thermostat

I am an need of a thermostat that wont break the bank but wont kill my snakes either.

so whats the best but cheapest thremo to get the job done?
id rather keep the snakes alive so if i have to go get a helix i will i guess

Ranco from www.reptilebasics.com

Good thermostat, won't break the bank:D

Yep---Reptile Basics has a nice selection. You will still have to check temps regularly. A temp gun makes checking temps easier!

I personally use, right now Two Zoo Med 500R's. These are actual thermostats, and NOT Rheostats. Both have been running perfectly for quite a few years now and are good little entry level T-stats. Theyll run you about 15-25 bucks depending on where you look. If you just have a couple tanks, these are perfect, you just have to dial the temperature in and check them from time to time, but other than that, you really shouldnt have any problems with them. I know quite a few people that use them now, and none have had any problems. Good for the cost. Not the best, but definitely wont break the bank.


BUT. I also run two Herpstats as well ( and love them!) for 110.00 you REALLY cannot beat the quality and i would choose a spyder robotics thermostat ANY DAY over any other model/brand in a heartbeat. They are THE. BEST. in my opinion as far as quality, and customer service ( and functionality )

I use a Helix on my rack and on my bator, but I also have a few Zoo Med 500R's that I use on individual or pairs of tubs. I have not had any issues with either of them.

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Originally Posted by mooingtricycle

I personally use, right now Two Zoo Med 500R's. These are actual thermostats, and NOT Rheostats. Both have been running perfectly for quite a few years now and are good little entry level T-stats. Theyll run you about 15-25 bucks depending on where you look. If you just have a couple tanks, these are perfect, you just have to dial the temperature in and check them from time to time, but other than that, you really shouldnt have any problems with them. I know quite a few people that use them now, and none have had any problems. Good for the cost. Not the best, but definitely wont break the bank.

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Yeah, I have a 500r that I got for about $30. As long as you have backups for the heating devices plugged into the tstat (I use the Lutron lamp dimmers from Lowes), then you shouldn't have problems. If the tstat fails in the "on" position which it usually does if something goes wrong, the lamp dimmers will limit the max temp the heating devices will get to.
linky

i have a
- helix 100db thing (Whatever the letters are after it)
- johnson controls

i got rid of
- reptitemp 500r

The helix and johnson are amazing, I will be purchasing only helix's or higher quality in the future. the johnson is for my quarantine enclosures.

The reptitemp... lots of people here have had great success with them. the key is that your room temps cant fluctuate AT ALL. if they do, the temps swing around wildly. I've measured UTH's on a reptitemp getting over 111 degrees F. this was the reason i got rid of it. but my room temps fluctuate a lot. anywhere from 65 in the winter to 78 in the summer. I needed the enclosure to be the right temp.

Personally, i'd recommend a johnson controls. they won't break the bank and they're very reliable. i ended up spending more money because i got a reptitemp, and then ended up getting a johnson controls maybe a month later. www.reptilebasics.com is a great place and Rich is a great guy with the BEST customer service.

i have an economy rack from ap. i should have said that in the first posty but thank you guys are great.

if you feel up to wiring a ranco it will save you even more money

http://www.climatedoctors.com/items/...?itemid=429705

and wiring it
http://www.rcreptiles.com/blog/index...1000_thermosta

Quote:

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Originally Posted by mooingtricycle

I personally use, right now Two Zoo Med 500R's. These are actual thermostats, and NOT Rheostats. Both have been running perfectly for quite a few years now and are good little entry level T-stats. Theyll run you about 15-25 bucks depending on where you look. If you just have a couple tanks, these are perfect, you just have to dial the temperature in and check them from time to time, but other than that, you really shouldnt have any problems with them. I know quite a few people that use them now, and none have had any problems. Good for the cost. Not the best, but definitely wont break the bank.


BUT. I also run two Herpstats as well ( and love them!) for 110.00 you REALLY cannot beat the quality and i would choose a spyder robotics thermostat ANY DAY over any other model/brand in a heartbeat. They are THE. BEST. in my opinion as far as quality, and customer service ( and functionality )

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Thanks a lot for this post I'm about to move my balls from tanks to tubs ( I'm moving froM Florida to Colorado next year so will be easier move tubs instead of tanks ) and I think 500R gonna be a perfect solution for me.
My other questions is what size UHT gona be better for 41 qt tubs? 10-20 gal size or 30-40 gal size my both balls are about 3,5 feet long

heat tape would be the way to go, its waaaay cheaper

if you're using heat tape i wouldn't recommend a reptitemp500r at all. Heat tape needs to be controlled absolutely. Perhaps if you have an already temperature controlled reptile room.. but if you're paying to insulate a room, buy a rack with all its components and the snakes to fill that rack, i'd suggest you do yourself the favor and just spend the extra 40-70 bucks and get a more reliable thermostat. I've seen it get over 121F unregulated and if you're not doing something properly it can get that high. Reptile heating pads "say" that they don't get over a certain temp (Which is a complete lie from the experiments i've done. 114F is not an acceptable range for any ball python but thats a different story).

i have an AP economy plastics rack, i use a helix on it and have absolutely no issues since setting it up.

i dont think im responding to the OP in this, i might be crossing my responses. its late hehe.

