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which thermostat is the best to get. at the local petshop they have
. dimmer
. pulse proportinal
. mat stats
. something like 'temerature stat'
i only use a heatmat so which would be best?
also can you plug more than 1 heatmat into 1 stat? it may sound dumb but i dont have the first clue about them lol 
thanks
Not my area at all, but a dimmer IS NOT a stat. A stat is set at a temp and in some manner, usually a probe (for herps) to sense the temperature and tell the stat to turn heat unit on and off.
Dimmers just set an amount of resistance in the dimmer, (or voltage reg dimmers),,,, although AC is reactance, AC is in RMS (root means square)is the AC equivilennt to DC heat. So, AC is basically DC when resistance is all that is involved.
So, a dimmer just turns up to a set amount of voltage. So if external temperatures change the cage temp will to.
I use a bio stat. Simple, and up til recently very good. Most simple stats are like your home heating stat. Set it at 80, it may turn on at 81 and off at 79. A proportional stat, is far more accurate by not turning completely on and off. If again, you set at 80, and temps reach 79.5 it may turn on 50%, in an attempt to reach the goal set at 80, then if the temps still drops to 79.25, it goes to 75% of power (voltage really). Just an example
Proportional stats are great, but pricey. Cheap bi-metal or worse old mercury type stats (come on, ya know a few of you guys use an old Honeywell), are probably the least accurate.
IN far less words:
Proportional stats are best in general but expensive.
A thermoSTAT of most kind will work, with various degrees of temp control.
A dimmer IS NOT a stat.
-----
Thanks for reading.
Big Tom
I agree 100%.
DO NOT USE A DIMMER TO CONTROL A HEATING DEVICE OF ANY KIND!
While I dimmer may appear to be working when you first set it up, in fact what it is doing is simply getting ready to burn your house down. It might take an hour, it might take two months, but eventually a dimmer used in this manner WILL cause a fire.
I am aware that there are some yahoo's out there whose second-cousin's-uncles-brother has been using dimmers forever to control somthing that they shouldn't, but that is only dodging a bullet that WILL hit someday.
I can understand if you use an under rated wattage dimmer for a job. But flex watt and heat sources are just resistance. The same as a bulb.
I'm just trying to understand the breakbown in the dimmer, and why.
Thanks
-----
Thanks for reading.
Big Tom
What about using a dimmer on the lights in the cages?
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Ball Python
Jungle Carpet Python
Eastern King
Mexican Black King
Sonoran Gopher
Aberrent Cal King
Anduran Milk
Hypo Brooks
I love the smell of aspen shavings in the morning...lol
"To serve man..it's...it's a cookbook!"
I used lamp dimmers a lot on lights. Years ago I had the idea of a dummer built in the light. All you would need is 1 bulb 100 watts. Dimmer to what you need for heat. I had no way to make them, nor could find the fixture part anyway. I now here someone is making it.
A dimmer is made to work on resistance. Thats a bulb, or flex. I'm very curious why they failed, unless mounted in the racks and could not cool. A dimmer dumps the voltage on a heat sink. I imagine if the unit could not cool it may be an issue. But are also mounted in small electrical boxes in the wall?
IMHOOC
-----
Thanks for reading.
Big Tom
This is NOT the way they work, they work on a principle called duty cycle, they are perfectly safe. We discussed this before. While a dimmer is not a stat, if you heat your home and it's set up right, you can certainly get away with it.
Stats are just as likely (Or moreso.) to burn your house down, as they use the exact same circuitry to regulate the available power factor, they just use an external therm and these can FAIL, fall off the heater causing a low signal and send 100% to the heating device.
No idea what you got against dimmers, but your fears are unfounded.
>>This is NOT the way they work, they work on a principle called duty cycle, they are perfectly safe. We discussed this before. While a dimmer is not a stat, if you heat your home and it's set up right, you can certainly get away with it.
>>Stats are just as likely (Or moreso.) to burn your house down, as they use the exact same circuitry to regulate the available power factor, they just use an external therm and these can FAIL, fall off the heater causing a low signal and send 100% to the heating device.
