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.