For running an oil-filled heater, the "Room Heater" option is your best bet. Last year, when I decided to switch to a room heater, I called Rich at RBI and asked about the difference in the wiring and if I could use one that I already had that was wired with the power strip. He explained to me that, while the thermostat itself, was capable of handling a 1500 watt load and that the weak link was the power strip, which does not have a high enough wattage rating to handle the draw from the heater. The "Room Heater" option is basically a heavy duty extension cord wired in place of the power strip. So, instead of buying another Ranco, I just went to Home Depot and got a heavy duty extension cord and some little, flat metal clips that crimp onto the wires, and pretty much just un-wired the power strip and re-wired in the extension cord. You can order it already pre-wired, or, do it yourself. Here is the link to a good tutorial, if you choose that option:
http://www.rcreptiles.com/blog/index...1000_thermosta
As far as the heaters go, you are right, there are quite a few brands and models to choose from. I didn't think that I would need all of the fancy digital stuff so I just got a basic one from Lowes. It is a Pelonis brand and cost somewhere around $35 or so. One important thing to keep in mind with regards to the heaters is that they usually have three power settings which draw different wattages. If I remember correctly, my settings/watts are somewhere like Low/325 watts, Medium/750 watts, and High/1500 watts. So as not to possibly overload the Ranco, I always just keep mine on the Medium power setting. Also, these heaters have built-in thermostats. Mine doesn't show actual temps on the scale, so I really don't know what the max temp on the built-in thermostat is, but I just set it between 3/4 and Max to keep the heater from turning itself off before the Ranco, then I set the Ranco to 80F.
You may have to get a little creative when it comes to where and how you place/mount the Ranco probe. I wasn't real sure about at exactly what height I should have the probe. All of my enclosures are between 18"- 36" off the floor, so I just kind of went with a happy medium of about 28" off the floor for the probe. Now if you have some of those tall racks or cage stacks, you may have to experiment a little to find what works best for you, and I'm sure some of the other members who have larger rooms and set-ups will chime in on what is working for them.
I also initially wondered if one heater would be enough. My snake room is a spare bedroom that measures approximately 15' X 15', and with the heater in the center of the room, it has no trouble keeping the room warm, as long as I keep the door closed.
When I first hooked everything up I had wires going everywhere and it looked a mess...
I found an old piece of melamine shelf in the garage, added a few hooks and fasteners from this assorted picture hanging hardware kit that I had...
And made a nice mounting board to keep everything uncluttered and out of the way...
I also wasn't sure how hot the bottom would get, and since it was only a couple of inches off the carpet, as a safety precaution, I have it sitting on another piece of melamine...
Hopefully this will help, or at least give you some ideas...
Originally Posted by Vypyrz
For running an oil-filled heater, the "Room Heater" option is your best bet. Last year, when I decided to switch to a room heater, I called Rich at RBI and asked about the difference in the wiring and if I could use one that I already had that was wired with the power strip. He explained to me that, while the thermostat itself, was capable of handling a 1500 watt load and that the weak link was the power strip, which does not have a high enough wattage rating to handle the draw from the heater. The "Room Heater" option is basically a heavy duty extension cord wired in place of the power strip. So, instead of buying another Ranco, I just went to Home Depot and got a heavy duty extension cord and some little, flat metal clips that crimp onto the wires, and pretty much just un-wired the power strip and re-wired in the extension cord. You can order it already pre-wired, or, do it yourself. Here is the link to a good tutorial, if you choose that option:
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