Herp Room, Have a question...

[jknudson]

This next weekend, I'm starting a reptile room project with my dad. My parents came to me with the idea (sweet I know! ) because heating my three leopard gecko enclosures as well as my ball python enclosures in my basement, where the temp stays at about 65F year round, is making us have a ridiculous electricity bill.

So we figured that if we insulate our spare room in our basement which measures 24'x8'x8' (old workshop) and get a space heater run on a thermostat to keep the room at +/- 80F will be a lot more economical, and then my balls, leos and cresties won't need lamps or UTH, just flexwatt. And they both know that after this is done it will help me get a jump start on my breeding programs as well as starting online retail...hopefully.

As well as insulating and sheet rocking the room we've decided to build some rack systems to line the walls. Everything imaginable...hatchling racks, junvenile racks, and adult racks, as well as some nice and roomy cages for my first two BPs.

Anyways, to get to the point...I've seen so many thermostats out there RANCO, Johnson, Herpstat I & II, Helix, and lord knows what else, I have no idea which one to pick, I've never used anything but a cheapy ZooMed Rheo. Since I'm looking at investing money in livestock I'm not willing to take a risk or fire, or frying my animals. I want to know which thermostat is best efficiency-wise, as well as some pros and cons.

Also, if anyone with a herp room could post some pictures, I wouldn't mind getting some ideas of some existing setups.

Thanks everyone.

~Jason Knudson

[cassandra]

That sounds awesome, congrats on getting started on that project! =)

[Adam_Wysocki]

Congratulations on your new project!

As far as thermostats go, I have been using Helix for my high end ball python collection for many almost 10 years and have never had a problem. I like the fact that they are accurate, reliable, and expandable.

Over the years I have tested out every thermostat you listed and about a half dozen others that most people have never heard ... For my testing, I run two identical racks side by side, one controlled by a Helix and the other controlled by a different brand ... and in every single test over the last 5 or 6 years, Helix consistently keeps the most accurate temperature. Some of those thermostats you listed will allow swings in temperature of as much as 8 degrees!!

If what I say doesn't mean much to you, take a look at what the big breeders use ... the guys with millions invested in ball python and boa mutations ... It's Helix ... they use Helix for a reason, because it's the best. Shoot, in Ralph Davis's latest journal entry he tells someone to go out an get a Helix for their ball python!

Will other thermostats work? Sure they will, lots of people have success with them ... Will they be as good as a Helix? ... Definitely not IN MY OPINION!

If you're going to be investing a lot of money in caging and higher end animals, take a page out of the pro's playbook ... go with Helix!

Please note: I am not selling anything nor do I have any vested interest in what anyone chooses to use as a thermostat ... In reality, I could not care less ... BUT, I am very passionate about Helix thermostats because I have done so extremely well using them! If you're offended by me sharing my experiences ... I don't care.

-adam

[rabernet]

If you're offended by me sharing my experiences ... I don't care.

-adam

Well!!!!!! I have never been so offended in all my life!!!!

By the way, how's Casper doing?

[jknudson]

Thanks Cassandra, I'm excited to get this going!

Adam, Thanks for you advice, I would say your 10 years of using Helix Thermostats without issue, and your mentioning of Ralph Davis would definitely be a reason to use them myself as I truly admire both of your collections.

I suppose I could buy Helix and another brand to compare...but why waste the money on the other thermostat, when I could put it towards a BP.

Any other tips, or bits of advice you could give me about setting up a reptile room, so I don't screw anything up?

Thanks again,

Jason

[Adam_Wysocki]

Any other tips, or bits of advice you could give me about setting up a reptile room, so I don't screw anything up?

A couple of tricks that I've learned over the years ...

1. Make sure you seal the room from drafts, but also make sure you have a way to exchange air with the outside ... sometimes it takes some dinking to work that out.

2. Use fans to keep air circulating throughout the room. Stagnant air sucks and moving air will help keeps temps similar from floor to ceiling. Air flow is sooo important for the animals!

