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  1. #1
    Steel Magnolia rabernet's Avatar
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    Question about Thermostat - Matt?

    Hi everyone! I got around to setting up Kashmire's new enclosure this morning, and I've been letting the temps set.

    It's a 20 gallon long aquarium (thanks Matt!) and I taped the flexwatt to the bottom of the enclosure and the probe of the Ranco thermostat is taped between the glass and the flexwatt, the tape is just behind the probe, not actually on it. I think I figured how to set the thermostat and set it for 94 to give enough heat to go through the aspen.

    Well, about six hours later and the probe from the accurite is layed on top of the subtrate inside the warm hide. The temp on that side reads 78.3.

    I'm fairly certain I've set up the thermostat correctly, the flexwatt is plugged into it, and the current temp reads 94 and the thermostat clicks on and off.

    So, my question is, do you go by the temp that the thermostat reads, or do I bump up the temp on the thermostat to get the inside temps over the aspen up to 92? Or do I need to put the AccuRite probe directly on the glass?

    I don't know why I didn't think about it before, I guess because I never had the thermostat before and more probes to think about.

    Can anyone offer suggestions or correct me where I'm wrong. I want to have Kashmire's enclosure all set up properly before I introduce him to it!

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran ddbjdealer's Avatar
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    Re: Question about Thermostat - Matt?

    Hey Robin,

    There are a couple of different ways you can connect the stat probe, the way you have it, and putting it inside the enclosure. If you use it the way you have it connected, the thermostat temp setting will have to be much higher than the desired temps inside the enclosure. Remember that the temp on the heat tape is going to have to go through the glass, through the aspen, and to the surface (ground) of the aquarium. Look at Adam's journal as far as husbandry during breeding goes. His heat tape is set to 98, when his hot side temps are 92-94. He also heats his room to higher than "normal" living conditions though. So you may well have to set your stat to 100 or over to get the desired warm side temp readings. The way I have MY accurite set up, is I have the unit exposed on the cool side of the aquarium, and the probe is inside the warm side hide (laying on the aspen).

    Hope this helps.
    Ken

  3. #3
    BPnet Veteran TekWarren's Avatar
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    Re: Question about Thermostat - Matt?

    ddbjdealer hit it on the head. You really just have to check, adjust, check, adjust...eventually you should get to the range you need it. It will depend on your substrate, type of enclosure etc...lots of variables. I know I I have mine set a bit higher so the ambient temps are where they should be in the tubs and also like said above the room is heated especially for the reptiles.

    For the heat probe...I think I took this from someone else (Adam?) but I taped my tstat probe right to the flexwatt. The whole probe is covered in one piece of tape so that it is only reading what the FW is giving off. This really helped me get my rack system temps set properly and accurately.
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  4. #4
    BPnet Veteran ddbjdealer's Avatar
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    Re: Question about Thermostat - Matt?

    Yep, my probe is taped directly to my flexwatt with foil tape.
    Ken

  5. #5
    BPnet Veteran kavmon's Avatar
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    Re: Question about Thermostat - Matt?

    adam uses proportional stats with racks,so the setup is a little different. alot of times if you tape the probe of a ranco or johnson stat directly to the tape it it will cycle alot. you might want to put the stat probe on the substrate directly above the heat source and check it with an accurite or other digital thermometer.


    vaughn

  6. #6
    Registered User justcage's Avatar
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    Re: Question about Thermostat - Matt?

    Yeah you will have to raise the set point (SP) to compensate for the amount of thermal mass the flexwatt is trying to heat through. Raising the temps ont he stat is perfectly fine as long as the temps in the cages hot spot as where you want them to be. Yeah adam uses Helix units so the temps will be more steady but the same concept applies.
    Just a reptile lover!!!!!

  7. #7
    Steel Magnolia rabernet's Avatar
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    Re: Question about Thermostat - Matt?

    Matt,

    Is there a temp on the thermostat that is considered too high? If the AcuRite probe is on top of the Aspen, I've had to bump the thermostat to 120 (is that too high?) If I put it slightly covered with the Aspen, I can bring it down to 110 to have 92 on the warm side.

    I'm just concerned, since it's sitting on the desk, not sure what temp is a flash point for a potential fire.

    The flexwatt is taped directly to the bottom of the aquarium with the therm probe between the glass and the flexwatt.

    Thanks so much!

  8. #8
    Registered User justcage's Avatar
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    Re: Question about Thermostat - Matt?

    Well you dont want to come near the flash point of the wood. Putting the probe in the cage is prefectly fine. The only reason I dont recommend this is bacause the animal can come come into contact with the probe and give the stat an incorrect reading. Try this and see what happens, remove some of the aspen bedding to reduce the amount of mass the flexwatt has to compete with and that will reduce the setting ont he stat as well(in theory). I dont think 120 is anything to worry about but I woudl not go any higher than that...
    Just a reptile lover!!!!!

  9. #9
    BPnet Veteran frankykeno's Avatar
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    Re: Question about Thermostat - Matt?

    Just a thought here, thinking back to a thread I started about using racks from Lowe's that had pressboard shelving. Adam suggested covering the shelving in heavy grade aluminum foil (the type you would bbq with). A couple of layers, shiney side up would reflect the heat back up to the cage, heat that might be going into the wood that Robin's cage is on (therefore saving in wasted heat loss) and also protect whatever wood top this cage is on from scorching/over heating.

    Make sense to anyone else?


    ~~Jo~~
    ~~Joanna~~

  10. #10
    Registered User justcage's Avatar
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    Re: Question about Thermostat - Matt?

    Kinda like those space blankets
    Just a reptile lover!!!!!

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