Question on Thermostats

[Knytemare]

Now im building my first rack ever on friday or this weekend, now i already have the flexwatt and all, now i need my thermostat or a dimmer as i was told that works, now if i use a thermostat can i use any like say from walmart like in this link?
http://www.walmart.com/search/search...at&_tt=Thermos
now i know i should get the felix and all the higher end stuff but atm, i dont have money for the expensive therms yet, so i want something for now that'll hold me over for now and keeps my snakes safe with the flexwatt.

[llovelace]

No, try hydrofarm, ranco, helix, johnson or herpstat. The hydrofarm is like $28 online, is an on/off type & works well.

[mpkeelee]

i have had good luck with the reptitemp 500R. its the on and off kind and only around 25 bucks. i have two of them i dont use anymore but they were great when i did

proportional thermostats, the more expensive ones, stay on and just adjust the power supplied to the heat source. as soon as you can you should pick one up.

[Knytemare]

see the thing is i really dont wanna order anything online and having to pay the shipping and overnight bull, i plan on setting everything up this weekend, so i pefer to buy something i can use to control the heat, from a store nearby.

[mpkeelee]

exotic stores will have them if you have any near you, or you can try some chain stores. most likely you will have to order it, especiall when you want the more expensive ones

[Knytemare]

well for right now i dont want the expensive ones, like even if a simple dimmer from home depot or something could work for now till i build up the money to get a good one later.

[killerphade310]

U get watchu pay

[Knytemare]

ya ya, but id rather get a $5 dimmer (if it would work) then to let my flexwatt heat tape run w.o anything controlling it and possibly harm my snake cause i cant afford an expensive pro thermostat right now.

[deathadder1069]

If you want you can go with your dimmer that youre looking at but id make sure that youd have it running about a week before you put any animals in your rack just to make sure youre checking temp fluctuations and to get it adjusted to the right temp. Unfortunately unlike the Helix and others, your temp will be constant and even if it gets too warm it wont adjust so youll have to do that yourself and thats a job in its self. Honestly, i wouldnt go with dimmers for animals but id use them for terrariums without animals. As for your local shops and chain stores most likely wont carry Helix so order one asap...they tend to carry the zoomed dial temp controls which again are just like the dimmer and dont do such a great job. Helix and others have your temp probe which will adjust the temp if it gets too hight or too low, depending where you place your probe at. I have mine set on the middle of the rack but the tubs at the higher levels tend to get warmer since theyre getting all the heat thats rising so midway up your rack is the best place for it. Again, not recommending a dimmer switch even though theres been many people using them but if you have animals that you care about, you should go with a better way to control your temps, whether you paid 20 bucks for a snake or 2000. Good luck.

[Knytemare]

see the thing is i lost my job recently and my gf juust bought me a new pastel (2 snakes total) and im building my first rack ever this weekend, and my mom is buying the wood. its only about $22 dollars for all the wood i need, but i dont wanna make her go broke because i NEED an expensive $80+ thermostat or anything, thats why im saying for now if i get something cheap for now even if its maybe $20 and not shipped for now, till i get the money myself to get a good thermostat.