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  1. #1
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    Pulse Proportional Thermostat?/Lighting Question

    Hello, first post here. My daughter got her first snake, a ball python, about 2 weeks ago (the first snake for our family). Our house stays on the cool side (usually 66-69 degrees). He is currently in a 20L glass enclosure. We now have plans to use a tub or PVC enclosure in the future but for now we are trying to make sure his set up is ideal as possible. We have managed to get his temps and humidity dialed in with a foil/cardboard cover system and using an UTH on his warm side in combo with a halogen for day (on a manual dimmer) and a CHE at night. The two reasons for switching out is for day/night cycle and because I think we need a higher wattage CHE because it does not get his ambient temps quite as warm as we would like. But, right now only the UTH is on a thermostat. We know this is potentially, not a safe solution. Also, this requires one of us to manually switch out the light every morning and evening which will not work when we go out of town overnight. This brings me to my questions/thoughts.

    1) If we can get proper temps with a CHE is there any issue with the daytime lighting just coming from a nearby desk lamp? With the top covered for humidity and the sides covered to help him feel secure I am not sure what other option there is?

    2) More importantly, for safety, I want to get the CHE on a thermostat. A lot of what I am reading says you shouldn't use a dimming thermostat with a CHE. I know we could use a on/off thermostat (and that would be nice for the budget). I found a lot of recommendations for using a pulse proportional thermostat but then I realized there were on UK forums or articles. Will they work with US electric? Are they sold under a different name? Am I just blind and missing it?

    I don't want to spend an arm and a leg but I want to make sure he is safe and happy. So far he seems to be settling in great. Although he had only eaten live at the store he took F/T eagerly when she fed him and she has started short handling sessions that he is tolerating well. Thanks, in advance for your advice and suggestions.

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran Malum Argenteum's Avatar
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    I can't think of any reason why a dimming thermostat shouldn't be used with a CHE. A CHE is simply a resistive element, exactly like a heat mat or incandescent lamp, which heats up from the electrical resistance of the material through which current flows.

    That said, the Herpstat line (at least the H1-H4 line; I haven't used the H1Basic) from Spyder allows for switching between dimming or PP (or simple on/off, or humidity control, or timed circuits, for that matter), so you could use it how you like.

    The Herpstats are the only thermostats I'd recommend in any case (I own a handful of them), but in your case they have an added bonus. Also, since you're running three different heating devices, the Herpstat 4 can run all of them with a channel to spare. The unit may seem expensive, but it is far cheaper than others that fail, since in those cases you'd be buying a Herpstat to replace the failed one, and then taking your animal to the vet on top of that. Also, they retain their value so can be resold if circumstances change.
    Last edited by Malum Argenteum; 01-14-2022 at 01:20 PM.

  3. The Following 5 Users Say Thank You to Malum Argenteum For This Useful Post:

    Asclepius (01-14-2022),Bogertophis (01-14-2022),Homebody (01-14-2022),Hugsplox (01-18-2022),jmcrook (01-14-2022)

  4. #3
    BPnet Senior Member jmcrook's Avatar
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    Re: Pulse Proportional Thermostat?/Lighting Question

    +1 for Herpstat. I’ve used CHEs in dimming mode on my herptats with zero issues. Actually better for the bulb and provides more consistent heating as it slowly adds and reduces power to the heating element rather than constantly clicking it on and off.


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    BPnet Veteran Homebody's Avatar
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    Re: Pulse Proportional Thermostat?/Lighting Question

    Quote Originally Posted by Asclepius View Post
    1) If we can get proper temps with a CHE is there any issue with the daytime lighting just coming from a nearby desk lamp?
    There shouldn't be an issue with using the nearby desk lamp for lighting. The important thing is that you give your snake a day/night cycle. It doesn't matter where the light comes from. Inexpensive timers can be had that will provide the day/night cycle when you are out of town.

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    Asclepius (01-14-2022),Bogertophis (01-14-2022),Hugsplox (01-18-2022),Malum Argenteum (01-14-2022)

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    Re: Pulse Proportional Thermostat?/Lighting Question

    Thank you, everyone. Of course, now I can't find the sources I read about not using a dimmer for a CHE . We have several smart plugs and an old school timer plug so using setting a room light/lamp on a timer won't be a problem, at all.

  9. #6
    BPnet Senior Member jmcrook's Avatar
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    Re: Pulse Proportional Thermostat?/Lighting Question

    Is there a window in the room? That’s plenty enough for a nocturnal animal to know when it’s day/night


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    Re: Pulse Proportional Thermostat?/Lighting Question

    There is a window, but she has blinds closed on it. I think that opening would probably drop the room temp a bit. It might still be plenty of light for the snake to have a day/night cycle but, it isn't hard to put a small lamp on a timer so I think we will go that way. Great reminder, though.

  12. #8
    BPnet Veteran Hugsplox's Avatar
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    Re: Pulse Proportional Thermostat?/Lighting Question

    Quote Originally Posted by Asclepius View Post
    There is a window, but she has blinds closed on it. I think that opening would probably drop the room temp a bit. It might still be plenty of light for the snake to have a day/night cycle but, it isn't hard to put a small lamp on a timer so I think we will go that way. Great reminder, though.
    I also just use natural light from a window for all of my animals. Even with the blinds closed in the afternoon when it's a tad bright to work in here (my snake room is my office) it's still bright enough to light up all the enclosures without overheating them. Plus I get to save on bulbs since I'm not using any additional lighting. Also, and I know other users have already commented on this, but I wanted to echo what they said about dimming thermostats. I've used them with CHEs as well and haven't had any issues. If anything you get more benefit from them because it increases the life of the bulb.

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