Pros and Cons; Single line vs multiple line thermostats

[rlditmars]

I am looking at Herpstats and the difference per line is really nominal whether you buy a Basic or a Herpstat 4. I am debating on purchasing 2 Basics or a Herpstat II. I will be running one on an incubator and the other on a juvi rack.

My question to all those who have been using them for years. Outside of costs, are there any pros and/or cons to multiline vs single line or is it simply personal preferance? Any feedback you could give based on your experience is greatly appreciated.

Thanks

[axeman569]

I have both and would say it's personal preference ultimately. As long as your incubator and rack are together, having a Herpstat II is nice. Only 1 thermostat to worry about. You should still have 1 with a single probe though. I have a complete setup for a quarantine system that includes its own thermostat. Total, I have 6 different thermostats. 1 is my Herpstat II, the rest are single probe. Hope that helps.

[Jabberwocky Dragons]

Having a single line gives you more control and safety over each individual rack if you choose to install back-up on/off t-stats. My racks each have their own t-stats: one on/off as a safety backup and one single line proportional for regular use. If you don't choose to use back-ups then I don't think there's much difference and the multilines are probably more convenient.

[mikel81]

The only con I can think of with using a multi unit is if one channel fails. Will you have backups for all of your racks if you need to send the unit for repair/replacement?

[rlditmars]

Thanks everyone, good stuff.

Mikel81; You make a very good point about losing two racks with one failure. Hadn't considered that. Which begs the question, is channel failure a common occurance? If one had to ship out a unit for repairs, what is the least expensive t-stat you could get away with to power a rack/incubator temporarily. Can you run a rack on a Hydrofarm while unit is being repaired. Might want to keep a back up on hand.

[adamfritzsche]

I use multi's as they are convenient. One other thing to keep in mind is that typically 1 channel or multi channel still have the same total wattage. For example, mine the single and the dual are both only capable of the same 700 watts, meaning the dual will have to split that 700 watts.

Normally if powering just flewatt, this is not a big deal, but if trying to drive say a oil heater, forget multi channel as you will not even be able to use any additional channels.

[The Serpent Merchant]

There is a big difference between a basic and a Herpstat 4, a much better comparison would be between the herptat 1 and the herpstat 4.

A herpstat 4 is literally 4 herpstat 1's in a single box. it is more cost effective, and each channel is electrically isolated/fused. There are a few parts that effect all 4 channels, but for the most part a failure will only effect 1 channel.

The herpstat 4 is the most cost effective option, and is just as safe as using 4 herpstat 1's. The Herpstat basic is actually less safe due to the lack of a few key features.

[PsychD_Student]

I use multi's as they are convenient. One other thing to keep in mind is that typically 1 channel or multi channel still have the same total wattage. For example, mine the single and the dual are both only capable of the same 700 watts, meaning the dual will have to split that 700 watts.

Normally if powering just flewatt, this is not a big deal, but if trying to drive say a oil heater, forget multi channel as you will not even be able to use any additional channels.

Thats not actually entirely correct---with Herpstats at least. While using multiple channels does mean less wattage per channel, they don't actually split the same 700w (see link to Spyder Robotics below). The Herpstat 2 splits 900w (they say 500w each channel, but the math doesn't add up that way lol), and the Herpstat 4 splits 1600w, with each channel getting 400w. So while you use less wattage, you still don't have to split the lower 700w per channel.

Side note-- I plan on getting a couple oil heaters, one for the garage and one for the new snake room. I wonder how much wattage these will need. I plan on using my current herpstat 1 for the garage because nothing else will be there but the rats. However, I am thinking about using the multi-channel herpstat 4 to use in my snake room. I wonder if it will need more than the 400w each channel allows.

Also, if a fuse goes out in your herpstat, does that mean you only have to replace the single channel, or do multi-channel thermostats have multiple fuses?


Spyder Robotics Citation: http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

[The Serpent Merchant]

Thats not actually entirely correct---with Herpstats at least. While using multiple channels does mean less wattage per channel, they don't actually split the same 700w (see link to Spyder Robotics below). The Herpstat 2 splits 900w (they say 500w each channel, but the math doesn't add up that way lol), and the Herpstat 4 splits 1600w, with each channel getting 400w. So while you use less wattage, you still don't have to split the lower 700w per channel.

Side note-- I plan on getting a couple oil heaters, one for the garage and one for the new snake room. I wonder how much wattage these will need. I plan on using my current herpstat 1 for the garage because nothing else will be there but the rats. However, I am thinking about using the multi-channel herpstat 4 to use in my snake room. I wonder if it will need more than the 400w each channel allows.

Also, if a fuse goes out in your herpstat, does that mean you only have to replace the single channel, or do multi-channel thermostats have multiple fuses?


Spyder Robotics Citation: http://spyderrobotics.com/home/products.html

Oil filled heaters usually pull 1500watts.

You cannot use a proportional thermostat to control an oil filled heater. You need to use an on/off style thermostat that can handle 1500 watts.

This is what I would recommend: http://www.reptilebasics.com/ranco-etc-111000-pre-wired (you want the room heater version)

[PsychD_Student]

Good to know... I just was looking at some of them online and saw that. Plus, an on off is so much cheaper! At first I was going to just get one with its own thermostat, but I think having the backup security of a thermostat would be a good idea...