Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm looking for some input on a thermostat. I am converting a mini fridge into an incubator, & I'm looking for the best thermostat for this application. Not necessarily the most expensive nor the cheapest. Just, in your opinion, the best. Thanks.

I would go with any spyder robotics thermostats, (herpstat ND). This is what I use and it hasn't let me down.

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I'm the one you're not supposed to speak of!

I would go with a helix. Not too cheap but not too expensive either. Hope that helps.

I have used Helix for years without issue. This year, I lost several clutches due to a seemingly faulty controller - once it hit the desired temp, it just keeps heating a few more degrees. I will continue to use Helix but plan on replacing the failing controller.
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

Jay,
Are you referring to a controller within the Helix? Are you using one of the older ones, or the DBS1000??
My biggest nightmare would be to have a thermostat failure on one of my incubators and lose 9 clutches. The thought makes me break into a sweat!
Grant

Yes. The DBS-1000. Fortunately, I only had two clutches in the failing incubator - it was not full. I agree. Losing a bunch of clutches would suck. I'm actually in the process of setting up a new incubator. In the mean time, I need to have this controller replaced.
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Jay A. Martin
Jay Martin Reptiles

For racks I really like the Herpstat Pro. On my incubators I use Helix's that I previously used on my racks that I have now replaced with Herpstat Pro's. The Helix's run 10 months out of the year and have worked flawlessly on my incubators and even on my racks for that matter. The Herpstat Pro's are just superior for controlling racks and because of added features that are not all useful for an incubator. They will handle more watts, 4 separate racks with different temps, have a built in night drop feature, and have a programmable high and low temp alarm built in.
In my book dependability is by far the most important feature for a incubator thermostat.
Good luck.
Grant

Anything other than a proportional t-stat. We use the Helix, but there are others. Wouldn't be a bad idea to back it up with a Johnson or Ranco on/off t-stat just to be safe.
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Louis Kirkland
Cornerstone Reptiles

I have used either the original Herpstats or the Herpstat NDs in all the incubators I have built. They both have a feature called power matching that works great for thermostats. This allows you to adjust the proportional output of the device depending on the efficiency of the incubator. You can up the power output if the incubator is hovering below your target temp or decrease the output if the temps are overshooting. This really allows you to fine tune things. Both devices also track the highlow temps so you can see if there have been any drops or spikes. The Herpstat ND also has a built in audible alarm that you can set to alert you to any problems. In any case I would recommend a non proportional thermostat hooked in line as a backup.

Hope this helps,
George

I've got a Herpstat on the way for my fridge incubator. I also have an extra on/off t-stat here. How do you have yours set up as a backup. Do you get the Herpstat set and then run the on/off up until it kicks on, then back it off just a bit? And how do you hook them up together?
Thanks,
Derek

Derek,

I would recommend using an on/off thermostat that has a digital temperature setting as opposed to one with a simple dial. The Rancos and Johnson Controls work great, I have also used a second Herpstat set to non proportional mode. Either way you plug your backup into the wall then your primary thermostat into the output of the backup. Then set the backup a degree or so higher than the primary and tape the probes together so they are both measure the same spot. For the ball pythons I set my primary at 89.2 and the backup at 90.5.

George

as a backup. if they fail, they fail off. your eggs can live at room temperature for days, but can cook in a matter of minutes. we lost power here for three weeks in hurricane wilma, i incubated my eggs in my truck using the windshield as my heat source during the day. i kept them at 82-85 and didn't lose any or have any deformities. so if your primary thermostat fails, and the ranco shuts everything down, you should catch the problem with your normal routine, before you have problems. i also use a radio shack remote thermometer with a giant display so everytime anyone walks by the office they can check the incubator temps at a glance. kd

Awesome. Thanks for the info. My Herpstat will be here thursday so I'll probably be setting everything up this weekend. Good luck to everyone this season.

In my incubator, I run the OUTPUT of my herpstat through the contacts on the Johnson...not power to the herpstat. That way both thermostats stay on although power to the heaters goes off. The herpstat records highs and lows, and if it were to "stick" on, it shows to tenths of a degree where the johnson only shows full degrees. I can set the johnson and monitor the temp through both....Also, on the normally open side of the contacts I have a small fan that will suck in a little cooling air only if the johnson shuts off, that is if the incubator temp goes over 90 degrees. This gets any hot air out fairly quick and shuts off when the heaters kick back on. The main thing on an incubator is redundancy...if any one part fails...there is a backup. If it fails to heat, most incubators will hold a temp for quite a while...you will notice it before it is fatal, overheating is what you need to stop quickly and it does not take long to poach eggs.