>>
>>No idea what you got against dimmers, but your fears are unfounded.
I'm not trying to be a smart arse, but I don't understand a duty cycle on a dimmer? The cycle is 100% if on. The stat has a duty cycle in a sense. But that will vary to surrounding temps.
I have not ripped to many dimmers up, and when I did many years ago. A simple dimmer is a rheostat. A variable resistor. Causing a resistor to be in series with the heat unit making it run at a % of the heat units max value. Add 2 heat units and that % per heat unit will drop as more resistance is in series. A rheostat generally is most "dangerous" at it's highest setting. They just get warmer there. Less resistance in the series.
Now for a voltage regulator dimmer, you can have any number of heat units on the system (within the max wattage). They dumps various wattages as the load changes onto a heat sink.
I just don't understand duty cycle on a dimmer? And the reason I ask, is if there is, I want to understand, as I certainly should. I know this is a electrical question, more than corn snakes, but the topic comes up a LOT!. I just like to know things like this in depth, and if I'm missing something I sure as heck want to learn it.
Thank you much
Tom
-----
Thanks for reading.
Big Tom
>>This is NOT the way they work, they work on a principle called duty cycle, they are perfectly safe. We discussed this before. While a dimmer is not a stat, if you heat your home and it's set up right, you can certainly get away with it.
>>Stats are just as likely (Or moreso.) to burn your house down, as they use the exact same circuitry to regulate the available power factor, they just use an external therm and these can FAIL, fall off the heater causing a low signal and send 100% to the heating device.
>>
>>No idea what you got against dimmers, but your fears are unfounded.
I was wondering the same thing. The dimmers I have in my dinning room and living room seem to work well enough for my lights and ceiling fans I don't see why they wouldn't work for a simple UTH.
-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes
_____
>>I was wondering the same thing. The dimmers I have in my dinning room and living room seem to work well enough for my lights and ceiling fans I don't see why they wouldn't work for a simple UTH.
Ceiling fans? I just wanted to point out a regular dimmer for a induction motor will kill the motor. Much the same as a brown out on a fridge, or other induction items. They do make induction motor dimmer,, but now as I write this maybe you meant the lights on your fan? I realized this as I have one right over my head lol.
-----
Thanks for reading.
Big Tom
>>>>I was wondering the same thing. The dimmers I have in my dinning room and living room seem to work well enough for my lights and ceiling fans I don't see why they wouldn't work for a simple UTH.
>>
>>
>>Ceiling fans? I just wanted to point out a regular dimmer for a induction motor will kill the motor. Much the same as a brown out on a fridge, or other induction items. They do make induction motor dimmer,, but now as I write this maybe you meant the lights on your fan? I realized this as I have one right over my head lol.
>>-----
and how long will this take??????
Been here 13 years now and they were here when I bought the house.
The lights are on/with the fans but like I said...I bought the house 13 years ago and the same fans/lights dimmers were already here so I guess if the motors finally go bad, some day, I can blame it on the dimmers?
-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes
_____
>>and how long will this take??????
>>Been here 13 years now and they were here when I bought the house.
>>The lights are on/with the fans but like I said...I bought the house 13 years ago and the same fans/lights dimmers were already here so I guess if the motors finally go bad, some day, I can blame it on the dimmers?
All I can say is what I was taught and experienced in electronics. A drop in voltage to an "induction motor" It not a way to control speed. Induction is a true AC reactance based motor. I'll make a presumption, that the dimmer is made for induction or the motor is not induction. Meaning it has brushes.
DC motors can be speed controlled by a rheostat/dimmer, but a lot of torque is lost.
But if you have to replace that dimmer one day, keep it in the back of your head. You may want to look into exactly what is there. If that long, it was done right. A city brown out can fry a fridge in 1 day. Jimmy I could be dead wrong, but I did take electronics for nearly 2 years. Maybe I'm missing something? Anyone else with a MS in electronics please correct me if I'm wrong. I just like to help, if I'm wrong, I want to know the correct info too.
