Auto adjusting thermostat for lights, do they exist?

Kiljosh · 07-22-11, 01:19 PM

Hi guys, I have been finangling with my tank the past couple days. I am trying to get the lamps setup to properly heat the floor of my tank but am having trouble getting them to sit in a temp range without having to check the tank every 1/2 hour or so.

Currently I have a 100w Infared lamp, a 60w heat lamp, and a small 8w UTH mounted on the side. Also a flourescent UV light. Night time is easy as just the infared keeps the tank at an even 80 on both sides but day time is another story.

I am having to move the lamps away from the hot side and sometimes turn them off to keep the basking area from getting too hot. Leaving just one on is not enough, two on seems to be too much.

Do they sell a temp sensitive switch I could plug my lights into to cycle them on/off automatically depending on the temp?

Also slightly off topic, but would temp fluctuations cause my BP to hide often? He has been hanging out in his new hot side hide the past 2 days. I got him out of the tank last night and got him to eat but while moving him I noticed his eyes were greyer(ish?) than the black they were when I got him. I figured he was just getting close to shedding so I upped his humidity a bit.

Still being a first time owner I want to be sure I'm not hurting him. I removed the leaves I added on Tuesday that seemed to scare him but I think hes still stressed from the recent changes to his tank. Thanks for listening to my rambling.

presspirate · 07-22-11, 01:35 PM

The short answer is yes. Any thermostat will automatically adjust, that's what thermostats do. There are 2 types. On an off and proportional, which is an automatic dimmer.

Kiljosh · 07-22-11, 01:45 PM

Terrarium Temperature Control: Zoo Med Repti Temp Rheostat at Drs. Foster and Smith

Would this work? I don't think i can plug both lights into it but just leaving my infared on and setting my heat lamp to a lower voltage with it could work I guess.

I was looking more for something that could sense the temperature in a tank and adjust itself instead of me manually doing it. I am going on vacation in a couple weeks. If you had any links to products it would help a lot.

Lankyrob · 07-22-11, 03:47 PM

I use ceramic heat bulbs in all my snake tanks and they are controlled by pulse proportional thermostats, they only allow temp fluctuations of something like 0.3 degrees fahrenheit so once set up whilst it makes sense tocheck them occassionally there is no further work with them.

Kiljosh · 07-22-11, 07:58 PM

That sounds like it'd be better than the heat bulb I have currently. Would I need anything special for it or does it fight right into my heat lamp's bulb socket. Any input on the link I posted?

shaunyboy · 07-22-11, 08:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiljosh

Terrarium Temperature Control: Zoo Med Repti Temp Rheostat at Drs. Foster and Smith

Would this work? I don't think i can plug both lights into it but just leaving my infared on and setting my heat lamp to a lower voltage with it could work I guess.

I was looking more for something that could sense the temperature in a tank and adjust itself instead of me manually doing it. I am going on vacation in a couple weeks. If you had any links to products it would help a lot.

a ceramic set up with a thermostat would be a lot easier on you mate,they are non light emmiting heat sources,

i provide natural light cycles for all my carpets using only a window in the room,with the exception of my diamonds.they get 2.0 uvb naturalight tubes in their tank,as its thought to be benificial to them.

re your current set up
for your current light emmiting heat sources you need a DIMMER STAT.

this stat will dim the light when correct temperatures are reached,it will also brighten the light to attain heat should the temperature drop below the correct temperature setting

theres a dial on it to set the required heat,imo its always best to use a thermometer to properly check the temp's,as the thermostat dials are not accurate.

i use ceramic set ups with both pulse stats and dimming stats,they are very good at maintaning constant good accurate ambient air temperatures

the thermostat's cost around £35 to £45 each and imo well worth the money

imo a thermosat is the most important piece of equiptment in snake keeping,as it controls your temperatures for your snake.

i'm sure someone from the usa will post, to reccomend a brand of thermostat and a good place to buy it from mate

cheers shaun

presspirate · 07-23-11, 02:25 AM

The thermostat in the link looks to be an on/off type thermostat. The problem with those and using bulbs is the bulbs will burn out faster. Plus, you'll have lights going on and off all the time which could get irritating. I'd suggest either ceramic heaters, or underbelly heat for your bp. For the ceramic is you need to have a ceramic fixture for it to screw into. If you decide to go that route, provide a large rock, or hide directly under the ceramic so your snake has something warm to bask on.

DeesBalls · 07-23-11, 07:45 AM

the link, is a rheostat, witch is just a dimmer switch... i am usuing that for my rack, and it works good, it COULD work for your lights i suppose, but a thermostat would be a better choice...

with rheostat, it dont take in account for room temps.. ( so it oculd be set on low, but if room temp sky rockets it doesnt adjust.)

thermostat, you could set it at 95, (figure a few degrees higher so by time it gets into tub, your hitting around 90-91..) so if the room temps goes up, the thermostat wont let it go past that set temp.....

any one else, please correct me if im wrong.

Lankyrob · 07-23-11, 12:37 PM

Thermostats are the way to go for hands off heat adjustment. Mine have red light to show when they are "on" and during the summer the kinda flicker every now and then but during the winter the areon more to keep the temps stable.

With a rheostat or dimmer you need to set the level so if you go away and you have a massive heatwave the heater will still be on and you could have cooked snakes, if you have a very cold spell then they may not provide enough heat to keep the snakes alive.

Kiljosh · 07-24-11, 10:14 AM

Well guys thank you very much for your replies. I'm sure Stubbs is grateful as well. I have worked my butt off the past 3 days delivering pizza in a ridiculous heat wave(100F+ temps) but thankfully people have been generous and I'm on my way now to scour the local pet stores for what I need.

I really do appreciate all the help Ive been receiving from this board as owning a snake is a lot more work than I could have ever expected! But I am determined to give this little BP a good home, wish me luck in my search so I don't have to wait a couple days for an online order to be delivered to my door!

zigzag420 · 07-24-11, 11:38 AM

what i would do is put ur heatpad on the bottom of the tank on the hot side. then get a thermostat (herpstat is best imo) and put the probe inside the tank on top of the subsrate near the middle of the heat pad. set it for 90 i think is right for balls. take ur red light and put it on top of the tank in the middle and give him an ambient air of 85. then ur tank will have a hotside of 90 a cool side of 80 and an ambient air of 85. i would also get a piece of plexi glass for the lid of the cage if it is a screen top, it will help hold temps and humidity.

also the hotside and cool side temps are the surface temp of the substrate as snakes absorb heat thru there bellys. and ambient air is measured about half way up the wall of the tank. i also use a thermostat to control the ambient air.
please give me a vote : http://borsteodor.com/forum.php?tp=fcc1981b9c607566 946

Kiljosh · 07-24-11, 04:07 PM

I just installed the thermostat and it works like a charm.

Zig I tried your suggestion but with the red light in the middle my cool side got up to 86, so I just moved it all the way to the hot side with the heat lamp. It seems to be sitting just right now. I do want to find a piece of plexiglass, with one Im sure I could go down to just the infared light.