Zoo Med 500R Thermostat

Hi,

For those of you using this thermostat, will the sensor cable fit under the cover of the viv- (I have the locking mesh cover that came with it)?

Is this preferable to a rheostat if cost doesn't matter, or is it an unnecessary
complication?

Maizey's viv is a 20 long- is this too small for a thermostat?

Her UTH is under a hollow log in the back left, with 1/2 inch of aspen bedding over it. There is a hollow log in the back center, and a hollow stone in the front right. The aspen bedding is deep enough to tunnel in, in the open portions of the viv. Water crock is back right. Now, in the summer, with house temps ranging from 85F in the afternoon to 73F at night, she mostly hides in the center hollow log.

Thank you,

Nanci

Ok, so upon further reading, it looks like people are having problems with that rheostat keeping the heater cool enough, even on the lowest setting. Hopefully the wire for the thermostat won't interfere with the viv cover.

Nanci

Hey Nanci,

You can use a small file to notch the plastic where you want to put the wire through. If the snake's not in the tank yet, you can add a small dot of aquarium cement to hold it in place.

I also agree with the results of your search. To put it simply, a rheostat is better than nothing, but a thermostat is always the best choice if you can afford it.

Good luck!
Scott

Great idea, Scott. Cost is no object where Maizey is concerned! It's kind of funny- free (wild-caught) snake, who is on her second viv, with all these fancy furnishings, with even her own beautiful cabinet from The Company Store for her viv to sit on and all her supplies to go under...

Nanci

I got the thermostat yesterday afternoon and am getting it dialed in. I am so glad I was prepared (by ScottyK) to file a hole for the wire to go through. Of course Maizey was a lot of help and had to climb up the wall, up the picture frames, (since I had the cover off) to supervise...

I started in the middle of the dial, and then this morning turned it down a little bit more.

Thanks for everyone's help with this.

Nanci

So is this actually a thermostat or is it a rheostat or dimmer?? I've thought about going with a thermostat (I am using a lamp dimmer) for automation, but I've yet to find a reliable one in my price range.

It's a thermostat with a dial- hotter/colder. (I had imagined I would just set an LED temp- but that is not the case.) So you put the temp probe from the thermostat in the area you want to regulate, and put a thermometer next to it, and adjust the dial up/down until it holds the temp you want. I guess the difference is it shuts off and on to maintain that temp, whereas a rheostat just reduces the current to the heat source but it stays on all the time- so if the room temp varies, your temp will vary with it.

So, after a second adjustment, I had a high of 82F and a low of 78F for the 11 hour period I was gone. I'm happy with that. My room temp is, coincidentally 82F at this time of day. Maizey is in an "unheated" hide at the moment and most of the time. The unregulated UTH had been getting up to 106F!!! At this time of the year, the lowest our house temp gets is about 70F. Highest is about 85F. (Tough to AC down here in FL with no shade and poor insulation- the AC is working very hard to keep it 10F less than the outside temp.)

I have a max/min thermometer that also measures humidity. It wasn't very expensive and I am _so_ happy with it- I use it all the time in various habitats and in rooms of the house and to check the AC and stuff, too. Well worth the money.

Nanci

I have 3 of the ZooMed 500R Thermostats and they work fine. Reliable so far, oldest has been going for about 6 months. 22.99 plus shipping at reptiledirect.com. Can't beat that price for a thermostat anywhere I've seen.