Quote Originally Posted by angie7 View Post
I have seen a lot of people talk about this on the site yet I don't really understand what it means. Are you talking about a timer and only let it come on certain times of the day for so long or something that doesn't allow it to fully heat up? Can someone explain this and what I need to do?
A thermostat, turns the heat on or off, or controls the amount of power going to a heating element at any given time, to maintain proper levels of heat output.

A thermostat is a MUST for any Under tank heater ( UTH )/Heating Pad, as they can and will burn your snake if not properly regulated.

I personally use a Herpstat for my large rack enclosures, and i use Zoo Med 500R's for two other racks. I find the 500R's to be decent t-stats for the price and both have worked for me for 2-3 years without issue. ( some people are dead set against them, and i am not at all. ) They are cheap enough for a single enclosure, but capable of controlling larger rack systems under 500 watts.