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Has anyone used this Thermostat?

J

JakeMiller13

New member
http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-1000-Thermostat#

I would like to get a not-too-expensive thermostat for my corn, and this one looks pretty decent. Also, how exactly does one set this up? I already have a thermometer in the cage, but it looks like this has a probe attached to it, although no obvious place in the picture to read the probed temperature.

Thanks in advance.
 
hi, just hooked mine up tonight. works great!! set it and forget it. the reading on the panel is the current temp and when you hit the button it gives you the temp setting. hope this helps and don't hesitate to buy one it is a great upgrade from the 500r.
 
I have heard tales from persons who had just one thermostat, which failed, and those tales are of over-heated cold blooded animals lost.
Sometimes having a thermostat on your thermostat
is a good "fail-safe" approach.
In case one fails, it is already backed up.
 
I have two of these. I guess I got them last spring or summer. One failed off a couple months ago- just died. Also the probe is HUGE. Really a problem for sliding bins over in a rack.

I have one of the previous model still in use. It must be made by an outside manufacturer. It's called Alife 1000 at Carolina Pet Supply and The Bean Farm.

I use Herpstats on nearly everything, but I plan on using the Alife as back-ups on the racks, since the BAH failed on me. I'm not buying another one.
 
dave partington said:
I have heard tales from persons who had just one thermostat, which failed, and those tales are of over-heated cold blooded animals lost.
Sometimes having a thermostat on your thermostat
is a good "fail-safe" approach.
In case one fails, it is already backed up.
Click to expand...

How about a rheostat added to a thermostat? Dial in the rheostat to keep the UTH below 90 degrees, and then put it on the thermostat to keep it at 86 or whatever you want...
 
This is an interesting article written by the owner of Spyder Robotics (Herpstat):

Protecting your animals from a thermostat failure.

Question:
What happens if the thermostat malfunctions and the power remains on? Does the thermostat have a fail safe that will shut it down?

Answer:
This is a interesting concern that I have been asked before. The component in proportional thermostats that controls the power is called a Triac. These devices produce a lot of heat and require a heatsink in most uses. When a Triac fails it can fail in a "Stuck ON" position. They have amperage ratings just like a fuse. In my research I found many manufactures used a triac that was rated at or barely over the maximum wattage rating for the thermostat. Knowing that this component takes the most abuse I opted to use a triac in my designs that was well overrated for its use.

For example:
A 500 watt load on 120vac is pulling 4.2 amps.
A 700 watt load on 120vac is pulling 5.8 amps

Many of the 500 watt thermostats out there use 4-8 amp triacs. The Herpstat products use 15 amp triacs. This means they "in theory" can handle up to 1800 watts. However, things like board trace size and heat generation limits these devices so the Herpstats are fused at lower ratings which protect the device. The cost difference between the high quality triacs I use and the triacs in other thermostats is about $0.50. Personally I thought it was money well spent.

So the short answer is there is no secondary failsafe if the device fails in this mode. The Herpstat II and Pro have temperature sensitve fuses and a digital sensor inside the device that monitors internal temperature which shuts down the outputs if the internal heat exceeds the normal operating temperature. The Herpstat II and Pro are also vented and have a built in cooling fan. Remember, heat is the typical killer of these components. Also keep in mind that even with the highest quality components ALL electronics have the possibility of failure. Therefore I offer the following suggestions.

SUGGESTIONS:
As a secondary backup to ANY proportional thermostat use the following setup. Purchase a nonproportional thermostat with a wattage rating at or above the proportional thermostat's rating. Attach this thermostat to the wall outlet and set it for your desired failsafe temperature (NOT your normal target temperature). Then attach your proportional thermostat to the output of the "failsafe" thermostat and set it as usual. Place the probes of both thermostats in the same location. The idea is the proportional themostat controls the environment and should it fail and reach the failsafe temperature the "failsafe" thermostat will cut power. Of course at this point the environment will be regulated by the failsafe thermostat at its temperature. The environment would be warmer but assuming the failsafe is set to acceptable temperature the animals will remain safe.

Experiments:
I was able to use a inexpensive Zoo Med Repti Temp 500R with a Herpstat Proportional thermostat. I initially set the Repti Temp 500R up by itself and monitored the environment. I set it to regulate at a temperature slightly higher than I wanted the environment to be at. I monitored it closely to confirm its regulation. I then disconnected the heating element and attached it to the Herpstat output and attached the Herpstat's power cord to the Repti Temp's output.

Outcome:
It worked very well. I simulated a failure by removing the Herpstats probe from the enclosure. The enclosure continued to heat until the Repti Temp cut power. Once the temperatured lowered the Repti Temp powered up, the Herpstat powered up, and the Heat was regulated by the Repti Temp.
Conclusion:
For inexpensive backup of standard 500 watt proportional thermostats I would recommend the Zoo Med Repti Temp 500R. For higher wattage backup I would recommend a relay controlled thermostat such as the Ranco or Johnson Controls models. This worked well with the Herpstat products and should work for others.

Dion Brewington
Owner, Spyder Robotics


The information in the article is the opinion of the author and is to be used at your own risk. Spyder Robotics assumes no responsibility for the use of this information. Using this information could void the warranty on the thermostats. Check with the manufactures for details. Repti Temp 500R is a trademark of Zoo Med Labs.
 
Nroc, I don't see why not. Nanci has posted another alt. workaround path to avoid costly unforseeable problems. There may be other options as well. dp
 
Rheostats make me nervous, though, because of their variability due to the environment.
 
I have that thermostat, and it works fine for me. I don't "set it and forget it" though, I do still check temps regularly *just in case*.
 
"set it and forget it" refers to the difference between the BAH-1000 and constantly adjusting a rheostat. of course i check the temperatures a few times a day. also let me re read the instructions on the BAH because i think they do have failsafe features in them. will post my findings. happy holidays!
 
please allow me to "insert foot into mouth" i have the helix dbs-1000! which does have "failsafe's" built in.
 
I had my gf buy me a herp stat for our anniv, and i really did "set it and forget it". best $119 dollars spent. I used to have to check 5 times a day with my lamp dimmer, because when my heat would go on or if i opened a window the temps would fluctuate drastically, with the herpstat you really dont have to adjusts daily. To me the added security is worth the money, nothing but the best for my pets
 
Thanks a lot for the responses. So it seems like the absolute best method would be 2 thermostats, correct? Would you all recommend 2 different brands/models? I ask because (without looking too extensively) this thermostat is the cheapest I've seen for what it offers. 2 of them is still obviously 80$, and trust me while I want the best for my guy, 80$ is not insignificant pocket change. If there were a cheaper option for the backup, that would be ideal. Thanks again
 
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