Thermostat rant

[Jhill001]

TBH, I always tell people to get a thermostat because it makes me feel safer. But I kept a Leopard gecko for 8 years with nothing but a stick on heating pad and a humid hide in a 10 gallon and he was fine. I wish I woulda never gave him away lol.

In an aquarium the heat dissipates much quicker so as long as you check on your geckos daily to make sure that they aren't all hovering on the cool side (indicating it might be too hot and you should check on it.) then the chances for a crazy burn aren't quite as likely.

[midnightLeo]

Had a glass exo-terra shatter on me due to not having it regulated. From that point TStats on everything including day and night lighting.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

[Bcycling]

How do you hook up a backup tstat? I am running a herpstat 1 on my rack but have been thinking of backing it up just in case. Has anyone had issues with the herpstats and could I back it up with a cheaper stat?

[Eric Alan]

How do you hook up a backup tstat? I am running a herpstat 1 on my rack but have been thinking of backing it up just in case. Has anyone had issues with the herpstats and could I back it up with a cheaper stat?

See here (with a picture!): http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showthread.php?t=178944.

Yes, the backup is typically a cheaper (on/off) thermostat. I have yet to have an issue with a Herpstat (and they have great safety features built-in), but it certainly wouldn't hurt to have a properly running safeguard in place.

[Bcycling]

Trying to understand that diagram. So I plug my secondary "backup" into the wall, set it 4 degrees higher. Then plug my primary stat into the secondary stat. Is this correct so far?

then I only wire my heat tape to go into the primary correct?

[Reinz]

Maybe I'm over thinking this or just too dense to understand the reasoning.

I use Herpstat 2's. After reading the thread Eric provided, it seems that you are just gambling on which unit will fail first, or conversely, which one you have MORE confidence in. It seems that if your secondary fails it may shut everything down. Thus, where's the back up to the backup?

Unless someone can dumb it down to me I see no reason for a back up to a Herpstat but maybe for other brands.

[Eric Alan]

There's a much greater risk when a thermostat fails in the on position than the off position. Herpstats are designed to fail in the off position. Cheaper stats typically fail in the on position. If the secondary fails in the typical manner here, the worst it would be doing would be supplying power to the primary Herpstat.

This kind of backup is designed to work if the primary were to fail in the on position. Since this is so unlikely with a quality stat like the Herpstats, I personally don't see much reason to back a Herpstat up. Would it hurt? No. Is it overkill? Possibly.

From Spyder Robotics: http://www.spyderrobotics.com/home/s...edocument.html.

[Eric Alan]

Trying to understand that diagram. So I plug my secondary "backup" into the wall, set it 4 degrees higher. Then plug my primary stat into the secondary stat. Is this correct so far?

then I only wire my heat tape to go into the primary correct?

Correct. The heat tape would be plugged into the primary thermostat. The exact setting on the secondary thermostat would need be played with to ensure it doesn't shut off the primary thermostat prematurely.

[Bcycling]

Ok I am new to owning a herpstat. Actually got it on a deal with four snakes, so it was used when I got it but works great. Eventually I will buy another one when I build a hatchling rack, but that's down the road. If I understand correctly if the herpstat were to fail it will do so in an off position? Also, what if the probe becomes unattached to the heat tape. Will the herpstat one shut off or run a lot of power to the tape?

[Bcycling]

Sorry if asking a lot of questions. I got back into snakes because my daughter saw 25 year old pictures of me with some hatchlings back when I was in high school. She thought it was so cool and wanted her own snake. Well now she is starting a breeding plan because I don't want to drop 300 to 400 on a bel, so she is going to try and produce a few of her own. I am saying all of this because back 25 years ago it was all lights and heat rocks, but I really love where the industry has come and am totally into it with her now. So I am like an old dog leaning new tricks.