thermostat?

So i just got my first BP trying to decide what to use to control his heat pad. Currently using a dimmer switch but want to get something a little more reliable any suggestions?

A controler for a waterbed heater... has a remote probe, 110-120v, adjustable temp, cheap. I found one on craigslist cheap locally($5). I do HVAC and was trying to wire nice thermostats, transformers, and the like and realized I had more in the stupid parts I bought than I bargained for... I coud have had another snake and complete setup for the price of all the crap I bought(it was never finished due to budget issues and other projects)

As always, I will recommend a Herpstat by Spyder Robotics, but if you're on a serious budget, Hydrofarm sells one on Amazon for a fraction of the price. They are "ok", but not the most accurate on the market. Helix and Ranco also make decent thermostats.

I would NOT use a waterbed heat controller to heat a UTH. I would much rather use an actual thermostat that is safe for heating reptile enclosures and UTH's.

Budget: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

Mid-Range: http://www.reptilebasics.com/ranco-etc-111000-pre-wired

High Quality: http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

i have the hydrofarm thermostat right now and it works pretty good. definitely savin up for a herpstat for when i get a rack. like someone else up there said, they are a little bit inaccurate, but what i did was got one of those digital thermometers from walmart that have a probe for reading a second temp, taped the probe right above the heat pad on the inside of the tub and kept adjusting the thermostat until the thermometer read the right temps. i got the hydrofarm right now set to 95 and it keeps it between 90 and 92.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ballpythonluvr

I would NOT use a waterbed heat controller to heat a UTH. I would much rather use an actual thermostat that is safe for heating reptile enclosures and UTH's.

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I do concur. A extremely close eye has to be kept on it... After i burned up my budget on all the parts i bought it's all i could do and is a temporary fix. It will be removed ASAP but works in a tight spot.

Given how many years your animal will live and the risks involved it you do not have proper reliable equipment I would never recommend anything lower than Vivarium Electronics from Reptile Basics or Herpstat from from Spider Robotics.

Both will allow you to maintain proper stable temps and it will be money well invested given that a thermostat is the single most important thing on any supply list.

Yup. I sunk more than 250 into a nice household thermostat(with remote wireless sensors) and electrical parts for this trying to be mr. smarty britches... bad idea. My snakes hapy as can be and theres no atmospheric issues in her tank... But man oh man its a pain to always have to check my uth temp to make sure that waterbed heater is working right...(about 4-6 times a day) and i worry when i have to go to work. It wasn't so bad when i was home laid up after my hernia surgeries, but now it's a problem. shoulda broke down and listened to ya'll and bought the right stuff... Ignorance is dangerous...


AAAAAAAAAAAnd i looked at the spyderrobotics.... i could have bought 2 of the herp1 models for the price of all the crap i bought...

Thanks for all the helpful info glad i found this site :)