Thermostat?

[malaysianbloods]

Hi I was wondering how well do the helix thermostats work and what do they normally go for (price), and lastly how easy are they to hook up wiring etc....

Thanks for all relpys inadvance.

[paulsreef]

They work great. Plug and play. You worked harder by turning on your computer. They cost around $200. CDN.
Paul.

[BornboreD]

The Helix DBS-1000 is great. So basic, and easy to use. Totally worth the cost. They're also pretty much the industry standard now I would think. I will always use them, and know of well respected and successful breeders that use them as well. I highly reccomend them. In fact I should probably get my hands on some more come to think of it.......:)

Colin

[mykee]

I'm with Paul and Colin, they are the easiest and best proportional thermostat on the market today (I've only ever used Helix's though) Super easy to use, very accurate and I have 6 in use and would never consider using anything but Helix DBS-1000's forever and ever.

[malaysianbloods]

where are they available to purchase.

[dystopia]

MG Reptiles (http://www.mgreptiles.com/HELIXDBS1000.html) is great. The guy who runs it is awesome and very nice. HTH

Jeremy

[Slannesh]

I'll second the vote on MG Reptiles.. Matt was super easy to deal with. I picked up a Herpstat Thermostat a few weeks ago and coudln't be happier with it.

[Bristen]

I can "third" Matt at MG Reptiles.. I bought some heat tape from him and the deal was great. I also hope to get some Herpstats from Matt this year... they look like a really great thermostat.

I currently use a couple of DBS1000's... I have no problems with them and they are working perfectly.. I however don't like the fact that you can't set temperature to less than a degree (Herpstat allows settings with increments of 1/10th of a degree)... I also would like more than one button on the DBS1000! It would be simpler with more buttons I think heh!

Probably both are excellent devices... DBS1000 has a proven track record though.. I think the Herpstat is fairly new on the "reptile thermostat scene"...

Bristen.

[mykee]

Sid, try Matt K on this forum, he's in Canada, and I've purchased Helix's from him before; $225. MUCH cheaper than ordering from the States for sure. Trust me.

[BornboreD]

I'm just curious.....

Other than maybe certain incubation situations, when would a tenth of a degree actually matter enough for it to be a downfall to a herp thermostat? No disrespect meant, I'm really just curious. :)

Colin

[mykee]

1/10th of a degree is splitting hairs, EVEN for an incubator. A waste of money if that's what you're paying for IMO.

[malaysianbloods]

How many pieces of heat tape can you hook up to one helix or one herpstat, because i'm hoping to be building a rack that has ten levels which means ten pieces. Will it work?

thanks

[Bristen]

Originally posted by mykee
1/10th of a degree is splitting hairs, EVEN for an incubator. A waste of money if that's what you're paying for IMO.

wasting money if you're paying more, but in the case of the Herpstat, it's actually cheaper than the Helix :-P

Bristen.

[Slannesh]

Not even a bit cheaper... I saved over $50 + whatever shipping would have been for a Helix anywhere that i was able to find in Canada.

I believe both the Herpstat and Helix will do a total of 500 watts of heating element Sid.

The 1/10th of a degree is more gimmick than feature I think. Mine tends to fluctuate +/- .2 degrees at all times... So they aren't really accurate to 1/10th of a degree, they just show you the tenths instead of whole #'s.

[malaysianbloods]

Where can you get the herpstats

[Bristen]

Originally posted by malaysianbloods
Where can you get the herpstats

I've bought from Matt at MG Reptiles without any problems in the past: MG Reptiles (http://www.mgreptiles.com/)

Bristen.

[zero&stich]

How many pieces of heat tape can you hook up to one helix or one herpstat, because i'm hoping to be building a rack that has ten levels which means ten pieces. Will it work?
I been thinking bout getting a helix to, but I'm not building racks. But that quote brings up 1 question I can't find the answer to. I have 2 BP's The two balls are in sterlights(rubbermaids are hard to find here). Question I have is, can I use the helix for the two balls? I mean can you use the helix for two different cages? If so, can someone explain a bit how? I'm kinda new to this thermostat and not sure. I was also thinking about incorperating the night drop feature into it to. For the night drop, what do I need again? I can;t seem to log onto beanfarm.com. Thanks for any help.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Helix's RULE man! Great choice.

I have them on all the incubators as my 2nd thermostat. I trust them over anything else!

http://members.shaw.ca/internet_pics/thermostat.jpg

[Markus Jayne]

I use Helix DBS 1000 and love it! It can handle 500 watts and you can add 500 watt power module to it.

Markus

[K1LOS]

With the herpstat you can just use a regular house hold timer for night temp drops right? It costs another $50 or something for that with the helix. I feel every reptile needs a night temp drop, its only natural. So if you don't buy this nightdrop cable (or whatever it is), are you stuck leaving your herps at a constant temp 24/7 ?

I'm also curious how you can control different cages with the same thermostat. Can you have multiple cages with multiple temperatures, or do they all have to be the same?

Geoff

[Jeff_Favelle]

I feel every reptile needs a night temp drop, its only natural.

Not really. Actually, not at all. Some reptiles actually get WARMER at night, due to their behaviour. I think you need to re-think your thoughts on temperatures.

[Tim_Cranwill]

Originally posted by K1LOS
you stuck leaving your herps at a constant temp 24/7 ?

Also, they <b>should</b> have a temperature <u>gradient</u>. Not one constant temp. So they can choose their temp anytime of the day rather then being stuck "cold" all night long. I see your logic but like Jeff said, it's a bit flawed. :)

[malaysianbloods]

So can I hook up ten pieces of flexwatt up to one helix or herpstat (because each level of the rack is going to have it's own piece of flexwatt).

Thanks

[Jeff_Favelle]

You can hook up as many items as you want, provided you have enough power bars and the total wattage doesn't go over 500W.

Also keep in mind, that the thermostat has ONE probe, so it will only regulate the heat the LOCATION OF THE PROBE. Whether that location has the same level of heat as the rest of the rack, is entirely up to the rack's design.

[zero&stich]

Also keep in mind, that the thermostat has ONE probe, so it will only regulate the heat the LOCATION OF THE PROBE. Whether that location has the same level of heat as the rest of the rack, is entirely up to the rack's design.
]Jeff-
What if someone isn't using a rack? I'm keepin my balls each in their seperate sterlight, same demensions, that are stacked. How would I be able to control the temps from two enclosures with one probe? Any ideas?
(rubbermaids are hard to find here).

I can take a pic of my current setup if anyone needs it.

[Jeff_Favelle]

Well, the probe controls the temperature of the heat AT THE PROBE'S LOCATION. So, depending on the desgin and how similar the cage are, they may be the exact same temps, or they may be very different temps. But the only reliable way is to have two thermostats. Kind of expensive. Which is why people use a rack system where there Helix controls the surface heat of the heat tape (and not the heat inside a cage....well it does, but indirectly). So if you control the heat of the heat tape, you'll get a far less variance of heat levelling within your rack.

The thermostat cannot regulate multiple heat SOURCES as it only has one probe/sensor.

[zero&stich]

I see. Thanks for the help, that answers alot of my confusion. I been thinking about a helix because of all the constant good feedback and mainly for the night drop feature which will help me greatly. One more question, is the night drop feature added onto the helix, worth its wieght in gold, especially for breeding purposes?