Thermostat issues

[GpBp]

So, I'm setting up my qt tank for my hognose, (whos arriving the 29th!) and the thermostat is having some problems. It arrived yesterday and it's the last thing I need. I hooked it all up and set it to 88°F. Cool, good, I check temps in an hour, should be fine right? No... I checked back in an hour and it was at 134°F and HEATING. What?? I checked that the probe was still in place and it was... I changed it to 86°F just to see if it'd go down a little, nothing. An hour later, it was 136°F. I was getting annoyed and unplugged it all for the night. I haven't had any time to deal with it today but I decided to ask you guys. I got a different brand than what I got for all my other snakes (I usually get jumpstart) but this time I decided to go with the cheaper option with good reviews - Link . Reviews said it was good with reptiles, so maybe I'm doing something wrong, or it's the thermostat itself. Any thoughts? Thanks!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Bottom line you get what you pay for some are notorious to fail and when they do they fail wide open rather than shutting heat, my advice return it and buy a RELIABLE thermostat, the investment will be worth it considering your animal will live 20/30 years.

I have been using some herpstat for 12 years and counting and would never recommend anything less than that or VE thermostat.

If you buy a heprstat intro+ https://www.spyderrobotics.com/index...products_id=30 and get 10 years out of it it's only $10.90 a year and 10 years with a peace of mind.

[EL-Ziggy]

Double check to make sure your temp settings are for fahrenheit and not celsius. Beyond that you may have a defective unit. I haven't used this brand before but I have used Hydrofarm/Jumpstart thermostats for the last 6 years without issues. They've been very dependable in my experience. I've thought about buying a herpstat 4 or 6 but don't see the need since my other units work just fine. Also, what UTH are you using? I'd recommend the Ultratherm brand. They won't get nearly that hot even in the event of a t-stat failure.

[Russtix]

I'm currently using two of that same thermostat, it's disheartening to hear of one failing. They had good reviews and I have had no issues as of yet, but as the previous comment stated I am upgrading to herpstats or equivalent as I'm slowly switching over to belly Heat. I didn't worry about it too much with the c h e because I buy low wattage which max out around my desired temp and I also run those on a dimmer for additional protection but since belly Heat can do severe damage immediately I don't trust them

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[Cheesenugget]

I currently use that brand and have no issues so far. It is a little more work to get the temp right (The temp listed is lower than the actual temp by 3 degrees or so). There are some reviews that says that they received a defective unit so it does happen. That is the risk you take, you get what you pay for but even the expensive ones are not foolproof either though much more reliable. I hear that Century will work with you and send you a replacement if you contact them. The same reviews that said that they received a defective unit received their replacement which worked.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Double check to make sure your temp settings are for fahrenheit and not celsius.

Even if they were it would be worse as 134 degrees celcius would be to 270+ Fahrenheit

[JRLongton]

I looked at that very thermostat when I bought a Jumpstart as a back up. I was turned off by several negative reviews that related similar experiences to yours. I'd return it and get a Jumpstart, though a Herpstat would be preferred.

[larryd23]

Double check to make sure your temp settings are for fahrenheit and not celsius. Beyond that you may have a defective unit. I haven't used this brand before but I have used Hydrofarm/Jumpstart thermostats for the last 6 years without issues. They've been very dependable in my experience. I've thought about buying a herpstat 4 or 6 but don't see the need since my other units work just fine. Also, what UTH are you using? I'd recommend the Ultratherm brand. They won't get nearly that hot even in the event of a t-stat failure.

I'm also a fan of Ultratherm UTHs (although I use RBI UTHs in my RBI vivs). Unregulated an Ultratherm will still get up to 110 degrees.

As Deborah said, one of the features of Herpstats is that if they fail, they fail in the OFF position. Others fail in the ON position. Whatever you get, be sure that it isn't one of those. Better to have your snake a little chilly at room temperature than burned or killed by a runaway heat source.

[Fastfish]

That's really scary, I have the same thermostat on my Boa

[55fingers]

I have the same thermostat as well. It hasn't failed yet, but it's always waiting until it's 3 degrees above or below what I set to correct it. I'd love to someday get a more reliable one. I'll have make sure someone checks his temps regularly when I go on vacation next year.

Anyway, it seems that you got a faulty one. Contact the makers and I think they'll replace it. These models aren't very reliable, but usually never malfunction as much as yours did.