wondering if this thermostat may work

i have some credit for my amazon.com account and was cruising through items hoping to find a herpstat. while amazon doesnt have herpstats for sale, i found this http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR...1529683&sr=1-7
i was reading its intstruction manual from their main website and it has a suction cup to control air temp. do you think it would work for an abroreal cage with a rhp?

I don't know, but I just bought one. I'll get it in 5-7 days. I'll set it up with 8 10w flexwatt tape strips. I couldn't find the wattage rating, but it said it would work on a 107 watt heat mat. Hey, for $30, I'll give it a try. I've wasted more than that on many occasions.

Jim Smith

my thought exactly. 30 bucks is a deal, even more since i was credited some money from amazon. ideally i'd like a proportional thermostat like the herpstat but amazon doesnt have any.

Hi,

Here's a link to the instruction manual for it;

Clicky

It seems to be an on/off with a rating of 1000w - but what it actually performs like is anyones guess.

Feel free to report back. :please:


dr del

let us know how it works for you i may pick up a few if they are good. thanks

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Originally Posted by dr del

Hi,

Here's a link to the instruction manual for it;

Clicky

It seems to be an on/off with a rating of 1000w - but what it actually performs like is anyones guess.

Feel free to report back. :please:


dr del

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I will set it up as soon as I get it. I got free shipping, so I should get it in 5-7 days. 1000 watts should be good for most rack systems.

Jim Smith

FWIW, Constrictors NW has been selling them for a little while now. He knows his stuff and responds quickly to emails. He even gives an explanation of how to work them on his site. Give him a shout and see what he says.

http://www.constrictorsnw.com/cagess...cessories.html

I think they are really beneficial for someone running a cage stack or a rack with all the snakes having the same heating requirements. That way you can run all your power cords to a power strip and then have everything controlled and protected by one simple unit. Just my :2cent:

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

I will set it up as soon as I get it. I got free shipping, so I should get it in 5-7 days. 1000 watts should be good for most rack systems.

Jim Smith

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any tests yet?

Have not received it yet. I'll let everyone know when it comes in and when I'm finished testing.

Jim Smith

Finally got an order number from amazon and it seems like the thermostat didn't ship until the 21st, with an estimated delivery date of the 28th. So, it looks like it will be towards the end of the week before I can write a review.

Jim Smith

Okay, I have received the thermostat. I have it set up as I type. It appears to be a decent on/off thermostat. The only issue I can see if if anyone is using aspen bedding as a substrate. The unit cannot reach temps any higher than 108 degrees. This may not allow the tub temp to get to your determined temp. Since I don't have any tubs with aspen, I can't test this.

This thermostat turns on 2 degrees lower than that turn off temps. I have it set up at 105 degrees. This means the unit turns on at 103 and turns off at 105 degrees. I am using the 3 inch 10 watt tape. Your settings will vary. You will have to experiment with this unit to get your temps properly set inside your tubs. My temps are only for experimentation only. I do not have any snakes living in tubs at this temp.

I don't think anyone could go wrong buying this unit for $30. Just remember the upper limit of this thermostat is 108 degrees. So, if you use a thick layer of aspen or any other substrate, it may not allow the temps to your desired level.

Jim Smith

thank you so much Jim, i've been waiting for this.

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Originally Posted by jben

thank you so much Jim, i've been waiting for this.

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i agree. i bought mine too

Thanks for the info, I just found out that my order of supplies didn't include a themostat and needed one with one day shipping or would have to go to a pet store and buy one.
I wont be using aspen so I can't see any problems with this device thanks :D

do you think this would work in a back heat setup?

Thanks for the review. I was just checking this out on Amazon and clicked on a link for other things by that company. I do believe they make the biggest heat mat I've ever heard of. It is 48" X 20", and runs at 107 watts...

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Originally Posted by Andrew Larson

do you think this would work in a back heat setup?

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I think it would depend on the contact area from your flexwatt to the back of the tub. Remember 108 degrees is all this unit will allow. So, if you want 95 degrees on the back wall of your tub, you would need a good bit of contact area. This all presumes you have an open styled rack. If your rack is more like a box, then it will work more effiecently.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

Thanks for posting this link, I just ordered two of these. This is half the price of either the rancos or johnsons, I hope they work out and last well.