Uhh wont break the bank? Let's see...cheap thermostat now expensive vet bills later, or a measly 110 right now for a Herpstat and the comfort of being able to leave your snakes alone and knowing things will be ok...

I am in no way saying that a Herpstat won't fail, but I am saying that I trust it not to.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Uhh wont break the bank? Let's see...cheap thermostat now expensive vet bills later, or a measly 110 right now for a Herpstat and the comfort of being able to leave your snakes alone and knowing things will be ok...

I am in no way saying that a Herpstat won't fail, but I am saying that I trust it not to.

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Any tstat is made so much safer from a backup as simple as a lamp dimmer. While a tstat fails in the on position, a lamp dimmer will stop current to the heating when it fails.

That is the only way I would recommend using the 500r - or any tstat for that matter. It's what I do currently. But I'm also using it for just one tank and not multiple enclosures.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by pavlovk1025

Uhh wont break the bank? Let's see...cheap thermostat now expensive vet bills later, or a measly 110 right now for a Herpstat and the comfort of being able to leave your snakes alone and knowing things will be ok...

I am in no way saying that a Herpstat won't fail, but I am saying that I trust it not to.

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The OP is just looking for an inexpensive option to control temps. I agree that the Herpstat is nice, but to say that anything else will lead to expensive vet bills is going a bit overboard. I personally use Helix stats, but do use a couple of the 500R's. I've been using two of them for over 2yrs without issue. My temps don't fluctuate more than a degree or so. Maybe the OP will get a more inexpensive option now, and spring for the better one later.

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Originally Posted by waltah!

The OP is just looking for an inexpensive option to control temps. I agree that the Herpstat is nice, but to say that anything else will lead to expensive vet bills is going a bit overboard. I personally use Helix stats, but do use a couple of the 500R's. I've been using two of them for over 2yrs without issue. My temps don't fluctuate more than a degree or so. Maybe the OP will get a more inexpensive option now, and spring for the better one later.

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that is sorta the boat i'm in ATM. i have a dimmer hooked up as a temporary solution (but i check the temps throughout the day) until i can get a thermostat.

are the Helix on/off style?

i saw that the ranco is and that seems like a bad design to me as that would mean that the heat pad is constantly being turned on and off, putting more wear and tear on it as well as having to wait for the thing to heat up or cool down. Seems like it'd be better to have one that is going to regulate the voltage like a dimmer does, which would give a faster response time.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by waltah!

The OP is just looking for an inexpensive option to control temps. I agree that the Herpstat is nice, but to say that anything else will lead to expensive vet bills is going a bit overboard. I personally use Helix stats, but do use a couple of the 500R's. I've been using two of them for over 2yrs without issue. My temps don't fluctuate more than a degree or so. Maybe the OP will get a more inexpensive option now, and spring for the better one later.

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Fair enough, that is just my personal opinion and I do have a right to it. I was looking for a cheaper alternative as well and I was told the same thing, that paying a tad more now is cheaper in the long run. Im glad that the 500R works for you. I personally have no experience with it. The Tstats I use are a Herpstat and a BAH HerpPower. Just feels better to have a widely accepted quality product.

And the vet bill thing was a blatant exaggeration, it was just the best thing I had as an example. I shouldve said "chance failure and overheating of your pad" instead of making it seem like a 500R will instantly cause devastating burns.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitsunex

that is sorta the boat i'm in ATM. i have a dimmer hooked up as a temporary solution (but i check the temps throughout the day) until i can get a thermostat.

are the Helix on/off style?

i saw that the ranco is and that seems like a bad design to me as that would mean that the heat pad is constantly being turned on and off, putting more wear and tear on it as well as having to wait for the thing to heat up or cool down. Seems like it'd be better to have one that is going to regulate the voltage like a dimmer does, which would give a faster response time.

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Helix are proportional.
On/offs aren't bad though. Even the 500r keeps the temps within 1-2 degrees. Extreme precision is not really necessary unless you're doing stuff with breeding. 1-2 degs is not bad, but you don't want to go over that.