OH, this is similar why you can not dim the compact florescent bulbs. Kinda sorta, they have a built in step up transformer/ballast. The bulb cannot tolerate this type of dimming. It will for a while, but kill th bulb prematurely. Flor... bulbs use to be dimmed with a frequency dimmer. Tain't looked into that in a long time though.
I just hope I did not jinx your fan lol
-----
Thanks for reading.
Big Tom
>>>>and how long will this take??????
>>>>Been here 13 years now and they were here when I bought the house.
>>>>The lights are on/with the fans but like I said...I bought the house 13 years ago and the same fans/lights dimmers were already here so I guess if the motors finally go bad, some day, I can blame it on the dimmers?
>>
>>All I can say is what I was taught and experienced in electronics. A drop in voltage to an "induction motor" It not a way to control speed. Induction is a true AC reactance based motor. I'll make a presumption, that the dimmer is made for induction or the motor is not induction. Meaning it has brushes.
>>
>>DC motors can be speed controlled by a rheostat/dimmer, but a lot of torque is lost.
>>
>>But if you have to replace that dimmer one day, keep it in the back of your head. You may want to look into exactly what is there. If that long, it was done right. A city brown out can fry a fridge in 1 day. Jimmy I could be dead wrong, but I did take electronics for nearly 2 years. Maybe I'm missing something? Anyone else with a MS in electronics please correct me if I'm wrong. I just like to help, if I'm wrong, I want to know the correct info too.
>>
>>OH, this is similar why you can not dim the compact florescent bulbs. Kinda sorta, they have a built in step up transformer/ballast. The bulb cannot tolerate this type of dimming. It will for a while, but kill th bulb prematurely. Flor... bulbs use to be dimmed with a frequency dimmer. Tain't looked into that in a long time though.
>>
>>I just hope I did not jinx your fan lol
>>-----
my fans quit and I'm sending the bill to you.
They didn't know they shouldn't be "dimmed"
now that they know they will probably quit on me...lol
-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes
_____
>>>>>>and how long will this take??????
>>>>>>Been here 13 years now and they were here when I bought the house.
>>>>>>The lights are on/with the fans but like I said...I bought the house 13 years ago and the same fans/lights dimmers were already here so I guess if the motors finally go bad, some day, I can blame it on the dimmers?
>>>>
>>>>All I can say is what I was taught and experienced in electronics. A drop in voltage to an "induction motor" It not a way to control speed. Induction is a true AC reactance based motor. I'll make a presumption, that the dimmer is made for induction or the motor is not induction. Meaning it has brushes.
>>>>
>>>>DC motors can be speed controlled by a rheostat/dimmer, but a lot of torque is lost.
>>>>
>>>>But if you have to replace that dimmer one day, keep it in the back of your head. You may want to look into exactly what is there. If that long, it was done right. A city brown out can fry a fridge in 1 day. Jimmy I could be dead wrong, but I did take electronics for nearly 2 years. Maybe I'm missing something? Anyone else with a MS in electronics please correct me if I'm wrong. I just like to help, if I'm wrong, I want to know the correct info too.
>>>>
>>>>OH, this is similar why you can not dim the compact florescent bulbs. Kinda sorta, they have a built in step up transformer/ballast. The bulb cannot tolerate this type of dimming. It will for a while, but kill th bulb prematurely. Flor... bulbs use to be dimmed with a frequency dimmer. Tain't looked into that in a long time though.
>>>>
>>>>I just hope I did not jinx your fan lol
>>>>-----
>>
>>
>>
>>my fans quit and I'm sending the bill to you.
>>They didn't know they shouldn't be "dimmed"
>>now that they know they will probably quit on me...lol
>>-----
>>Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
>>"Resistance is futile"
>>Jimmy Johnson
>>(Draybar)
>> Draybars Snakes
>>
>>_____
-----
Thanks for reading.
Big Tom
>>>>>>>>and how long will this take??????
>>>>>>>>Been here 13 years now and they were here when I bought the house.
