are helixs'/ thermostats a must in a snake rack?

i'm looking at purchasing a 5 bin rack for 120 ( does not come with bins) and the guy says it's fully wired and heated, i'm not sure if the thermostat would come with it or not, but if not, do i need one? or can i plug the heating system in and it's a go ?

EVERY HEAT SOURCE NEEDS A THERMOSTAT. IT IS NOT OPTIONAL. So yes, you need a thermostat. Unregulated heat sources (whether it's a Zoo-Med UTH or THG heat tape) can and will burn your snakes. Temps have been known to reach 120*+.

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Originally Posted by Inarikins

EVERY HEAT SOURCE NEEDS A THERMOSTAT. IT IS NOT OPTIONAL. So yes, you need a thermostat. Unregulated heat sources (whether it's a Zoo-Med UTH or THG heat tape) can and will burn your snakes. Temps have been known to reach 120*+.

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x2

NOT OPTIONAL

oh my goodness, okay i didn't know things like that could happen.
thanks everyone!

are there any recommended thermostats?

Invest in a good thermostat. A Herpstat Basic is available for $115 USD + shipping and is perfect for a rack, but as long as your thermostat is proportional and not on/off, it doesn't really matter what brand. A proportional thermostat if set to, say, 90 degrees, will always heat the tape until the thermostat probe 'says' 90 degrees. An on/off thermostat, if set to 90 degrees will fall and rise, fluctuating a few degrees either way. So instead of staying steady 90 degrees it'll fall down to 88 before the tape gets turned back on full blask, heat up to say 92, then turn fully off again. This is much more rough on your heat tape than a proportional, which controls the amount of power getting into the tape, therefore controlling the heat that way.

EDIT: Well, I shouldn't say that you shouldn't use an on/off thermostat at all, just that most people here prefer and recommend proportionals.

Yes definitely a must to have a good thermostat on any heat source whether its heat tape or uth. I love my herpstat!

My top three would be the Helix DBS-1000, Vivarium, and SR Herpstats. All three are GREAT proportional thermostats and are an absolute must have for ANY kind of heat source.

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Originally Posted by Inarikins

So instead of staying steady 90 degrees it'll fall down to 88 before the tape gets turned back on full blask, heat up to say 92, then turn fully off again. This is much more rough on your heat tape than a proportional

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Is this true?

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Originally Posted by hig

Is this true?

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I have no idea, but it would make a lot of sense.

No not really, there are two types of proportional T-stats pulse and dimming. Dimming changes the power % they are the most accurate. Pulse rapidly turns on and off very quickly never allowing full heat and never allowing it to cool. All a UTH is a carbon ink on a sheet that allows electricity to pass with resistance, (electrical friction) that as a by product produces heat. Neither type is going to be 'harder' on an element than any other type. Some elements will heat higher than the specs allow for continuous use they MUST be controlled in every installation and application. They are made to be used with a T-stat.

The helix and VE series of stats are basic tech ones they offer none of the advances over the past 5-8 years the competitors have. Helix has a long track record of dependability and stability. VE offers nothing extra at all but the sales staff has such a stellar rep they are selling on that alone.

Herpstats leads the way with safety they have innovated new and better safety systems, under temp shut down as well as over mechanical relay, and a wide array of features.

Ecozone have lead the way with net integration. Settings and monitoring as well as alerts are all done via internet. They have a huge array of options and variables that could only be accessed with a computer interface far far too many to have push button menus.

The herpkeeper is not far behind the interface is clunky and the net reporting an optional expansion. They have a number of expansion options so a base model can be adapted later.

I have no loyalty really I only care about my animals. I use herpstats for the safety they have. I seriously looked at ecozones but opted for safety systems over reporting. IMO VE came in with the next obvious step laid out before them and ignored it completely, they choose to take a massive step backwards the big selling feature they blazon is it stacks, like the herpstats, the ecozone, and herpkeeper. An improvement over the almost 20 year old helix.

The obvious step? a unit with the features of the herpstat and the net interface of the ecozone.

The other issue with some on/off thermostats is that they don't continuously measure the temperature. They only check it at certain intervals (like once every minute, for example -each brand is probably different). So theoretically, depending on how often the thermostat checks, the heat source could actually get hotter than the set temp if it heats up fast enough. For example, if you have a thermostat that measures every 2 minutes, and you have it set at 90F, it may turn the source on when the temp is at 89F, and off at 91F, but if the heat source is able to get from 89F to 95F in that 2 minute period the thermostat won't do anything until it checks the temp again. Hopefully that makes sense. I think this is why some people have trouble getting temps stable with the really cheap on/off thermostats...they go longer in between measurements.

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Originally Posted by FireStorm

The other issue with some on/off thermostats is that they don't continuously measure the temperature. They only check it at certain intervals (like once every minute, for example -each brand is probably different). So theoretically, depending on how often the thermostat checks, the heat source could actually get hotter than the set temp if it heats up fast enough. For example, if you have a thermostat that measures every 2 minutes, and you have it set at 90F, it may turn the source on when the temp is at 89F, and off at 91F, but if the heat source is able to get from 89F to 95F in that 2 minute period the thermostat won't do anything until it checks the temp again. Hopefully that makes sense. I think this is why some people have trouble getting temps stable with the really cheap on/off thermostats...they go longer in between measurements.

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:) this is very true! Hydrofarm is notable. The slow probe response and weight of the probe make it very slow. This makes it a poor primary but a good backup/ failsafe!


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