!!!Warning to those with cheap thermostats!!!

I was warned, but didn't have a whole lot of money to spend one of those nice Helix stats. So I did a little researching and found an RZilla (I'm not sure exactly how they spell it). They said it was a good one for the price blah blah blah....

Anyhow, jpman78 on here, spoke with me about it and even put up a thread about adding a dimmer to the thermostats, even if it's a good one for those just in case moments. He told me when a thermostat breaks it goes wide open, when a dimmer breaks it shuts off. So I heeded his warning and bought a dimmer for $10, set it up so it wouldn't let my flex watt go over 100......

I check on the snakes this morning before class, pull out my pastel and he's pretty cold (I heat the snake room to 70). I think what the heck?! I pull look at my RZilla and it's a bit melted :rage: THANK GOD for the dimmer!!!!! I'm assuming it got tripped because of the thermostat going hay wire and completely shut off. Right now I'm running with just the dimmer and the temps are stable until I get myself a nice thermostat. (my snake room is in the basement). By the way I only had the RZilla for about 6 months.

PLEASE get a dimmer especially if you're taking the economical route!!!! It's only $10 and it will save you a heck of a lot more money than that!!!


I'll find jpman78's thread later, I have to go to class!!!!

yeah i have a cheap thermostat as well...really weird you posted this cuz when i woke up I did my morning check, and for some reason my thermostat(reptile esu) is dropping soo low before turning back on. Time for a new one i guess. Helix is really the only way to go im seing when it comes to thermostats. Yay more money to spend!!

I would go with a herpstat before i would get a helix. I like the herpstat options and several people i know say that they are going to make the switch from helix to herpstat after trying one. I have a herpstat pro it has alot of nice features. I know for a single animal or a few animals its not exactly well priced but it is rather nice.

I didn't have much money at all when I got my BP but I had enough for a Ranco...a great thermostat that isn't super expensive...never had a problem with it :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by rmune0750

I didn't have much money at all when I got my BP but I had enough for a Ranco...a great thermostat that isn't super expensive...never had a problem with it :)

---

ranco and johnson controls both work very well. Ten times easier to dial in aswell. I haven't had any issue with either my ranco or johnson controls.

I have a wide array of thermostats - 1 Herpstat, 2 Johnson, 2 Ranco, and 4 ZooMed ReptiTemp.

The really cheap stats, like the RZilla and such, are not worth the money. However, the ZooMed stats I have are all working great and haven't given me a lick of trouble in the 1.5 years I've had them going.

As for the high end stats, Herpstat is certainly better to get than Helix.. but I actually prefer my Johnson stats over even the Herpstat. I've had to set my Herpstat at 106 to keep 92 in my rack, but the Johnson keeps 82 set at 85. Strange... :)

I had a temp. thermostat on, and it failed and melted a tub! New one should be here in a couple days.

great info considering I just installed my RZilla thermostats yesterday

What are the model numbers of the Johnson and Ranco thermostats?

I need to invest in a thermostat for my baby ball python rack. Right now I use a Herpstat ND, an ESU Reptile, and a Big Apple pet supply thermostat. The Big Apple one makes me nervous and I want to replace that too.

Thanks everyone for the great advice! I'll have to check into all of those thermostats!!!

those Rzilla ones are the Round on top kind right?

All of those similar round on top ones seem to be made by the same company.

If you have to go cheap. Get a zoo med 500R They are a DECENT tstat for the price. And i have been using two for a few years now. No problems.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by dsmalex97

yeah i have a cheap thermostat as well...really weird you posted this cuz when i woke up I did my morning check, and for some reason my thermostat(reptile esu) is dropping soo low before turning back on. Time for a new one i guess. Helix is really the only way to go im seing when it comes to thermostats. Yay more money to spend!!

---

Oh jeez, you're lucky it's going down, but god knows what it's going to do when it completely breaks!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Malice

great info considering I just installed my RZilla thermostats yesterday

---

:O I hope you get a dimmer :D It's worth it. I plan to keep them dimmer going even after I get a nice thermostat. I don't want to lose any snakes because of my temps sky rocketing! I'd rather everything shut off, they can live just fine in 70 degrees!

