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A good thermostat

Well, a rheostat will only "dim" the electrical output to a heat source, not regulate it to a certain temperature. So if the temps go up or down in your room, the temps of the heat pad will too.

A thermostat is better because it will actually keep the temperature of the heat source at a certain temp, regardless of room temp fluctuations.

As for that particular rheostat, i am not sure.
 
My first choice would be a Herpstat, but not many people want to invest over $100 in a thermostat. Next choice would be http://tinyurl.com/2ggzzd for $40, next choice would be ZooMed 500R for $25 on line, or so.
 
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thanks, do you know where i can get this without going online, cause im having some temperature problems and i want it asap
 
My only choice is really a RANCO, and you can get them pre-wired for only $75...with 6 plugs on a surge protector! (Check RBI - they usually get me mine in ~7 days!) Johnson is another good one, but much more complex to program. Although I know nothing bad about them, I've got over a decade experience with multiple Rancos - so I REALLY trust them. (I own/use about 18 right now.)

Herpstats are good, too. They just seem over-kill for MOST applications. They are perfect for some specific uses, though!

KJ
 
the ZooMed 500R THERMOstat is a decent thermostat for the money, and works reliably in my experience. You can get them online for only a few dollars more than that rheostat you linked.

The ZooMed RHEOstat, however, has had many many people claiming that it cannot dial the temp down low enough for corn snakes, only getting as low as the 90s.

If you want a quick fix, go to WalMart and buy a wired lamp dimmer, in the electrical hardware section, for about $9. Or find the thread on this forum somewhere about how to assemble a rheostat for about $7. I have both and they work fine and will allow you to dial the temp down as low as needed. Of course with any rheostat or lamp dimmer you will need to check and adjust the temperature often.

Don't forget you will still need a good thermometer with a wired probe.
 
I've actually started avoiding the rheostats COMPLETELY. I monitored temps VERY closely, and I've found that even a few degree temp change in a room means the temp in the cage (on a rheostat) can vary by 10-12degrees. In other words, in the morning the cage might be 71F in a house that is 73F, but the cage might be 86F in the evening when the temps are 76 in the house. BAD!

I've also noticed that if you set the temps at 82F when the room is warm (call it 77F in the room), the rheostat basically turns the heat source OFF completely if the room gets to cool (say around 70F). So, it is off when you need it on the most! The dangerous part is that it does the SAME thing in reverse if you set it at 80F when the room is at 75F. If the room gets up to 80, it doesn't make the cage 85F, but it often bumps the cage up to 91 or 92.

In other words, the changes in temps in the cage are not in proportion to the changes in temps outside of the cage. This means, I now consider them dangerous. ...and for anyone that asks, I currently have 3 different snake rooms, umpteen racks (4 different styles), and Boaphile 2x4 cages. We are talking about dozens of rheostats and 3 or 4 different types of UTH and back tape heat. I warm the entire rooms, and I only use supplemental heat in the spring and fall when outside temps can fluctuate a lot. I use it as a safety net....JUST in case.

I am now going to strictly thermostats. Lots of necessarily "wasted" money. :(
 
You can find the ZooMed 500R at Petco and Petsmart, but it's going to cost $40-$45. Which is fine if you have to have it that day. A temp fix would be to buy a ceramic floor tile and place it in the viv, over the UTH, under the aspen and everything, and see if that cools it down enough.
 
There might be regional differences, but here in the Chicago area NO PetSmarts sell any thermostats, just the crap ZooMed Rheostat.

One Petco that I knew of sold them, but they put them on clearance and I grabbed the last 2 500Rs for $4.98 each =)

So not all PetSmarts and Petcos necessarily sell any thermostats, and most definitely do not, at least in my area.

KJUN - Rheostats should NOT work that way. Perhaps there is an issue with your rheostat or with the heat mats running at low current.
 
I got the zoomed 500

it is working great, for the first time my snake went inside his cocoanut house which is on the warm side, is a light even necessary?
 
ThatguyLUKE said:
it is working great, for the first time my snake went inside his cocoanut house which is on the warm side, is a light even necessary?
Click to expand...

Nope, and your snake does not care. It's only looking for the right temp at that time.
I also think the heat from a light is hard to measure, it varies a lot between the heat on the actual lighted surfaces and the radiant and inductive heat coming from them.
 
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