thermostat

[norman]

how easy is it to wire up a thermostat to a UTH or something, and what kind of thermostat should i get & where from?
if anyone could give me a run through on how to hook it all up thatd be great...thanks.

[sSNAKESs.com]

Norman.. buy one made for reptiles... then all you do is plug the undertank heater into the thermostat, plug the thermostat into the wall... put the probe from the thermostat over the undertank heater on the inside of the tank and when that spot gets to whatever you have it set at the thermostat turns the pad off and when it drops 3 degrees lower then your temp it turns back on.. Nothing to it! :D

[Them and Us]

and what thermostat would you yourself reccommend Jeff and is there going to be some type sold in he online store soon?

[sSNAKESs.com]

Yeah we will be carrying them soon... and as for which i would recommend, Zoo Med repti temp 500-r it can handle 500 watts and has 2 inputs :P

[Them and Us]

much appreciated.

[Lisa]

Originally posted by Jeff ********
Yeah we will be carrying them soon... and as for which i would recommend, Zoo Med repti temp 500-r it can handle 500 watts and has 2 inputs :P

does that mean you can watch 2 different cages? ie two temperature controls?

[Edwin]

Nope, it only has 1 probe. The 2 inputs would allow you to plug in 2 heating devices, e.g. a UTH and a heat lamp.

Here is the manufacturer's link:
http://www.zoomed.com/html/thermostats.html

Besides this, I would also recommend Alife thermostats. They only have 1 input, but they support up to 1000watts and are cheap and reliable. You can find them at LLL Reptile, as well as the Zoomed 500R.

http://128.121.118.89/catalog/cage-supplies/thermometers-and-thermostats.html

Hope this helps.

[katey]

So really what you mean is it has 2 outputs.


[QUOTE]Originally posted by Edwin
[B]Nope, it only has 1 probe. The 2 inputs would allow you to plug in 2 heating devices, e.g. a UTH and a heat lamp.

[sSNAKESs.com]

I hook up 4 cages all 4 x 2 x 12" to 1 thermostat... you can hook up as many as you want, if the cages are the same and heated the same then the temperature is going to be the same in all of them. I get a 6 way splitter, plug in all the cages and plug them into 1 thermostat... same way a rack is heated.. you can heat 20 tubs with 1 thermostat because all the tubs are the same.

[Bryan Self]

The Alife has 3 outputs and is rated at 1000 watts. The ESU has only one that looks the same. I am currentlly using the Alife, but I am upgrading to Helix within the next two weeks. I have decided that I want a proportional thermostat now insted of a on/off.

[Them and Us]

proportional thermostat?

[Edwin]

Analog thermostats turn on when the temp drops, and off when the desired temp is reached. It reduces the lifespan of the heat element, and if you are using it with a light bulb, you will get annoyed with the flickering light.

Proportional thermostats regulate a constant flow of electricity to the heat element. They are more expensive, but provide a higher accuracy, and are better at maintaining temps.

I use both analog and pulse proportional thermostats, and both are equally good. I would recommend proportional thermostats if you are either using a light emitting heat source, or if you want a very narrow band of variation.

Hope this helps. I would write more, but I have been up all night and am on autopilot mode.

[BILLP]

I use a zoo med repti temp 500 r and I have helix controls. The zoo med 500 doesn't have a temp gauge on it so you will have to still regulate the temp and turn the knob up or down as desired. I have five cages all the same size so I use one dial to control all of them and it works great. I don't think it would work very good for different sizes of cages and it only has one probe so all five cages have to house animals with similar temp requirements, it also flickers lights on and off so don't hook it up to a cage with only a light for a heat source.. The helix controls are alot nice but also cost alot of money. With them you can set a temp and it has a narrower band of control. also it doesn't flicker the bulb. Also with helix controls you can buy up grade for things like a night sensor to make an automatic temp drop. So if you want to save money buy a zoo med 500-r they are $30 U.S.

[escm]

I was surfn around the big apple site yesterday and came across thier proportional thermostat...has anyone ever used it? Its about 30$ cheaper than the helix....and 30$ is one whole lotta ramen dinners...

[Edwin]

Big Apple's offering is good as well, and a night drop is included. However, it only supports up to 300watts, which may be a concern for some people.

The Helix supports up to 500watts, and you need to pay an additional 20-30 bucks for a night drop cord.

Hope this helps.