New thermostat

i just scored a Zilla 1000 watt thermostat!! i can now hook up my flex watt as soon as it gets here. I know its not a ranco or herpstat or something fancy but for $21.00 brand new, shipped from ebay its worth a shot, better than a dimmer switch right?

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Originally Posted by sporty02

better than a dimmer switch right?

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Marginally, yes.

I would have just saved up until i could get a herpstat personally.

Or a hydrofarm for $10 more.

just wondering do any of you actually have any first hand experience with this thermostat? i know its probly not the best but my local reptile store (not petstore) says they are decent entry level thermostat i just need to run 2 eight in pieces of flexwat for now may be a 3rd soon

I don't have any first hand experience but I have seen a good number of people on here who have had issues with them.

I own one. To be honest it is in a drawer I simply do not trust it. They are very poor quality and although I could use it for a back up fail safe unit I don't ever trust it for that. Mine is painfully inaccurate, when set to 90 it is shutting off at 84 and on at 95 it has a monster swing. I would suggest a hydrofarm is slightly better.

I believe that on off t-stats are really good under certain conditions, basically stable temps and in direct heat or large amounts of thermal mass. Let me explain, indirect heat (where there is a small space between the enclosure and heat source ie Rack) or large mass (lots of weight) deal with the swing better. ON off deliver max power and then no power the problems arise in the time it takes the probe to power off the unit. Under certain conditions like a thin walled enclosure (tub) and the heat source fastened directly to the bottom. If located in a cool room the probe takes longer to respond than normal and the heat is transferred inside very quickly there is no delay. I have tested my hydrofarms and zilla and been able to see on times of five to ten mins. This mean the snake is subjected to 125º-160º for 5 to ten min. To me this is unacceptable. If the heat is not direct the max temp is lower and it takes longer to change the temp so this time is not so critical. Same for heavy enclosures they take longer to cool and heat so the spikes are absorbed some.

Generally speaking the no off types do not make good entry level t-stats because the conditions that make then perform the worst are very common. (a single tub is a regular variable room temp with a UTH stuck on the bottom) I would suggest that a more versatile proportional t-stat that does not suffer the same issues would be a better safer and more useful option. I believe the lest expensive out there is the Herpstat intro.

I have several that I got off a ebay too.
I have not had any problems with them but I also keep a very close eye on my animals.;)
The sticker on the front of them really sucks and is off a good bit but that is what thermometers are for.
I have one running my QT tanks, one running my hatchling rack with back heat and two running backup to my VEs.
After a couple days of tinkering I have yet to adjust any of them in close to a year.:rofl:

thank you kitedemon that is a very helpful explination i understand alot better now. guess i wasted 20 bucks no i will just have to save up for a VE or herpstat it will just take a while. my 2 snakes are in 1 tub now bc i only have 1 uth and i was trying to hurry up and get a 2nd tub up and running but i dont want to cook my snakes just to hurry it up

on second thought maybe i could use the Zilla for running some 11 in flewatt as backheat when i build my new rack next month what do you guys think of that idea since it wount be in direct contact with the tubs

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Originally Posted by sporty02

on second thought maybe i could use the Zilla for running some 11 in flewatt as backheat when i build my new rack next month what do you guys think of that idea since it wount be in direct contact with the tubs

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see above

Once you get it dialled it it would likely be ok with back heat especially as the temp set to the probe is likely not going to be what the heat is.

I still like 500r for cheap and reliable

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Originally Posted by sporty02

just wondering do any of you actually have any first hand experience with this thermostat? i know its probly not the best but my local reptile store (not petstore) says they are decent entry level thermostat i just need to run 2 eight in pieces of flexwat for now may be a 3rd soon

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It's the internet. Everyone is going to have an opinion and 98% of them are going to tell your you are doing something wrong. If it works for you that is all that matters. And congrats on the score.

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Originally Posted by Lferg

It's the internet. Everyone is going to have an opinion and 98% of them are going to tell your you are doing something wrong.

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It is the internet, but that's not really the way it works on this Fourm. In case you haven't been paying attention, the scoop is fairly straight around here.

The zilla and 500r both have a long history of failure and inaccuracy. I have own both and I don't trust either with my animals. The inaccuracy alone is too large for me to tolerate. There are places where it is ok I guess but I would always suggest a fail safe in every case but doubly so in both the zilla and 500r cases.

guess i will start saving up for a VE or Herpstat then and use the zilla for my back heat wheres a good place to get a herpstat?

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Originally Posted by sporty02

guess i will start saving up for a VE or Herpstat then and use the zilla for my back heat wheres a good place to get a herpstat?

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The best place to get your Herpstat is directly from them.
Here is the link to their site.
http://spyderrobotics.com/

Mine stopped working randomly after a few months...but I also just had a hydrofarm stop working after a couple of days...

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Originally Posted by sporty02

just wondering do any of you actually have any first hand experience with this thermostat? i know its probly not the best but my local reptile store (not petstore) says they are decent entry level thermostat i just need to run 2 eight in pieces of flexwat for now may be a 3rd soon

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I do. I sent it right back to amazon 2 days later. Sadly it's junk unless the temps in your house don't fluctuate, like even a little. I got the hydro farm for $10 more.

well i am glad i only spent $21 bucks on it then. herpstat fund has been started hopefully nothing breaks around the house so it does not take me to long to save up!!

Here is my two cents. I have 4 zillas that I have been using for 3+ years now and have never had a problem. I also have two herpstats and 15 helixs. I used to have three herpstats and one failed and cooked my brazillian rainbows. If it works for you use it. I personally prefer helix. Some don't. I just recommend you have a room with a stable background temp and use accurate thermometers. Keep a close eye on your animals and always have someone you can trust come by to check your collection daily if you are out of town.

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Originally Posted by Andy_G

Here is my two cents. I have 4 zillas that I have been using for 3+ years now and have never had a problem. I also have two herpstats and 15 helixs. I used to have three herpstats and one failed and cooked my brazillian rainbows. If it works for you use it. I personally prefer helix. Some don't. I just recommend you have a room with a stable background temp and use accurate thermometers. Keep a close eye on your animals and always have someone you can trust come by to check your collection daily if you are out of town.

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I would suggest a fail safe. For 21 bucks the zilla may work in the job just fine. I would tend to like a better more accurate one for that task but... cost in mind...

Accurate thermometers are a slippery thing. I work in an environment where accuracy of temps is very important. I have at work a very very accurate thermometer and at home a have a reasonably accurate one. I can tell you that an accurate thermometer is far more expensive than a herpstat is or any other tsats I have ever seen. To be honest a herpstat actually is as accurate as a thermometer needs to be (for snake keeping), it beats almost every sub 300$ thermometer I have ever seen for accuracy. Not every one defines accurate the same way, but to me I have a hard time with more than 1º range (0.5º up or down). I have come to accept a two degree range (1º up or down) but have a hard time with worse. Herpstats are rated at 0.7º up or down 1.4º range. Most digital thermometers are rated to a 4º range 2 up 2 down. I too would suggest an accurate thermometer and a better t-stat. Luckily they are the same, the herpstats. Not everyone is willing/able to spend the cash it takes to get a 1º range traceable thermometer (my 'cheap' one was 800$, the one at work is better, it was 1900$ educational pricing.)