RCReptiles.com

[dragon2285]

ok i just got this thermostat and maybe there is a trick or something to set it up. all i did was unhook my old thermostat and hooked this one up. i set it to 82F and then it heats up to low 100s when it heats up! it has a dial with numbers! so if there is anyone that has any experience with this thermostat please tell me if i did something wrong or if there was a trick to it. because even though my last t-stat has the cool-hot i was able to control the temp. but with this new supposely better tstat temp been unstable.

[ryancbj22]

Well I have the same one and it does the same thing. I took the probe and ran it into the aquarium I was using and taped it down to the glass right over the uth. When mine is set on 82 my thermometer and my infrared temp gauge read around 92. I thought the same thing when I purchased mine I had the repti-temp 500r like you had and didn't like the fact of not having any numbers to go by. So when I bought this one I figured if I set it on 92 it would stay at 92 wrong again.

Do you know the difference between a non-proportional t-stat and a proportional t-stat. If not let me know there's is a good thread on here i'll have to find it.

Basically because this unit is a non-proportional t-stat once it gets to a certain temp it shuts the heat source off and let's it cool down and once it gets to a cooler temp it turns it back on. Because there is a constant change in temps it can't really give you an accurate reading from the dial with the number's on it. The uth or heating source is always either cooling down or heating up there's never one moment where it stay's on a set temp if that makes sense.

I use this t-stat with my corn snake because temps don't need to be as precise, or as warm as with a bp. I have this t-stat and the repti-temp, and also a Helix obviously the Helix is the best of the three (well worth the money). I started using the repti-temp again when I built my rack and I will be honest I used to hate it and now i'm buying another one. I used to have it hooked up and was always messing with it. I know it's annoying not having numbers but what I did was took a thing of white out once I got it set to the temp I wanted and placed a white mark on the dial it gives you a reference point to go buy. I know it doesn't sound like it will help but trust me it does and it allows you to see how far your moving the dial when you move it. I have the probe to this one taped directly to the flexwatt.

The big difference i noticed between the two is that the repti-temp turns on and off a lot more than the big-apple does which allows the temps to stay pretty close to what you want. My repti-temp keeps the temp right about 92 and only drops to 91 so i'm getting a degree or two of difference with this compared to a 5 degree drop wtih the big-apple.

I hope this helped let me know if you have anymore questions.....

[dragon2285]

haha yeah it took me awhile to find the exact temp with the reptitemp so i'm probably going to switch back to that one later today. hopefully when i unhooked it i didn't move the dial

[ryancbj22]

Well like I said use a marker or white-out and mark a spot on there for a reference point.

[dragon2285]

probably gonna do that this time haha, what tstat is best for a rack? i'm probably gonna get one soon so i don't wanna waste money buying a bad one. something that won't do what the apple one is doing.

[ryancbj22]

I purchased a Helix you can find these at reptilebasics.com. There about $125.00 but well worth the extra money. Theses t-stats measure how much electricity goes into the uth or heating source itself rather than turning it off and on. If I set the Helix at 92 it stays at 92 not 92.3 or 92.7 it's say's 92....

[dragon2285]

cool thx. i would have gotten that one instead of the apple but the one i looked at was like $200+ and plus i'm just using it for a tank right now so a matter of before i end up getting the helix for the rack.

[ryancbj22]

Yeah I have my Helix on my big tank but I use the repti-temp on the rack I built...

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[dragonkeeper117]

I have the same t-stat but my thermometer says its 10 degrees cooler that what the t-stat thinks.

[NickMyers03]

Helix are the way to go... use foil tape and put the probe on the heat tape/ over the UTH...

[dragonkeeper117]

[ryancbj22]

Reptile Basics

[laurmann2000]

I was planning on getting the big apple one but since you guys seem to have trouble with it, I think I'll stay away. I can't afford to get a Helix right now so I will probably go with the repti-temp. Is this the one you are talking about that works pretty well? http://www.reptilesupply.com/product.php?products_id=75

TIA
Laura

[deborahbroadus]

[Buck_99]

For the record I use one of those Big Apple Herp thermostats. It doesn't agree with my thermometers about what the true temperature is, but it is consistent and I'm using it without trouble.

If the thermostat consistently makes it 5 degrees warmer than it's supposed to be, turn it down a notch. If it consistently makes it 5 degrees cooler than it's supposed to be, turn it up a notch. Make sure it stays steady and leave it.

A thermostat that is consistently wrong to the same degree (pun not intended) is quite useful and certainly better than one that fluctuates all over the place.