Quote Originally Posted by xdeus
No. Cheap thermostats are notorious for breaking down. If one does malfunction, you run the risk that it won't control the current to the heat sources such as the UTH and it could potentially kill or burn your snake. I agree that rheostat probalby shouldn't be used to control two different heat sources such as an UTH an a light, but the worst that would happen is that the heat source would malfunction and stop working.

That's why I recommended a cheap rheostat until he could save up for a reliable thermostat such as a Helix, Herpstat, or even a Ranco or Johnson. However, as far as cheap thermostats go that Zoomed model is probably the best of the cheap ones. It would make a good backup thermostat, but I wouldn't rely on it working for years.
how long do u think that 2nd one would last...like a yr??

or less?