It isn't the heat pads so much as it is your controllers.



Do not hook up two dimmers in series - you will just get unintended results.



Rheostats do not change output with ambient air temp changes. So when your room is 70 deg and you adjust your rheostats to maintain the heat pads to say 85 deg, as soon as the room warms up (say to 75 deg), the heat pads will be warmer than 85 deg.



If you want the same temp maintained despite changes in room temperature, then get a proportional controller. Many to choose from now. Spyder Electronics, Helix, etc etc.



Also remember, the cage will insulate better (or feel like it does anyway) when the ambient air temp increases. The plastic maintains the heat better - the heat energy permeates through the plastic over a larger area when the air temps warm up. This is the one bad thing about heat pads. If the cage is large enough, then it is a non-issue, but in a small cage it is a problem. That is why I like radiant heat panels for large snakes. Just easier.



Another thing you can do is to hook up an ON/OFF thermostat and plug your dimmers into that. Place the probe on the heat pad and set that controller to shut off at 90 deg. That is what I did with this dimmer assembly in the pic. I plugged it into a Ranco ON/OFF controller. You can also use one of the readily-available herp thermostats that has a probe. I think they are around $50.



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Mark

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