Where do you place your thermostat probe?

[lillyorchid]

I place mine inside the tank or tub and tape it in the middle right above the flexwatt which is on the bottom on the tank/tub.

[jglass38]

I place mine inside the tank or tub and tape it in the middle right above the flexwatt which is on the bottom on the tank/tub.

Bad idea all around. Thermostat probes should never go on the inside of the tub. If it gets dislodged, your temps WILL shoot up to dangerous temperatures. Keep your probes outside the tub where a snake can't possibly move it around.

[PipeDADDY]

Another question for all you folks that attach the tstat to the flexwatt. Does room temperature impact the tub temps on the warm side? If you get 93 in the tubs @ an 80 degree room temp....what if your room temp climbs to 85? Would the tstat would continue to pump out heat on the warm side....making it warmer than 93? I would imagine you can only put the tstat on the flexwatt IF your room temps are very consistent. If your room temps vary a good deal, then it would make sense to put the tstat probe IN THE tub to ensure your warm side is maintained with outside temp variances....

is that right?

[jglass38]

Another question for all you folks that attach the tstat to the flexwatt. Does room temperature impact the tub temps on the warm side? If you get 93 in the tubs @ an 80 degree room temp....what if your room temp climbs to 85? Would the tstat would continue to pump out heat on the warm side....making it warmer than 93? I would imagine you can only put the tstat on the flexwatt IF your room temps are very consistent. If your room temps vary a good deal, then it would make sense to put the tstat probe IN THE tub to ensure your warm side is maintained with outside temp variances....

is that right?

That is the whole point of a proportional tstat. It increases or decreases the amount of power to the heating element to maintain the proper temp. With an on/off type in a room with unstable temps you will get way more temp swing.

[PipeDADDY]

That is the whole point of a proportional tstat. It increases or decreases the amount of power to the heating element to maintain the proper temp. With an on/off type in a room with unstable temps you will get way more temp swing.

I understand the pro tstats. However that is not the crux of my question. It was more focused on....if you measure and maintain the temp at the flexwatt, you constantly output X amount of heat. (like a rheostat?) This X heat would not take into account external factors...like flucuating room temps. By measuring in the tub, you are producing the amount of heat required to maintain the snake's environment, taking into account the external factors. Like if for some reason....the flexwatt had to run at 95 to maintain 93 in the tub on one day and run at 100 the next day to maintain 93 in the tub. By measuring at the flexwatt...it would always be at 95.

I could be wrong...thus why I am asking.

[jason221]

Another question for all you folks that attach the tstat to the flexwatt. Does room temperature impact the tub temps on the warm side? If you get 93 in the tubs @ an 80 degree room temp....what if your room temp climbs to 85? Would the tstat would continue to pump out heat on the warm side....making it warmer than 93? I would imagine you can only put the tstat on the flexwatt IF your room temps are very consistent. If your room temps vary a good deal, then it would make sense to put the tstat probe IN THE tub to ensure your warm side is maintained with outside temp variances....

is that right?

You are describing a dimmer. The whole point of a thermostat is to keep the temperature where you set it, 24/7.

[PipeDADDY]

You are describing a dimmer. The whole point of a thermostat is to keep the temperature where you set it, 24/7.

Exactly! Doesn't a dimmer produces X amount of heat when set at XX% of 100%, regardless of external factors? By putting the tstat on the flexwatt, don't you accomplish the same thing, albiet alot more accurate? You would produce X amount (94 degrees) of heat regardless of external factors. All this to say, is that it appears putting tstat on the flexwatt assumes a relatively stable external environment temp.

Think about it like this....if one day it takes a temp on the flexwatt of 100 to maintain 93 in the tub. So you set the tstat to 100 and it produces 100 at the flexwatt. The next day it takes a temp on the flexwatt of 95 to maintain 93 in the tub. but you had the flexwatt set at 100, wouldn't it get too warm on the 2nd day? I am not sure this actually happens out in the real world, but I am curious to know.....

[dr del]

Hi PipeDADDY,



Thermostats are best thought of as self regulating VARIABLE dimmers.

so while you are talking about manually adjusting a dimmer once per day a thermostat is constantly adjusting the power output. And since the external temps are "global" as far as the thermostat sensor and tank are concerned I dont think the problem your talking about is likely to happen.

I may not have explained that right reading it back so I'll try again.

Unless there is a breeze blowing in the room to introduce windchill into the equation if it takes a temp of 100 on the flexwatt to make the inside of the tub 93 then that should always be the case. The external temp should only change the amount of energy the flexwatt needs to maintain that temp. This should be constantly changing via the thermostat to ensure your stable conditions.

As long as nothing changes the interaction between the tub and flexwatt (distance/composition etc) there should be a stable (or at least predictable) energy transfer ratio - though I dont have the ability to work it out without 2 mathematicians and a whip.

Does that make sense or should I pull my trousers up and stop speaking?


dr del

[JLC]

hopefully i will soon be getting a ranco thermostat, where do you recommend i secure the probe for it?


and is this the tape you use to secure the probe?

http://www.mgreptiles.com/images/lgfoilroll.jpg

[JLC]

Assuming you are using a UTH, secure the probe directly to the UTH. You can get foil tape at any Home Depot or Lowe's for about $6 for a huge roll that will last a long time.