# Thermostats



## CrazyNut (Oct 3, 2015)

Hi everyone!
Thought I would start a little bit of a debate here. Whats everyones opinion in regards to the use of thermostats, 100% necessity or just personal preference? I think it comes down to personal preference. I use a thermostat for my Oedura marmorata but all my other animals require 40+ degree temps (or in the case of my eastern bluey no artificial heating) so generally I don't use them and it's worked fine for me in the past couple of years.

regards
CN


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## Wallo (Oct 3, 2015)

i know from experience that when you are using Heat Mats, thermostats are a must - I have seen what happens when a heat mat overheats and is not controlled by a thermostat - in this instance the house was extremely lucky not to burn down - if no one was home the house would have definitely burnt down - Therostats in this instance a must


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## 5hane (Oct 3, 2015)

I used thermostats when I first started keeping, but don't these days. all the species I keep now have 40.c+ temp requirements. I just offer a good temp gradient and use larger well ventilated enclosures. I'm using spot globes for heating.


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## CrazyNut (Oct 3, 2015)

I agree, with heat mats etc its a must. I have heard way too many horror stories with reptiles being burmt by short circurting heat mats, heat cords and heat rocks, mimd you I would just simply avoid heat rocks lol


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## pinefamily (Oct 3, 2015)

As discussed on another thread, heat rocks and fan heaters are probably the worst two items in the reptile keeping world.
Apart from a couple of our enclosures that have thermostats in them, we use timers. Our lizards are all on in the morning, and off in the evening; our hatchie pythons are on a heat cord,as are the adults in tubs. They are on 15 minute increments.


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## Wallo (Oct 3, 2015)

I would only use haet rocks with Hermit Crabs and that would be it even then i would use something else to warm the crabs -I too have seen too many heat burns from Heat Rocks - Heat Rocks are evil
I would never put a Heat Mat inside the enclosure either - my heat mat is under the enclosure on the outside hooked up to a B1 Microclimate and works perfectly - I have it sitting on a wooden table ensuring there is airflow over the heat mat
My other Thermostat I use is an Evo Microclimate - being a dual channel Thermostat I have my Oz White 100w Ceramic set up to one channel and my Compact Max UVB set to timer on the other channel - I know there is probably no need for the Oz White to be set on a thermostat and (the great debate) no requirement for UV however I figure that I have the gear so I will use it and it looks tops as well


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## kingofnobbys (Oct 3, 2015)

I apply the KISS principle. 

I only use simple one channel (NON-ALARMED) switching thermostats that I buy online. (cost about $10).

My heatpads are on individual thermostats, I set and forget.

My lights are on simple household 1 week programmable timers (from Officeworks).

I set the basking temperature by trial and error , and the gradient falls out naturally for each enclosure. Easypeazy.

IMO fancy dual channel combined thermostat timers are more bother and expense than they are worth. I've tried them and got fed up with alarms going off - wound up ditching them.


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## twistedFrog (Oct 3, 2015)

I feel as though thermostats are just an unnecessary expense, if you do your research. All you need is timers. Know the life of your heat source and it's degradation and you will be fine. Set up an enclosure knowing all the facts and a thermostat is as I said unnecessary. The only temp control I use is a thermo gun to check that my researched set up is working as it should and is only 30 bucks and works for me.


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## Bushfire (Oct 3, 2015)

My system is fairly complex but its what ever works for you is the important part. For my pythons (I only use heat cord in shalf type situation) I have four different temp cycles: morning, mid day, afternoon and nothing at night. I use thermostats and timers for this setup. This also coincides with a light cycle (using LED strips), I have the capacity to vary the light intensity ie. morning/ mid day/ afternoon but havent yet gone down that path but maybe. 
For my monitors, I use in each cage an LED strip, a metal halide bulb and a halogen bulb. I cycle it so the halogen light comes on in the morning and then afternoon. The LED light during the day and the metal halide only mid day. There is no thermostat used in the monitors but do use timers. Last summer I have also added the complexity that if the room temp climbs above 32oC it shuts all but the LEDs till it drops below 28oC but normally the other timers by this time have completed their day cycle already so heating devices stay off. 
Its a complex system but am happy with the much reduced electricity bills than under a normal one bulb 12 hour on / off cycle for the monitors. For pythons I simply can not justify using anything but heat cord with a LED strip (if you want a day / night cycle). I think thermostats have their place and can be useful if correctly used unfortunately alot of ppl like with heat mats / pads misuse them.


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## Wallo (Oct 3, 2015)

It totally comes down to personal preference and what works for the individual and their affordability - I have got my set ups and enclosures working very well and the functions on the Evo can not be easier - touch screen helps as well - you can even run a fogger / mister and set what times of the day you want the fogger / mister to come on and the duration of the mist to spray - It is what works for me and only my opinion - we are all different


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## CrazyNut (Oct 3, 2015)

[MENTION=9873]Bushfire[/MENTION] nice set up sounds awesome, could you bypass the timers and just use dimming thermostats? Or does it not work like that? 
[MENTION=41353]Wallo[/MENTION] I'm pretty sure heat mats were never intended to go on the inside, I think most say that on the packaging or on the heat pad itself. I wouldn't even use heat rocks with hermit crabs lol I honestly think they are the worst thing and such a trap for beginner keepers who end up learning the hard way, I was fortunate I heard about the risks they have before I bought them when I started out. 
[MENTION=41859]twistedFrog[/MENTION] Timers is all I have other then that one thermostat that I actually use lol
[MENTION=41275]kingofnobbys[/MENTION] didn't know you could get thermos with alarms, I can see how annoying that would be though it is pointless really.


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## Wokka (Oct 4, 2015)

Thermostats are just another thing to break down and go wrong. You should be able to achieve the desired temperatures with proper design however in the early stages they are a good tool while keepers learn to control heat.


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## arevenant (Oct 5, 2015)

B1ME Microclimate Dimmers controlling heat pads on my hatchie tubs. 
Simple on/offs for my glass enclosures tank volume comparable wattage globes for basking temp and natural gradient, so thermostat is merely a fail safe should the temps somehow get too high(through sunlight conduction).
For my larger adult enclosures, just a comparable wattage globe for an adequate basking temp and a natural gradient with no thermostat.


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## ronhalling (Oct 5, 2015)

IMO however right or wrong it might be i feel that thermostats are an absolute must for beginners, they have so many other things to try and get right in the beginning so that their animal is kept happy and healthy that a thermostat is a right of passage, when the beginners have gotten everything else right they can then start playing with manual gradients, bulb/CHE heights, timings and wattages so a thermostat is then made superfluous, but until then lets not make the mistake of saying thermostats are not necessary, more, we should be saying thermostats are not necessary when we have the experience not to need 1, but as i said "IMO''.  .........................Ron


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## CrazyNut (Oct 5, 2015)

[MENTION=36030]ronhalling[/MENTION] great response. In regards to heights of globes, exo-terra has the best packaging for those beginners transitioning to gradient without thermostats. They have on each box a chart and a graph showing the temperature at different distances for the wattage of that particular globe.


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## kingofnobbys (Oct 6, 2015)

CrazyNut said:


> @ronhalling great response. In regards to heights of globes, exo-terra has the best packaging for those beginners transitioning to gradient without thermostats. They have on each box a chart and a graph showing the temperature at different distances for the wattage of that particular globe.



So do Arcadia MVBs. I wish all MVB and UV CFB and UV T5 and T8 tubes came with similar useful graphics rather than vague BS tsbles that tell the user virtually nothing - not many of us own a UV meter.


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