I had to find my dimmer at Lowes, it's in a weird place, by the lamps??? I guess it sort of makes sense considering what most people use it for. It's always interesting when the store clerks ask you what you plan to use it for :rofl:

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mooingtricycle

those Rzilla ones are the Round on top kind right?

All of those similar round on top ones seem to be made by the same company.

If you have to go cheap. Get a zoo med 500R They are a DECENT tstat for the price. And i have been using two for a few years now. No problems.

---

Yes, they are round on the top with a dial that spins to whatever temp you desire.

Here's John's (jpman78) thread about the dimmers.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=78848


The dimmer I have plugs into the wall, with the thermostat plugged into it, so it was very simple.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Isis

Yes, they are round on the top with a dial that spins to whatever temp you desire.

---

ive known them to be horrid for a long time. lucky you had a backup!!!!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mooingtricycle

ive known them to be horrid for a long time. lucky you had a backup!!!!

---

That's no joke!!! I'm very thankful I got the advice!

[QUOTE= It's always interesting when the store clerks ask you what you plan to use it for :rofl:[/QUOTE]

I had that last time I picked up bins- the lady said "packing up for someone going to college?" Either I looked really young that day- like young enough to be heading to college, or really old- like old enough to have kids heading to college. Not sure- I'm right in the middle.

Anyhow- reading your thread makes me glad I decided to spend the extra money and get a Herpstat ND- it arrived last week.

Every thermostat should have a backup thermostat or rheostat behind it, in my opinion.

JonV

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Isis

Here's John's (jpman78) thread about the dimmers.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=78848


The dimmer I have plugs into the wall, with the thermostat plugged into it, so it was very simple.

---

Wouldn't you want it the other way around? Right now you are throttling the power that goes to your thermostat, doesn't a thermostat need a set amount of power to function? You want the thermostat functioning on full power, but if it ever melts ON, can only fire so much juice to the heat tape.

Wall---->Thermostat---->Rheostat(throttle)---->Racks

No?

-JonV

Yep that's how it should be :) But I'm not 100% sure it matters.....

Another helpful tip is to keep the "cheap" thermostat well ventilated. If it runs in a hot/warm enviornment it will not last as long as when it is kept cool.

If I was going to buy something a step up from a "cheap" thermostat I would say a Ranco/Johnson Controls and a Rheostat (dimmer) is safer than just a stand alone Helix/Herpstat with all other things being equal.

Hope that helps :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nevohraalnavnoj

Wall---->Thermostat---->Rheostat(throttle)---->Racks

-JonV

---

I've had a $25 Repti Temp 500R for almost a year and 0 issues. Yeah its a little hard to set at first but get it close once and done. And yeah you would have to run the dimmer after the tstat with the tstat being at max power and the dimmer turning it down to whatever temp you needed it to be at.

Also plenty of other ppl with the 500R for years and no issues. I'd never personally use an on/off style on a rack or anything like some do but for a single animal in a viv they're fine.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by snakedork

....several people i know say that they are going to make the switch from helix to herpstat after trying one....

---

I have both Helix and Herpstat. Since I got my Herpstat I will never buy another Helix. Don't get me wrong I like the Helix I just like the Herpstat so much more.... To me you get more bang for your buck with the Herpstat then you do the Helix, just alot more options and Some other really nice features...

Mike

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Isis

:O I hope you get a dimmer :D It's worth it. I plan to keep them dimmer going even after I get a nice thermostat. I don't want to lose any snakes because of my temps sky rocketing! I'd rather everything shut off, they can live just fine in 70 degrees!

---

Just to clarify: Dimmers don't cut off your power. They limit it so you can set a max temp in case the thermostat fails in On mode. Your thermostat appears to have failed in Off mode, so your dimmer didn't do anything.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by ScottyDsntKnow

I've had a $25 Repti Temp 500R for almost a year and 0 issues. Yeah its a little hard to set at first but get it close once and done. And yeah you would have to run the dimmer after the tstat with the tstat being at max power and the dimmer turning it down to whatever temp you needed it to be at.

