Thermostat setups?

[SCWood]

I'd like to know any and all details that you take into consideration when using a t-stat...like placement of probe, number of elements plugged in, favored types, etc.

1.2 Normal
1.1 Red-tail
0.1 Albino corn

[Cowtipper]

Placement of probe doesn't really matter. What you are monitoring is your temp in the cage. So if you want your hot side set at 92 degrees, then wherever your probe is, you set your thermostat to whatever it needs to be so your air temp is measuring 92.
If you are using it with an under tank heater, then you would put the probe between the pad and the tank.

You should only plug in one device to your thermostat, unless it is designed to accept more.

I use a Hydrofarm with a ceramic heat emitter. You can get them on Ebay for around $35. The more expensive brands are nice too, just depends on what you want to use and what the model offers. For me, the Hydrofarm has always worked well.

[Jhill001]

With snakes best place for your probe is right where the heating element is effecting to prevent burns. So if your heating pad is right on the bottom of the cage it's where you want your probe. It really depends on your set up to be honest. For example if you have a thick substrate layer you can have issues getting air temp up with only a heating pad.

I disagree with the above poster because if you put your probe out in the center of the cage and set the thermostat at 84, if your heating element is struggling to get to that temperature it can potentially get very hot trying to get that probe up to 84 degrees. Which can create the potential for burns. I set my probe directly onto the heating pad and have my thermostat set at 100 degrees which isn't hot enough to burn a snake.

By using my infrared thermometer I gauge my snakes hot spot in his hide at 90-95 on the glass at the bottom (85-90 through the substrate), his ambient center of the cage temp is 78 and 73 on the cold end. I use the green heat pads from Big Apple and my tanks are raise with little plastic feet so heat can escape from under which means that my heat pad being set that high is a necessity.

I regularly check my temps in my cages depending on the weather (if my furnace/air conditioner is running I don't want ambients getting too warm or cold)

[Jhill001]

This video explains how the majority of thermostats will work and how to set them up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JU-iK7aeBPQ

[Eric Alan]

Placement of probe doesn't really matter.

The placement of the probe is very important - it's what sets your thermostat up for success. If it's not placed correctly, the thermostat doesn't have a snowball's chance to work properly.

What you are monitoring is your temp in the cage.

When using a UTH, what you a actually monitoring is the temp of your heating element.

So if you want your hot side set at 92 degrees, then wherever your probe is, you set your thermostat to whatever it needs to be so your air temp is measuring 92.

When using a UTH, you set it to whatever it needs to be so the floor above the UTH, not the air, is measuring the temperature you want it to be.

If you are using it with an under tank heater, then you would put the probe between the pad and the tank.

Correct! This placement tends to give the most accurate and consistent results.

You should only plug in one device to your thermostat, unless it is designed to accept more.

It is perfectly fine to plug in multiple identical heating elements into a single thermostat as long as they don't overload the thermostat's max load.

I use a Hydrofarm with a ceramic heat emitter. You can get them on Ebay for around $35. The more expensive brands are nice too, just depends on what you want to use and what the model offers. For me, the Hydrofarm has always worked well.

The brand you mentioned is certainly a decent budget thermostat. I prefer to recommend the Spyder Robotics Herpstats for their safe and consistent reliability.

[Sauzo]

Actually placement of a probe is important as that is going to determine the temps. I personally run a Herpstat 1 on my big BCI cage and a Herpstat 2 to run my baby sunglow and pied cages. As long as you don't exceed the wattage rating on the T-stat, you should be fine and generally you want 1 t-stat per cage. The exception is if both cages are exactly the same, then some people use 1 t-stat with 1 probe in 1 cage to run 2 cages but I advise not to do that. I use RHPs and CHEs for my cages and I put the probe about 2" to the side of the heater and about 1" from the floor. Then I dial in the Herpstats with my temp gun and my thermometers on the cool side until I get the right temps I want. For me personally, I run both my Herpstats set at 85F and that gives me a good gradient. Also you will know you got it right if you see your snake going from cool side to warm side and vice versa. Always on the cool side and that means you are probably too hot, always on the hot side, means you are probably too cool. And finally, I only use Herpstats. I have a Hydrofarm that I used to use on UTH but since I ditched UTHs, I just use the Hydrofarm as a backup. They work ok for UTH but the temp swing on it is too much for a RHP or CHE imo plus its an on/off type which sucks for RHPS and CHE. Use a dimming T-stat for those.

[Cowtipper]

The placement of the probe is very important - it's what sets your thermostat up for success. If it's not placed correctly, the thermostat doesn't have a snowball's chance to work properly.

I see what you're saying, but I disagree. If my heating element is centered on the left side of my cage, and my probe is on the left side of the cage, but is in the corner, so it is out of the way, I can set my thermostat to something like 87 degrees, but the actual hot spot, which is what I care about, is reading 92; that's why I say it doesn't really matter.

[Eric Alan]

I see what you're saying, but I disagree. If my heating element is centered on the left side of my cage, and my probe is on the left side of the cage, but is in the corner, so it is out of the way, I can set my thermostat to something like 87 degrees, but the actual hot spot, which is what I care about, is reading 92; that's why I say it doesn't really matter.

By "in the corner, so it's out of the way" do you mean inside of the enclosure, but not placed in a distracting (visually or physically) location? If so, then despite it being able to regulate the temperature as you described (without direct contact), I would contend that it's not placed in a position to perform optimally.

My reasoning is that a thermostat probe placed on the inside floor of an enclosure is subject to "the elements". "The elements" can be any number of factors that would cause a probe to not report reliable temperatures: contact with liquid from spilled water or urine, being moved from it's original position by an active snake, a snake getting comfortable between the probe and the floor of the enclosure, and any number of other events that happen pretty regularly on the floor of an enclosure. The best way to protect against "the elements" is to place the thermostat probe out of the way on the outside of the enclosure where it is able to report reliable temperatures pretty much regardless of what's happening on the inside.

You are spot on that the probe does not have to be in direct contact with the UTH in order to be successful, but it sure makes a thermostat a heck of a lot more reliable/responsive/accurate/safe if it is.

[IsmQui718]

I keep my temp probe directly over the heating tape, directly in the center of the center shelf of a rack. I regularly double check my temps with an infrared thermometer. I measure hot spots directly over the tape in hides, ambient temps and cool spot temps. I'm currently have my thermostat set to 90°F. Seems to work for my setup.


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[Cowtipper]

By "in the corner, so it's out of the way" do you mean inside of the enclosure, but not placed in a distracting (visually or physically) location? If so, then despite it being able to regulate the temperature as you described (without direct contact), I would contend that it's not placed in a position to perform optimally.

My reasoning is that a thermostat probe placed on the inside floor of an enclosure is subject to "the elements". "The elements" can be any number of factors that would cause a probe to not report reliable temperatures: contact with liquid from spilled water or urine, being moved from it's original position by an active snake, a snake getting comfortable between the probe and the floor of the enclosure, and any number of other events that happen pretty regularly on the floor of an enclosure. The best way to protect against "the elements" is to place the thermostat probe out of the way on the outside of the enclosure where it is able to report reliable temperatures pretty much regardless of what's happening on the inside.

You are spot on that the probe does not have to be in direct contact with the UTH in order to be successful, but it sure makes a thermostat a heck of a lot more reliable/responsive/accurate/safe if it is.

I was only referring to a probe being used inside the enclosure, and not with a UTH. I agree with you that there can be some unwanted factors like the snake laying on the probe, or liquid contacting the probe that will change what the thermostat is reading; and you're right, the probe is better placed off the ground to eliminate those problems.