesary steps there still that what if,

didnt want to offend anyone, i guess being someone who doesnt mind friggin with things, its kjind of fun and satisfing knowing u built or made something. everyone to there own i guess. i will be checking matts page out and watching his deals. for another 20$ i would spend the extra on a tstat.

I have recently purchased a cheap temp controller which came in today. I haven't recieved my heat tape yet which I plan on using it with. I only payed around $30 or so and it is similiar to the bah 1000 sold on bigappleherp's website. This unit only works up to a max of 500watts...which will be fine for running a few strips of heat tape in the rack I just built.

It is a cheap controller, but you never know it may be worth it...once I get things setup and in use I'll have to report back.

one thing to keep in mind is that there is a difference between an ordinary house thermostat, and thermostats sold for the use of heating reptile cages.


house thermostats, mercury switch or digital, operate on a pickup and dropout principle. in other words, when the temperature drops below a certain level the thermostat picks up, and like-wise when the temperature rises to a certain level the thermostat drops out.

most all thermostats used for cage heating work on a different principle altogether. it provides a trickle charge to your heating apparatus and maintains a constant temperature. for instance, if you have a 30w heatpad and you only require 7 watts of heat to achieve your preset temperature, the thermostat will automatically adjust itself to provide 7 watts of power. a house thermostat will either give you full voltage (30w), or no voltage... there is no in between.

so, as long as your ambient temperature is always below the preset temp on your reptile thermostat, a constant voltage will always be present on your heat pad. so even if you have a 30w heat pad/panel, the thermostat will provide only enough power to maintain the constant temperature required. theoretically, it actually saves you money.

for only a few dollars more than your average house thermostat you ultimately provide a more efficient means of providing heat for your critters. and, if your reptile thermostat is rated for 500w and you are only using a small portion of it's total rating, you can always supply other heating pads/panels/tape from the same thermostat. that, of course, is given the fact that the other locations have similar ambient environments and heating requirements.

all you have to do is plug it in. plus you get a handy dandy temperature probe.

just thought i'd share.