Also plenty of other ppl with the 500R for years and no issues. I'd never personally use an on/off style on a rack or anything like some do but for a single animal in a viv they're fine.

---

I thought I ordered a 500R last week but somehow I ordered a ZooMed rheostat instead. :confused: I can still use the rheostat but will be ordering a 500R tonight.

Or what fried the on/off also fried the dimmer :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JeffFlanagan

Just to clarify: Dimmers don't cut off your power. They limit it so you can set a max temp in case the thermostat fails in On mode. Your thermostat appears to have failed in Off mode, so your dimmer didn't do anything.

---

Take this as you wish....why would you pay the same amount of money for a thermostat that does less? The HERPSTAT is the ONLY tstat to buy...I'm not saying the Helix dosent work as well, blah, blah, blah, but the HERPSTAT costs the same, and has a ton more features than the Helix. When I purchased mine, I was not pleased with the customer service at Helix...So I was advised by somebody on here to get a HERPSTAT from SPYDER ROBOTICS. I had never heard of HERPSTAT before but decided to contact them anyway. The customer service there was SUPERB, Dion contacted me back, answered ALL my questions about the tstat, heat tape etc., and that was only an hour after I emailed him. I would recommed the HERPSTAT to anybody that needs a good TSTAT. Dont waste your money on those cheap, pet store, so called thermostats that require replacing every six months...No Johnsons, no Rancos, (these are homemade) No helix's...GO WITH HERPSTAT YOU WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED!!:D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by mcd

I had that last time I picked up bins- the lady said "packing up for someone going to college?" Either I looked really young that day- like young enough to be heading to college, or really old- like old enough to have kids heading to college. Not sure- I'm right in the middle.

---

Lol that's a good story!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nevohraalnavnoj

Every thermostat should have a backup thermostat or rheostat behind it, in my opinion.

JonV

---

Agreed!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by nevohraalnavnoj

Wouldn't you want it the other way around? Right now you are throttling the power that goes to your thermostat, doesn't a thermostat need a set amount of power to function? You want the thermostat functioning on full power, but if it ever melts ON, can only fire so much juice to the heat tape.

Wall---->Thermostat---->Rheostat(throttle)---->Racks

No?

-JonV

---

Yeah your right :cool: I forgot that John told me to plug it into the wall let the flex watt heat up to the desired temp then plug it into the thermostat. Right right.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jpman78

Yep that's how it should be :) But I'm not 100% sure it matters.....

Another helpful tip is to keep the "cheap" thermostat well ventilated. If it runs in a hot/warm enviornment it will not last as long as when it is kept cool.

If I was going to buy something a step up from a "cheap" thermostat I would say a Ranco/Johnson Controls and a Rheostat (dimmer) is safer than just a stand alone Helix/Herpstat with all other things being equal.

Hope that helps :)

---

That's the thing that I don't understand, it was on top of my rack, which is about chest level to me and there isn't any sort of covering on top of it. There was no reason it should have gotten so hot!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JeffFlanagan

Just to clarify: Dimmers don't cut off your power. They limit it so you can set a max temp in case the thermostat fails in On mode. Your thermostat appears to have failed in Off mode, so your dimmer didn't do anything.

---

Hmmm..... I think I'm understanding what you are trying to say....The thermostat possibly failed in the off mode, therefor no power was going to the dimmer to heat the flex watt. If that's the case I guess I'm lucky, but I still don't understand how the thermostat melted when it's in a 70 degree room sitting on top of my rack....

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by jpman78

Or what fried the on/off also fried the dimmer :)

---

Hmmm......idk, do you think there is some sort of safety feature that trips the dimmer? I had to mess around with it a bit before it would even turn back on. It has an orange light that dims, I plugged it into the wall and the light wouldn't even come on. I unplugged it from the wall (and the flex watt) and messed with the switch, then plugged it back into the wall and the orange light came back on. :confused: It was really weird. I wish I still had the box it came in.

I use a Ranco and have not had a problem.
I wired it to a power strip so that multiple UTH's or CHE's can run at the same temp.

Here's the picture...
https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...size_thumb.jpg

And here's the link on how to wire it up...
http://www.rcreptiles.com/blog/index...1000_thermosta