View Full Version : temperature control for beginners
Pardon my ignorance please, guys. I am VERY new to this. I haven't even yet decided upon what reptile I will be housing. HOWEVER, I'm trying to set up everything in advance of any purchase, and the heat source/ control of the environment is confusing me. There seems to be so many options out there, in such a vast price range, with varying features. It's almost like buying a tv these days :).
Do I NEED a night drop unit? Am I better off with a mediocre rheostat or simply a dimmer, or should I stick to "tried and true" like Helix? If I decide to acquire different species with different needs, must I buy a new rheostat for each enclosure?
I've also been told by some that my insurance is invalid if flexwatt is used here in Canada and it is the cause of a fire. Is this correct, and should I be concerned?
I hope questions like this aren't too "tired". If so, please direct me to the threads which address them, if you would.
thanks, bob
BoidKeeper
01-28-05, 03:47 PM
First rule of temp regulation, if the back ground air temp doesn't change the basking spot in the cage won't change.
If the room the cage is in gets hotter or colder so does the hot spot in the cage. If either happens this is when a thermostate is important.
If the temp in the room the cage is in stays faily constant then a hardware store dimmer (rheostat) is all that's needed.
Do I NEED a night drop unit?
No unless you plan to breed.
Am I better off with a mediocre rheostat or simply a dimmer,
A dimmer is a rheostat.
should I stick to "tried and true" like Helix?
No need, but it is one of the best. It all depends what you want to achive.
must I buy a new rheostat for each enclosure?
One dimmer (rheostat) can be wired to an extention cord giving you the option of plugging in three heat pads. So you could use that one control for three cages as long as each animal had the same temp requirement. Or one per cage. The point is always wire the dimmer to an extention cord and not the pad or wire of the light itself.
I've also been told by some that my insurance is invalid if flexwatt is used here in Canada and it is the cause of a fire. Is this correct, and should I be concerned?
What I've heard is that it's not CSA approved because you have to wire it yourself. The best thing to do is follow what your insurance says. Different people will tell you different things about flex watt but in the end it's the insurance who writes the check if there is a fire so I would listen to the insurance.
I hope questions like this aren't too "tired".
Nothing tired about people who want to learn and do things right. Good on ya!
Cheers,
Trevor
Trevor, much appreciate the response. Answers all my questions.
Y'know, a$$ that I am, it never even occured to me to ask my wife about the insurance question, and she's a commercial broker! Somebody slap me!
Thanks again.
Bob
Jeff_Favelle
01-28-05, 06:36 PM
This is a good thread.
[QUOTE]Originally posted by Jeff_Favelle
[B]This is a good thread.
^^From MY standpoint, it sure is, Jeff. There is a wealth of information with and by the contributors here.
So, for those interested, as I stated, my wife is an insurance broker, and she looked into it today, also questioning her manager, who oversees ten agencies. Here is her take on it.
I'm Lianne and have been brokering insurance for 20 years and here's my take. An insurance policy is a contract between you and your insurer. Most homeowner policies have very little differences between insurers. All policies have conditiions and exclusions. There is no exclusion in a contract of insurance that states "Non-CSA electrical devices are excluded". This is not the case with something like a woodstove which must be declared and CSA approved. It would be no different if you bought an electrical space heater for supplimentary heat at a garage sale that was non-CSA that caused a fire. The resultant fire would still be covered, even though the heater itself would't be. So there ya go. Check your exclusions in your wording...not a dry read or anything LOL.
-just some thoughts, and we're in British Columbia, btw.
Bob-
Lianne here again, just a footnote to my insurance note. If you
sell 1 snake from your home and an adjuster determines that after a loss like a fire, you're **** out of luck. The home insurance contract states that " buildings used in part, or in whole for business purposes are not insured" Like I said, this could be the sale of 1 snake, any revenue generated counts as a home based business.
Originally posted by bcbob
Lianne here again, just a footnote to my insurance note. If you
sell 1 snake from your home and an adjuster determines that after a loss like a fire, you're **** out of luck. The home insurance contract states that " buildings used in part, or in whole for business purposes are not insured" Like I said, this could be the sale of 1 snake, any revenue generated counts as a home based business.
Is there anything to be done to (legally) get around that "**** out of luck" scenario...? :p
e.g. A different type of coverage plan...?
peterm15
01-29-05, 11:44 PM
i use a night drop for all my herps.. but i have no dimmers and no reostats.. just a timer that turns off the basking lamps and uv's... in my cham cage theres a ceremic on 24/7 to keep up heat at might and raise ambient during the day, my leo cage has a heat pad at 24/7 and a low watt heat light during the day and my banded's cage i only have a day light that turns off at night.. my room drops to 70 at night cause i use a space heater and 75 day.. all my lizards are kept at care sheet/ book temps...
it sounds dificult but it isnt.. all my stuff is on one 10 dollar timer and the ceremic and heat pad is plugged straight into the wall... all my temps are checked with thermometers as well as a temp gun..
firechild-666
01-30-05, 11:06 AM
Originally posted by peterm15
i use a night drop for all my herps.. but i have no dimmers and no reostats.. just a timer that turns off the basking lamps and uv's... in my cham cage theres a ceremic on 24/7 to keep up heat at might and raise ambient during the day, my leo cage has a heat pad at 24/7 and a low watt heat light during the day and my banded's cage i only have a day light that turns off at night.. my room drops to 70 at night cause i use a space heater and 75 day.. all my lizards are kept at care sheet/ book temps...
it sounds dificult but it isnt.. all my stuff is on one 10 dollar timer and the ceremic and heat pad is plugged straight into the wall... all my temps are checked with thermometers as well as a temp gun..
exactly the same on I'll be doing with my corn! Now I no it definatly works!
peterm15
01-30-05, 11:20 AM
firechild-666, you just have to use really low wattage then.. and you may just be able to turn the lights off and not worry about night heat... my room gets REALLY cold so thats why i use night heat..
firechild-666
01-30-05, 11:32 AM
yeh
thanks
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