Has anyone here had trouble with the ZooMed ReptiTemp 500R?

I have a small rack (5 shelves) to house my B.P.'s and Corn Snakes.

We wired 12" sections of 11" Flexwatt to each shelf... each to its own power cord... for belly heat. We placed the thermostat probes ON the flexwatt, taped with foil tape.

Two shelves are controlled by one ReptiTemp 500R, for the B.P.'s... and the other two have a seperate Reptitemp 500R for the Corn snakes. I did this so I could regulate the temps, since the corn and B.P.'s have different requirements.

Well, I have had a heck of a time regulating the temps! I have the B.P.'s on the top 2 shelves, in case you're wondering (since heat rises). I have 3 hides in each box (warm, middle, cool), a water dish, a humid hide... and I use aspen substrate. I keep track of temps with a indoor/outdoor thermometer with a probe. (Whew!)

I have large rubbermaid tubs, thank goodness... so, if the temps fluctuate too much, they CAN escape. I had the rack regulated before I moved my snakes into it... but, it seems the ZooMed products are going haywire!!!In fact, the one is so wacky, I've resorted to plugging the flexwatt into a dimmer.

Any suggestions? (I know, I know... buy a better thermostat!)Also, I've gotten conflicting info as to where to measure temps... should I measure on the surface of the aspen, or on the plastic itself?

Thanks, in advance for your help!

Mindy

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