I think I am going to go dual thermostat

[ajeff]

As my collection is starting to grow and my investments are getting a bit bigger I started to think perhaps I should run a dual thermostat set up on the rack that is going to contain some of the "higher end" stuff and then eventualy other racks. Just for added protection and peice of mind.

Right now I have a dead ranco so I am thinking about getting another one (need to find a place that takes paypal, I know boaphile plastics does but Im not sure about the wait times). The idea would be to use a helix (or the pro herpstat) for the actual heating and the ranco to shut things off if temp goes too high. I just wish the blasted ranco could let me know it shut things down if it came to that.

So, anyone here that is using a dual thermo set up, please chime in and tell me about your set up.

[dsirkle]

Reptile Basics takes Paypal and sells dual Ranco setups and ships fast. They sell Helix also.

[nevohraalnavnoj]

As my collection is starting to grow and my investments are getting a bit bigger I started to think perhaps I should run a dual thermostat set up on the rack that is going to contain some of the "higher end" stuff and then eventualy other racks. Just for added protection and peice of mind.

Right now I have a dead ranco so I am thinking about getting another one (need to find a place that takes paypal, I know boaphile plastics does but Im not sure about the wait times). The idea would be to use a helix (or the pro herpstat) for the actual heating and the ranco to shut things off if temp goes too high. I just wish the blasted ranco could let me know it shut things down if it came to that.

So, anyone here that is using a dual thermo set up, please chime in and tell me about your set up.

I have the exact setup you mentioned. Helix running, Ranco backup. Works great. Well, the Ranco probe reads 3 degrees cooler than the Helix, so I have to adjust for this.

JonV

[nevohraalnavnoj]

Reptile Basics takes Paypal and sells dual Ranco setups and ships fast. They sell Helix also.

Yep, Rich at Reptilebasics is a good guy.

JonV

[ajeff]

Thanks for the heads up on Reptile basics

[Gloryhound]

If you know enough about electronics you could wire a buzzer up to the Ranco. Inside the ranco a Normally open and Normally closed set of contacts exist with a common point. When it is allowing voltage to pass the one set will be closed and the other open. When it reaches a given temp it will change state and the other pin will have the 120 VAC on it. Wire this to a 120 VAC buzzer and tie in the neutral with all the rest and you now have an alarm on the Ranco.

[nevohraalnavnoj]

I know there are home security systems that can send you text messages....has anyone ever found a way to do this with thermostats? I read that one of the Herpstats can do this...but it was a quad thermo, and I prefer using singles (so if one fails, you don't actually have 4 failing).

Anyone been able to do this?

JonV

[Gloryhound]

I know there are home security systems that can send you text messages....has anyone ever found a way to do this with thermostats? I read that one of the Herpstats can do this...but it was a quad thermo, and I prefer using singles (so if one fails, you don't actually have 4 failing).

Anyone been able to do this?

JonV

I think the 2 channel herpstat can do it also, but both require you to buy a subscription to service, special software, and you have to have a High speed internet connection up that is always up.

If you got one of the security systems that would phone/text you then you could use that same output on the Ranco I mentioned for the alarm and connect it to a relay. Then use a dry contact on the relay as a trigger point on the alarm system since most will except a dry contact as an alarm point.

The only problem with the Ranco I see is most people use the normally closed contact for heating their snakes. This means if the unit fails 9 times out of 10 it will fail with the relay in its normal state. In this case it would be closed and allowing 120 VAC continue to power your heating element without regulation. Granted if it was used in a back up situation and tested on a monthly basis for functionality I think the risk would be minimized.

You may dislike the Herpstat Pro for being a 4 channel unit, but the advantages and options it has are remarkable. At the cost of 3 other proportional T-stats you could go get 4 of the little zoo med on/off T-stats to use as a back up and the end cost would be less than the cost of 4 Helix units and about the same as the cost of 4 basic single channel Herpstats