Thermostats

Alright, guys!

I am looking for the cheapest reliable thermostat for my UTH.

Now, it seem as though the Hydrofarm thermostats from Amazon are good, but for a third of the price, I could get one that may (hopefully) work nicely? Safety and maintaining a proper temperature for the health of my future snake is obviously the priority here, but I love to save money when I can.

Hydrofarm: http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTP...64961200&sr=8-1&keywords=thermostat+hydrofarm

Generic Ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Digital-The...060?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5aefad8ce4

Thoughts?

We have had HydroFarm thermostats for years and we really like them. They regulate temperatures very well. If you go with an alternative (especially a cheaper one) we recommend reading any customer feedback regarding the merchandise before purchasing. Remember, cheaper is not always better (you get what you pay for). A good thermostat is essential to the proper health (digestion and thermoregulation) of your animal(s).

Do you have an electrical outlet that will take the generic one, or a converter thing? I'm no electrician, but hopefully you know what I'm talking about

Good catch on the weird plug! I didn't even see that!

You're right... it probably isn't worth the savings. I'm already needing to order a few more supplies to complete the habitat from Amazon, so I might as well go with the one everyone likes!

While I have your guys' attention, what thermometer should I be looking at? Again, price is a priority that is second to accuracy.

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Digital-Terrarium-Thermometer/dp/B000MD3MFA/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

I have that thermometer paired with the Hydrofarm thermostat and there's about a two degree difference between them usually. I don't know which is less accurate, or if they're both fine and it's my sensor placement, but I think they're close enough for me.

I know a lot of people use that combo. Should be fine and very reasonable prices.

I have never used a Hydrofarm. I do highly recommend Herpstats, though! They are a little pricey, but worth it.

IMO the word "cheap" shouldn't even be in the same sentence as "thermostat" when we're talking about the health and safety of your animals.

I absolutely did choose my wording poorly!

I would never want to put a price tag before safety, so that is why I wanted to ask for opinions before making any purchases.

I just looked up the Herpstat and that is definitely out of my range for now. I bookmarked it for a possible future purchase, though! Thank you for the recommendation.

Not sure if it's been pointed out yet, but the generic is coming from Hong Kong, and will take a LONG time to arrive (at least most products out of China have taken weeks to months in my experiences). Honestly, you can't go wrong with the HydroFarm... they're proven reliable and still cheap enough to make them probably the best entry level t-stat.

I should reccomend the Zilla temperature controller. Reasonably priced. Its an on/off thermostat and it has a dial with the temp rather than a digital read out. The dial is fairly accurate, but you should have a digital thermometer. I have three of them now and haven't had a problem. Put the thermostat probe and your digital thermometer probe together with a dab of silicon and your good to go.

cagedbirdsinging said:

I absolutely did choose my wording poorly!

I would never want to put a price tag before safety, so that is why I wanted to ask for opinions before making any purchases.

I just looked up the Herpstat and that is definitely out of my range for now. I bookmarked it for a possible future purchase, though! Thank you for the recommendation.

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No worries, I just know that a lot of people are often blindsided by the cost of a good thermostat and opt to skip it because "the pet store told them to." Arrrgh!

And great, the Herpstats have been my favorite so far. I've used them since I got into this hobby. Dion at SpyderRobotics (the manufacturer) is amazing - I once had a Herpstat fail on me (the old type, it did not come with a user-replaceable fuse) due to a power surge I suspect, and even though it was out of warranty, they took it back and did the repair, and upgraded it to a user-replaceable fuse and the thermostat is still going strong today. Can't recommend them highly enough!

Nythain said:

Not sure if it's been pointed out yet, but the generic is coming from Hong Kong, and will take a LONG time to arrive (at least most products out of China have taken weeks to months in my experiences). Honestly, you can't go wrong with the HydroFarm... they're proven reliable and still cheap enough to make them probably the best entry level t-stat.

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And oops, I totally missed that part...the generic is NOT something I would trust at all. Any electronics I've ordered off eBay (mostly iPhone chargers/android chargers/auxillary cords etc have all failed and failed rather quickly. For something to control heating...I'd be a little worried by cheapie eBay things.

I haven't used the Zilla as recommended above, but I have heard good things about it. I used a Repti-Temp 500R on my boa enclosure for a little while, but I found that it was rather inconsistent. It is an on/off type (ideally, you want proportional) and I found that the temperature swings by up to 7 degrees depending on the ambient temps of my room. Not the greatest.

The Hydrafarm is in my Amazon cart as it's looking like my best option right now. I wonder why the heat mats aren't more like fish tank heaters in that they would be regulated with their own thermostat in the same product.

Anyway... I try to stay away from pet stores as it is. I don't like supporting their animal distributors by default and the employees are ignorant and annoying. I moderate on a rat forum and I know how frustrating it is to hear folks come in and say "but the guy at the pet store said...". Forums are almost always the best source of knowledge for these things. So many people in one place that are passionate about the same thing. That's what gets you the best information and advice!

Now, should I get a second digital thermometer for the unheated side, or will my dinky stick-on do for now? I also have a heat checker gun (can't remember the actual name!) to double check accuracy.

Thanks, guys!