>>>>>>>>The lights are on/with the fans but like I said...I bought the house 13 years ago and the same fans/lights dimmers were already here so I guess if the motors finally go bad, some day, I can blame it on the dimmers?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>All I can say is what I was taught and experienced in electronics. A drop in voltage to an "induction motor" It not a way to control speed. Induction is a true AC reactance based motor. I'll make a presumption, that the dimmer is made for induction or the motor is not induction. Meaning it has brushes.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>DC motors can be speed controlled by a rheostat/dimmer, but a lot of torque is lost.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>But if you have to replace that dimmer one day, keep it in the back of your head. You may want to look into exactly what is there. If that long, it was done right. A city brown out can fry a fridge in 1 day. Jimmy I could be dead wrong, but I did take electronics for nearly 2 years. Maybe I'm missing something? Anyone else with a MS in electronics please correct me if I'm wrong. I just like to help, if I'm wrong, I want to know the correct info too.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>OH, this is similar why you can not dim the compact florescent bulbs. Kinda sorta, they have a built in step up transformer/ballast. The bulb cannot tolerate this type of dimming. It will for a while, but kill th bulb prematurely. Flor... bulbs use to be dimmed with a frequency dimmer. Tain't looked into that in a long time though.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I just hope I did not jinx your fan lol
>>>>>>-----
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
I guess the main reason my fans are still working properly is it is rare that I have actually used the dimmer on the fans. I use it on the lights quite often but usually the fans are just set on whichever setting seems most appropriate. It just seems that I don't have the lights and fans on at the same time very often.
Well, I usually have the living room fan on but the overhead lights off opting for table lamps and the dinning room fan is usually off while those overhead lights are used more often.
But either way.....ANY problems and the bill is coming your way!!!
thanks for the info
-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes
_____
>>which thermostat is the best to get. at the local petshop they have
>>. dimmer
>>. pulse proportinal
>>. mat stats
>>. something like 'temerature stat'
>>
>>i only use a heatmat so which would be best?
>>
>>also can you plug more than 1 heatmat into 1 stat? it may sound dumb but i dont have the first clue about them lol
>>
>>thanks
these are what I use
You can actually plug three into these
http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-100-Thermostat-500-Watt-Rated-Easy-Plug-In-Design
-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes
_____
>>>>which thermostat is the best to get. at the local petshop they have
>>>>. dimmer
>>>>. pulse proportinal
>>>>. mat stats
>>>>. something like 'temerature stat'
>>>>
>>>>i only use a heatmat so which would be best?
>>>>
>>>>also can you plug more than 1 heatmat into 1 stat? it may sound dumb but i dont have the first clue about them lol
>>>>
>>>>thanks
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>these are what I use
>>You can actually plug three into these
>>
>>http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-100-Thermostat-500-Watt-Rated-Easy-Plug-In-Design
>>-----
I think mine are 1000 Watt rated, though
-----
Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
"Resistance is futile"
Jimmy Johnson
(Draybar)
Draybars Snakes
_____
>>>>which thermostat is the best to get. at the local petshop they have
>>>>. dimmer
>>>>. pulse proportinal
>>>>. mat stats
>>>>. something like 'temerature stat'
>>>>
>>>>i only use a heatmat so which would be best?
>>>>
>>>>also can you plug more than 1 heatmat into 1 stat? it may sound dumb but i dont have the first clue about them lol
>>>>
>>>>thanks
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>these are what I use
>>You can actually plug three into these
>>
>>http://www.bigappleherp.com/BAH-100-Thermostat-500-Watt-Rated-Easy-Plug-In-Design
>>-----
>>Corn snakes and rat snakes..No one can have just one.
>>"Resistance is futile"
>>Jimmy Johnson
>>(Draybar)
>> Draybars Snakes
>>
>>_____
-----
Thanks for reading.
Big Tom
thanks alot for the dimmer info... i had absolutly no idea they wernt stats or whatever. i sure as hell dont want to burn my house down lol im thinking of going with the proportional one. i no its like £55 (i live in england) but i want the best.
thanks again for the advice i probabley would have bought the wrong one and paid lots for it lol i think the dimmers were like £45 as well!
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