It should work well its for propagation in a indoor garden environment. It should have a water-proof probe. Its for heat mats you CAN put in water and you put the thermostat probe through the media rockwool or dirt to keep temps up for seedlings and cuttings.

Gah, wish I had heard about this before I dropped $60 on an unwired Ranco. I guess I'll buy one if I ever need to, haha.

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Originally Posted by MarkS

Thanks for posting this link, I just ordered two of these. This is half the price of either the rancos or johnsons, I hope they work out and last well.

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You're welcome. I just tested it and it seems to work well and as you said, for the price, you can't beat it.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

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Originally Posted by NotaMallard

Gah, wish I had heard about this before I dropped $60 on an unwired Ranco. I guess I'll buy one if I ever need to, haha.

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Sorry about that. It wouldn't be a bad idea to pick one up as a back up. Just in case something were to happen to the one you're using. For that price, it's cheap insurance.

Good Luck!
Jim Smith

Thanks for all the information in this thread, I was looking them up and I came across the hydrofarm but didn't know if I should get one. I just ordered one from amazon for $24.99 and $0.00 shipping.. =]

Personally $25 for a thermostat sounds too good to be true. To me the thermostat is the most important part of a enclosure. To be that cheap they must have cut corners somewhere.

I think this may be something great to use for a aquarium set up or for a small rack housing normals.

I would just advise against using this on a rack with anything other than normals in it.

Am I wrong, or has the price jumped to $28 from $24? Anyone who bought them have any more longer term reviews?

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Originally Posted by ALTownsend1

Am I wrong, or has the price jumped to $28 from $24? Anyone who bought them have any more longer term reviews?

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No issues here. But remember it will only heat to 108m no higher. But there are ways around that. Tape the probe directly to the heat tape and adjust the temp inside the tub by using a heat gun.

Jim Smith

I think my only concern, seeing as I use newspaper rather than aspen, is my rack being back heat

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Originally Posted by Agent73

Personally $25 for a thermostat sounds too good to be true. To me the thermostat is the most important part of a enclosure. To be that cheap they must have cut corners somewhere.

I think this may be something great to use for a aquarium set up or for a small rack housing normals.

I would just advise against using this on a rack with anything other than normals in it.

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So far, it's worked for me. I have Albinos, pieds, a lesser platty and a pinstripe being heated by this. Unless it were to completely goes haywire, it won't heat above 108.

Knock on wood, I've not had any issues.
Jim Smith

Sounds like a worthy, small investment. Thanks Jim!

I got mine a few days ago, tested it for 2 days on a empty tub and then tested it with aspen in it. I set the probe from the hydrofarm thermostat on the inside of the tub above the hottest area and put that to around 93 .. I then put the aspen and layer it on top of the probe. I then put the acurite probe on top of the aspen and it hits around 91.

so far so good..

This thing is better than buttered bread. If this information gets out, it could change a lot in the herp world. Imagine the impact on thermostat sales.
Helix = $120
Hydrofarm = $30

Jim Smith

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

This thing is better than buttered bread. If this information gets out, it could change a lot in the herp world. Imagine the impact on thermostat sales.
Helix = $120
Hydrofarm = $30

Jim Smith

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Glad to hear that. I bought one for myself but haven't set it up yet.

i have one also and has been running since i got it and no problems.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

This thing is better than buttered bread. If this information gets out, it could change a lot in the herp world. Imagine the impact on thermostat sales.
Helix = $120
Hydrofarm = $30

Jim Smith

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I better snap one up before they raise their price! Unless i'm wrong, it looks like they already bumped the price up a few bucks

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Originally Posted by ALTownsend1

I better snap one up before they raise their price! Unless i'm wrong, it looks like they already bumped the price up a few bucks

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It fluctuates a lot, when I was looking for supplies I had the amazon page bookmarked and would go back and read the details and it seemed like every time I went there was a different price. It went from like 28 to 32 and then back down again.