heat control question

Hello! Hope everyone is good and their snakes are good too!

I am building a very simple rack soon to hold 5 long tubs for five adult corns.

My issue is heating. I have investigated all my options and I have setlled on Ultratherm Heat Pads from Beanfarm.com

Here in Canada, the winters are very cold and in the house the temps are about 70 so my snakes need the extra heat via the Ultratherm Heat Pads every day, all during the winter. thats the easy part....but here in the summer, about 50% of the days are between 78-90 degrees, and during these days I do not provide supplemental heat at all for obvious reasons....but the other 50% of the summer days mostly are around 70-75 degrees in the house...sometimes for a week or more at a time, so the temps are fluctating (sp) often during the summer when no extra heat is provided.

What device can I buy/use that will control the Ultratherm Heat Pads so that during the winter they will be on almost all the time, like they need to be, but in the summer they will sometimes be on to raise the temp to 80-85, but other times be off for days sometimes even a week when the temps are 80-85 on their own without supplemental heat? Sorry it sounds confusing, but its a pain in the ass during the summer here with some days sky high temps good for corns, and other days not enough heat for them at all.

bmm

I believe what you want is a thermostat. Raises to set temp. and when it reaches it, turns off. If it starts to chill, it kicks on again.

This is what I use (or something really close to it). It's just a simple on/off thermostat. I've seen them at all reptile shows....There is a little black probe on a wire - you put the probe in the hottest spot of the cage, and set the thermostat to the temp you want it to be. Works really well. There's also proportional thermostats that cost ~$100 that work by varying the amount of current throught the thermostat to keep whatever it is at a constant temperature. I don't think that's needed.

What pintamonkey said, but I'll add my two cents...

Notice that the one frrom Alife there is rated for 1000 watts? You'll find nearly identical devices but also with ratings like 250w, 500w, 750w.... If you are using high power lamps, or a space-heater or something similar you will obviously need one of the "heavier duty" thermostats, but if you are using heat-tape, U.T.H.s, or radient heat panels these are usually very low-draw units and you would stay well below the threshold of most or all such thermostats.

Just wanted to mention that so that you make sure to know the rating on the unit(s) you buy, and then use them apropriately. If you plug too much draw into one I think you lose any type of guarantee (let alone, you'll possibly destroy or melt the expensive thermostat.)

^Curtis

From what I can tell Big apple herps has the "biggest" on the market but to do multiple day night temps I think you have to have an accessory I don't know if that is what you are looking for but it might be a start.

http://www.bigappleherp.com/bigappl...350aa8f8c8271d424d361a067d+EN/products/921100

WOW

100 bucks American??? That's 150.00 Canadian I'd have to pay not counting taxes and what not. But if thats my best choice I will go for it.

Thanks for the replys!

bmm

Yeah, that BigApple link is a proportional thermostat....see what I mean about the price? Ouch! The cheap ones work fine for me, though.