3. If you can do it, try and put everything in the room on wheels ... racks, trash cans, etc ... Makes looking for a dropped rodent or escaped snake mucho easy ... as well as vacuuming/sweeping up bits of snake sheds that make it to the floor.

4. Make sure you install a sink in the room ... priceless ... then get yourself a coiled hose to be able to bring water to the cages instead of water bowls to the sink ... you'll thank me for that one later.

5. Invest in a small Rubbermaid "cart" ... makes cage cleaning sooo easy ... and it's on wheels.

6. Console humidifies from Home Depot/Lowes are cheaper in the spring and are a must have in a herp room.

7. Build the room with lots and lots of outlets, some high, some low ... you'll need them.

8. If you're going to use florescent lights, go with the "natural light" bulbs ... they are a little more expensive, but they make your animals easier to photograph because they don't cast any unnatural colors.

If anything else comes to me, I'll let ya know.

-adam

[JLC]

Those are great tips, Adam! I C&P'ed them into Word and saved 'em!

[jknudson]

A couple of tricks that I've learned over the years ...

1. Make sure you seal the room from drafts, but also make sure you have a way to exchange air with the outside ... sometimes it takes some dinking to work that out.

2. Use fans to keep air circulating throughout the room. Stagnant air sucks and moving air will help keeps temps similar from floor to ceiling. Air flow is sooo important for the animals!

3. If you can do it, try and put everything in the room on wheels ... racks, trash cans, etc ... Makes looking for a dropped rodent or escaped snake mucho easy ... as well as vacuuming/sweeping up bits of snake sheds that make it to the floor.

4. Make sure you install a sink in the room ... priceless ... then get yourself a coiled hose to be able to bring water to the cages instead of water bowls to the sink ... you'll thank me for that one later.

5. Invest in a small Rubbermaid "cart" ... makes cage cleaning sooo easy ... and it's on wheels.

6. Console humidifies from Home Depot/Lowes are cheaper in the spring and are a must have in a herp room.

7. Build the room with lots and lots of outlets, some high, some low ... you'll need them.

8. If you're going to use florescent lights, go with the "natural light" bulbs ... they are a little more expensive, but they make your animals easier to photograph because they don't cast any unnatural colors. You think like a 10,000k spectrum aquarium bulb would work well? Its a crisp white light, and I have access to them at a discount.

If anything else comes to me, I'll let ya know.

-adam

All I can think of to say is...Thanks!

Adam's 8 commandments.

I'll definitely have to fiddle with the air exchanging idea to get that to work correctly, and I never even thought about the type of lighting in there...right now they are flourescent bulbs but they do need to be changed out so I'll keep that in mind.

I was searching on VPI's site last night and saw that they recommended wheels for EVERYTHING, so I can't forget to do that.

As far as the outlets, I talked to my dad and that was his plan from the beginning to put tons of outlets in there, all wired on a new breaker.

Definitely some great tips that everyone can use.

You've already helped me a ton, I'm sure I'll come up with more questions for you.

Jason

[ddbjdealer]

As far as the outlets, I talked to my dad and that was his plan from the beginning to put tons of outlets in there, all wired on a new breaker.

Having built a herp room recently, I can testify to the bunches and bunches of outlets. But, let me tell you what I found out AFTER completion of the room. In my herp room I'm on two 20amp breakers.... I have 36 outlets in a 12x10 room. There's no WAY I can use even half of those on only the two 20 amp breakers.

Think big, think bigger than you think you'll get. Do the electrical calculations based on what the THERMOSTATS are drawing from the wall... NOT what the heat tape is using from the outputs on the thermostats.

Good luck! Post lots o pics when you get done/close to done.

[cassandra]

Actually that reminds me of something Rick and I were talking about and perhaps Adam and those more experience and animals can provide some insight.

What about power back ups, UPS, etc.? Do you have them, worry about that, etc.? We have pretty flaky power in California =P, so we actually talked briefly about getting a UPS for Cleo's theromstat "just in case"...