I now reach out to you all....

I'm having problems and Need your help.....
Ok I have 5 tanks I also have a Repti Temp 500R Remote Sensor Thermostat
If I take a 6 plug power strip plug it into my thermostat, would all 5 tanks come out at the same temps? You would think they would right?
The Repti Temp 500R Remote Sensor Thermostat, has 2 plugs to operate 2 devices the problem I was having is that they would be 10 degrees different one at 92 and the other at 82-84 degrees. I have this problem with both Repti Temp 500R Remote Sensor Thermostat’s that I have. Can anyone help me or suggest a better Thermostat please…….Tired of spending cash on crap!!! Lol. :tears: Please anyone...

On the low end of Thermostats I would use a Ranco or Johnson. They are on and off T stats.
I now use Herpstat tstats which are proportional meaning they increase heat in increments like 10%-100% of full power depending on how much it needs to adjust temps.

The Pet stote ones are junk and by the time you replace it you could have gotten a Ranco and no headaches or sick animals

Here is a link for the herpstats
http://spyderrobotics.com/

Here is a link for Rancos and others
http://www.reptilebasics.com/thermostats/

You know everyone knocks on the zilla tstats, but for small collections I think they work fine...I had one for over a year, and it never once gave me an issue. Would I use this on the long term, probably not. I since replaced it with a ranco, but when I first started I opted to use one of the zilla ones. I was tight on money, and didn't want to rely on a dimmer anymore. Just make sure you monitor it daily making sure its turning on, and turning off at the right point. I would say if you only got 50 bucks to spend there ok.

I didn't run into this problem...One important thing is they all have to be running on identical heating elements. Meaning they all have to be the same size. Different UTH's have different amount of current that run through them, so if you have different sizes hooked up to one tstat you'll run into that problem. I did have to insulate my one tank by putting a towel underneath the uth. Just make sure each tank has its own thermometer, and your monitoring each of them separately and not going off of one reading.

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Originally Posted by West Coast Jungle

On the low end of Thermostats I would use a Ranco or Johnson. They are on and off T stats.
I now use Herpstat tstats which are proportional meaning they increase heat in increments like 10%-100% of full power depending on how much it needs to adjust temps.

The Pet stote ones are junk and by the time you replace it you could have gotten a Ranco and no headaches or sick animals

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I agree. The repti temps are better than nothing but have to be constantly monitored and will eventually fail.
Ranco's are often on ebay used,wired up and ready to go for the same price as a cheapo in a pet store. Home beer makers use them as they can control a refrigerated temperature as well as heated temp and that is how they end up on ebay. Search refrigeration controls.

On the low end Ranco or Johnson and high end Herpstat, I would not recommend anything else below those.

I'm just curious, but why does everyone say that the zilla tstat will fail? Is there a lot of evidence I am not aware of? Never had one problem, and just because it says Zilla doesn't make me weary...Whats with everyone huge fear of these? I mean I get the saying you get what you pay for, but has there been an on-going issue with these?

With the collection I have I just want to buy what a superior T-Stat that is not pron to failure, and that is ACCURATE (accuracy and stable temps are very important to me)

Over the years (been doing that a while) I have tried about every t-stat out there including the ones like zoomed or anything made like it and here what I can conclude

They are not accurate
The temperature varies greatly
They are prone to failure
The wattage does not feed my needs

So is saving $45 worth that to me? NO

Can it work for some sure why not but I have too much to lose to risk it.

And when someone ask for advice I recommend a quality product that I know will not cost that much more but will be reliable and work for years to come.

I would definitely recommend a herpstat. I have 2 of them and they've never failed me once and keep temps spot on!

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Originally Posted by Animals As Leaders

I'm just curious, but why does everyone say that the zilla tstat will fail? Is there a lot of evidence I am not aware of? Never had one problem, and just because it says Zilla doesn't make me weary...Whats with everyone huge fear of these? I mean I get the saying you get what you pay for, but has there been an on-going issue with these?

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The issue is that if the room temps are not almost exactly stable, the thermostat will not keep the UTH at a stable temperature.

I did some unofficial tests of my own with the zoomed reptitemp 500R. I will NOT ever use one again.

Unregulated zoomed UTH -- 121F
Regulated zoomed UTH with zoomed reptitemp500R- 114 (this is after letting the unit set up. The temps fluctuated greatly in the room the snake was in). 114 was not an acceptable temperature for an UTH for me. I took multiple readings over the few weeks it took me to get my thermostat (a johnson control). 109F, 111F, 112F. It never really settled around 95. It was always above or below and i had to watch it like a hawk.

Spending the extra 45 for a johnson or ranco was completely worth it. I check my thermostat every few days and Ive got a temp gun and accruites on the heat tape in my racks.

Buy a Herpstat. Problem solved.

I would like to thank everyone for the help and insight. My decision is going with a herpstat But which model do I go with? Is the cheapest model Good enough for 5 Balls? Does it come ready to hook up and plug in? I dont want my collection to suffer they, mean the world to me and just want it right.

thanks again......going Crazy
:rolleye2:

It really depends on A) how much you CAN spend, and B) what type of functionality you want from it.

I do not think a single herpstat is appropriate to control 5 different devices. I personally only run a single device from each probe.

However, the very MIMINUM for your setup I would think should be a Herpstat II. It will come with 2 thermostat probes and 2 cords that up to 3 devices can be connected to (if I remember correctly--I believe they have 3 outlets on each cord, but I have only ever used one apiece).

Setup is simple. READ THE DIRECTIONS, plug the probes into the devices and place them, plug the devices into the cords (make sure you plug them into the RIGHT cords, it's non-intuitive, so read the directions), and plug the Herpstat into the wall.
Then, using the directions, set your outputs to the temperatures you want, and give it a day to stabilize.

The Herpstat II also has adjustable high and low temperature alarms--always a good idea.

I use Herpstat Pros to control 4 racks apiece. They have 4 probes and 4 outlets for devices, as well as a ton of other bells and whistles.

With 5 individual snakes, you may want to consider purchasing a rack. It would make your life a LOT easier, and you would only need a single device to control it accurately.

Thank you very much for the info......Now I'm lookin at rack systems the ones at reptile basics look pretty good and in a good price range....plus their prices include shipping, Tubs and Heat!!
Thank you everyone for all your help....:D

Animal Plastics also has great racks at killer prices (especially if you opt for economy racks with flexwatt)--they do not come with tubs, but the tubs can be purchased cheaply at Target.
I have mainly AP racks, and a couple of Boaphiles (I don't like the Boaphile hatchling bins very much, but I understand they've been discontinued anyhow).

I'm using Reptitemp 500R. Only 2 UTH's of the same size maximum plugged into 1 thermostat. I only have 4 snakes, so I got 3 Reptitemp 500R's because the hognose has different heat requirements.

No problem keeping 90-95 temps on all 3 bp tanks so far. I've had these thermostats running without problems for almost 2 years.