Herpstat not working?

I must be doing something wrong...

My herpstat isn't exactly doing its job - I'm getting huge temperature fluctuations. I have it *set* to 91 degrees, but I'm getting temp readings anywhere from 88-97 degrees.

The temp probe is taped directly to the UTH (and plugged into Herpstat). UTH is plugged into the Herpstat, Herpstat is plugged into wall.

Am I doing something wrong? Did I miss some sort of important step? I read the instructions, but they were pretty vague, so I may have screwed up somewhere along the way.

Arrrgh this is frustrating...

sounds like youre doing everything right... its hard to diagnose the problem on the net...

Have you called them to find out if they can troubleshoot with you?

Not yet - I will though, I just wanted to make sure I wasn't doing something totally stupid before I bothered them. ;)

I'll see what they have to say, thanks!

Do you have anything wrapped around the probe instead of the tape used to attach it to the UTH?

What you are experiencing is normal when you attach a thermostat probe directly to the heat source. The heat source has the ability to heat up quickly overshooting your target temperature at which point the thermostat turns off the heat. Then the heat source cools down quickly and undershoots the target temp. During this “teeter totter” effect the enclosure itself is not actually getting up to temp and the fluxuations on the thermostat can look wild. By placing the thermostat probe inside the enclosure over the heat source it will buffer that effect and although all thermostats initially will require some regulation time it will be much smoother. In some enclosures giving a couple of inches of space between the probe and the hot spot ends up being the proper placement. In any enclosure the probe placement will be the #1 key to having a smoothly regulated environment. Every enclosure is unique and will require some small experimentation on the owners end and for safety its always best to set up new enclosures without the animals in them until you achieve regulation.

George

my herpstat is doing the same thing as yours!

just mine doesn't spike that high. mine reads anywhere from 86-89. i emailed spyder robotics a few mins ago. whats strange is ive had it for about 3 months (bought it from beanfarm) and its been fine up until now... might have to take the rack apart and check the connections to the flex, tho I dont think the connections are the problem as I soldered them and the tubs can't touch the connections.

it's set at 94, i will raise it a tad to see if that helps but its just so strange that it was holding the temps perfectly. with my luck,,,, it will randomly start to work perfectly and the hot spots will be too warm..

i dont know tho, im racking (no pun intended lol) my brains trying to figure mine out, maybe its because its getting a little cooler in my room now that summers almost over. does this sound like it could be whats causing it? I wonder if people have to raise their herpstats in cooler months? doesn't make sense to me tho as it should still no matter what keep the temp it's set at, right??? and i heard if its more than 6 degrees off, its usually a broken thermostat? (dunno how true it is?)

blah im confused lol i guess I'll try calling spyder robotics tomorrow..

(hope im not hyjacking your thread, just figured since they are similar problems, maybe we both can learn from eachother.. ill let you know how it goes on my end)

Which model Herpstat do you have? If you have the original Herpstat is the LED to right of the temperature readout staying consistently red? If this is the case then the power is being applied full on and your heat device is unable to reach your target temp. This could be because of the room getting cooler, the temp probe slipping off the hot spot or the heat tape going bad. Same would apply if you have one of the other models and the power is constantly reading 100%. Full voltage is being applied but the heat device isn’t putting out enough heat. To test that you could always unplug the heat device from the Herpstat and plug it directly into the wall leaving the temp probe from the Herpstat in the same place it is so it acts as a thermometer and see what it gets up to. If it still only comes up to 89 degrees you know it is not being affected by the thermostat.

George

Georges posts are correct. I would also like to add that aluminum tape can throw things off for a couple of reasons. First aluminum transfers temperature quickly. Thats why we use it for our probe. Aluminum tape is transfering temps from a wide area. Which means when the heat tape turns on it can heat up the probe very quickly but the actual tubs remain cold as the thermostat shuts off power. On the other side of things, when your room cools it also transfers this quickly to the probe including every little draft. So you can get some mixed results. Plus of course aluminum can conduct electricity which is no good sitting on top of a what is technically a bunch of wires running 120 AC. If the heat tape ever gives up (and it happens more than you think) you could double your safety hazard with that tape. I would just use packing tape if necessary but also I would put the probe either in a tub over the hot spot or taped to the back of the tub over the hot spot but not directly on the heat device.

If after you have that setup and the temps are not making it to your set temperature then the issue is the heating device is not enough. You can either add more heat tape, change to a higher wattage or larger size heat tape, or increase the ambient room temperature. Setting the temp higher on the thermostat will not make the difference unless its getting within 1 degree of the target temp and its dimming the voltage but for that you can try out the different power matching modes on the Herpstat.

Hope that helps!

Dion Brewington
Owner, Spyder Robotics

i will try all the above when I get home.. thanks George and Dion!!

I have basically "killed" a herpstat this year because I plugged directly into the wall. Some places (like my apartment) have bad fluctuations in electricity that can "kill" electrical appliences like herpstats, helixes..etc ...etc

It started out as my temps were a little off, then way off, then I was gonna cook my snakes. Scary!

I have my thermostats (new ones, after spending over $300 on the ones my electricity killed) on a power surge protector.
Good investment.

clipclopclip, i dont think you're not supposed to use surge protectors with thermostats. i forgot why. but i know i've read not to. Im sure someone will chime in as to why.

andddddddd lol I feel like a moron.. the herpstat is FINE lol it was the temp gage, guess I need a new one hehehehe Glad that was the first thing I tried, as to me that was the easiest to mess with lol

my temp gun musta' been too far away for the correct reading or something? I dont use it very much, i read somewhere you have to be 8" away but I think thats too far. this one was given to me so I dont have the instructions but from what I can tell looks like this one has to be 4" away... anyone have any info on this? how close do ya have to be to the heat source to get the right reading?

blah.. i dunno.. all that matters are my temps are still perfect lol

Filly77:

Glad to hear everything is working properly. I am not an advocate of the infrared temp guns. There are far too many things that throw off the readings. If you're ever in doubt get a digitial thermometer from walmart with a probe on a wire for $7. This way you can tape it with your thermostat probe and get a more accurate reading. Infrared guns are great for taking ear temps. If you spend $100+ on a professional one they are closer but can still have their disadvantages.

clipclopclip:
Did you contact us about the Herpstat that was damaged? If not shoot me an email with a full description, contact info, ect at sales@spyderrobotics.com. I've only had one Herpstat ever fry and that was a lightning strike (there wasn't much left inside) :D
If you had a power surge that took it out there is a good chance its just the fuse and we could set you up with an RMA and take care of it for you. There is an article on surge suppressors that I wrote on our website. Basically they have ups and downs. They do protect the equipment. However, if they have cheap components or fail they can cause any proportional thermostats to not be able to turn off the power to the heat device. So they are a catch 22. :rolleyes:

Dion is a man that knows customer service! Awesome as always!

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Originally Posted by jglass38

Dion is a man that knows customer service! Awesome as always!

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Thanks Jamie! :P

How's your Herpstats doing? Just checked out your website and that is a sweet design. Very nice. :gj:

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Originally Posted by spyderrobotics

Thanks Jamie! :P

How's your Herpstats doing? Just checked out your website and that is a sweet design. Very nice. :gj:

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I love the ND. It makes those night drops so easy. I need to get more! Thanks for the kind words, Dion!