Herpstat Not Doing Its Job

[PsychoSnake]

I just bought a Herpstat II for my rosy boa rack and it keeps rising the temperatures above the range I set at 55-60 F. It went all the way up to 88 when it should be 55! (Rosy boas are brumating.) I made sure the the display temp was set to fahrenheit, both the day temperature and night drop were set, and the clock is set. I can't think why the temperature is not being regulated correctly!

Until I find a solution I've unplugged it and I'm relying on the house thermostat which is two feet away.

[serpentgirl123]

I am sorry that this has occurred Psycho and super scary indeed! I hope that animals are ok and so glad that you caught it early before something very bad could have happened.

[MDT]

not trying to ask dumb questions, but you think probe positioned correctly or functioning properly?

i've used herpstat and i've used vivarium electronics thermostats. i only use VE now :)

[PsychoSnake]

This morning I reset the settings to factory and then changed them to mine. It seems to be working now... There must have been an incorrect setting, but what I don't know. The probe works fine and is correctly placed.

Phew. Thank goodness rosy boas are hardy snakes. They are fine.

[Albert Clark]

Also consider double checking the dimming and proportional settings. The herp stats usually default to factory settings of 85.0f when unplugged. Then once you replug the thermostat to the output source you can reset it. Try not to plug it (thermostat) into a power strip. Plug the thermostat directly into the wall outlet to safely operate it and protect against power surges. Hope this helped.

[prairiepanda]

The herp stats usually default to factory settings of 85.0f when unplugged. Then once you replug the thermostat to the output source you can reset it.

Wait, so if the power goes out for a couple minutes then will the Herpstats automatically set themselves to 85F??? That sounds like a terrible design flaw if that's the case...

[Albert Clark]

Wait, so if the power goes out for a couple minutes then will the Herpstats automatically set themselves to 85F??? That sounds like a terrible design flaw if that's the case...

Well, I think it's a pretty good safety feature actually. OP stated his reptiles were brumating so in that case hopefully the alarm setting was engaged and the failure was recognized earlier than later. During normal heating usage the design is acceptable.

[Aaron_S]

Wait, so if the power goes out for a couple minutes then will the Herpstats automatically set themselves to 85F??? That sounds like a terrible design flaw if that's the case...

Mine have never done this. I double check each time just in case but it comes back with the same settings.

[IW17]

As does mine. When I moved the beginning of this year I plugged my herpstat in at the new house and the settings were still saved.

[pet_snake_78]

Herpstats save settings, doesn't matter if the power is lost or not.

[prairiepanda]

Okay, good to know. Wouldn't want to invest in a thermostat that reset to factory settings every time it lost power.

[pet_snake_78]

Me either and some cheapie ones designed for raising chicks will do stuff like default back to 100F. Herpstat is one of the best, though. I would go through their site and read all of the documentation, they have a lot of good information on there about their tstats and tstats in general.

[jjhill001]

If the room itself gets hotter than 60 degrees then the herpstat isn't going to stop the ambient temperature from going higher than that. Just because your heating element is off doesn't mean the temps outside the cage can't go higher.

[toddnbecka]

When all else fails, read the instructions... lol.