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How do thermostats work?

6

666killademon

New member
I just got my undertank heat source and I wanna get a thermostat to control the temp. of the lamp and heat pad, but how do the thermostats work. Do they shut off power to one of the heat sources or do they regulate that another way?
 
A typical thermostat turns on the heating device whenever the temperature falls below a certain temperature and turns it off whenever the temperature rises above another temperature.
 
The heat mat plugs in to the thermostat and then you rest the thermostat probe on the heat source, so the device can tell how hot the mat is. You set your dial to whatever temp you want and it keeps the mat at that temp. If it gets too hot, most therms have a shut off feature, for safety.
 
Is it very cold where you live? If not, you'll probably only need the heat mat to keep the snake warm enough. It's best to set the temps up a few days before you put a snake in, in case you don't get it quite right. Try your heating source at around 83F and see what happens - you can adjust it accordingly.
 
Can you control 2 different heat sources with 1 thermostat? I was under the impression that it had to be the same wattage if 2 different heatmats were being used, so how would a mat and a lamp be compatible runnig with the same thermostat controlling both?
 
I think you could, theoretically. The thermostat doesn't know what temp the light and mat are, it knows what set point you put its dial at, based on your thermometer in the viv.

I think that would be weird, though- the light would be turning off and on. So if it wasn't a ceramic heater, that would be distracting.

I don't know why you'd want the light in the first place- I'd just go with a bigger heat mat if the one you have doesn't keep it warm enough, but if you insist on having the light, I'd not have the light plugged into the thermostat, and have the light on all the time, and control the temp with the thermostatted UTH.

Nanci
 
Thermostats work a couple of different ways.

On/Off and Proportional.

The proportional thermostats regulate temperature incrimentally increasing or decreasing the...current, I think. They basically throttle back on the electricity going to the heat mat and keep it at a steady temperature instead of switching it on and off all the time. They're usually more expensive, and more accurate.
 
If you placed your probe somehwere between the light and the UTH, you would be reading the ambient temperature, and your thermostat would regulate based on this reading. This would mean that your UTH may very well be far above the 85* mark, and possibly cause burns to your snake. It would also shut both units down at the same time, based on a single reading. I would definitely recommend AGAINST this sort of setup. The risk to your snake as regards potential burns is too high.

I would recommend removing the light as a heat source, and use only the UTH, so long as it covers ~1/3 of the tank bottom. You can still use the lamp as supplemental lighting, just move it far enough away from the enclosure so as to prevent any supplemental heating from the bulb.

Your thermostat set at 85*F with the probe directly on the glass directly over the UTH *should* provide ample heating for your snake.
 
I like Exoterra Desert better than ZooMed. They don't get as hot. All need a thermostat, though.

My new cages are coming with Ultratherm- "Made in Scotland, these heat pads are specifically designed for the vivarium keeper. The same technology as the Flexwatt Heat Tape is used, but it has been manufactured into a pad with an additional polyurethane coating to ensure moisture resistance and durability. These pads are regulated, because of low wattage, to stay between 65 and 95F (depending on exterior temperature) thereby eliminating the need for a thermostat. However, if precise temperatures need to be achieved, use in combination with a proportional thermostat or a dimmer. Low wattage, long life and excellent cost make these heat pads great for using with herps and small animals."

We'll see. Of course they will be on a thermostat- a proportional thermostat this time.

Nanci
 
I got one of the EXoterra rainforest mats but it seems like it isn't really generating a good amount of heat. Is it just the type of mat or is it broken?
 
666killademon said:
I got one of the EXoterra rainforest mats but it seems like it isn't really generating a good amount of heat. Is it just the type of mat or is it broken?
Click to expand...

Well, if you have it on a thermostat or rheostat, the temperature you set it to (around 82 for me) is lower than the temperature of your body, so it won't feel warm to you. The only sure way to know if your UTH working is to get a good thermometer with a probe. You can find them for under $10 at walmart or some petstores.
 
The Rainforest heater doesn't get as hot. It mimics rainforest floor, so they say, and the Desert mimics the heat of sand. _Still_ I find the Desert cooler than the ZooMed, which will easily get to 120F.

How warm is the Rainforest getting, right on top of it, right on the glass?

If it can't get to 85F, I'd suggest getting a different model, and a thermostat.

Nanci
 
I don't think so. Here are two cheap ones:

http://tinyurl.com/2fck2l (Someone on here always finds this for a few bucks cheaper, too- maybe he'll see this post) I have three of these running five UTHs with no problems.

And I just bought one of these http://tinyurl.com/ypgu4s which is a little more expensive. I am having a problem where I have a ZooMed UTH and an ExoTerra UTH on the same thermostat- the Exoterra is staying cooler than I'd like because the ZooMed has the probe, and the thermostat is set at 85F. So0 I'm just putting the ExoTerra on a separate thermostat, and I wanted to see how well this one worked, though people here use it and recommend it.

BigApple Herp also has nice cheap digital two-probe thermometers, too.

And fast shipping.

Nanci
 
Walmart has thermometers with probes for $7.99, I just bought two more of them this week. You could make a dimmer for the uth instead of buying a thermostat. The dimmer will only cost around $10 to make. The thermostat is better but the dimmer will work. I have made a few of them because I have 12 aquariums set up and did not want to purchase that many thermostats. I am now building a rack and have ordered a Helix thermostat. If you do a search you can find out how to wire the dimmer to an extension cord. If you can not find it, then PM me and I can explain it.
 
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