Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I recently built my first homemade rack. I placed the probe for the thermostat on the heat tape but it seems not to be working the way i think it should. I placed the setting for 90 degrees. once it hits 90 degrees it shuts off, but no more than a minute later the temp goes down then the thermostat comes back on..and then a minute later it shuts off again....should it maintain more of a constant temp??? Should I place the probe in one of the tubs???? Any help would help!!! LOL! Mike

>>I recently built my first homemade rack. I placed the probe for the thermostat on the heat tape but it seems not to be working the way i think it should. I placed the setting for 90 degrees. once it hits 90 degrees it shuts off, but no more than a minute later the temp goes down then the thermostat comes back on..and then a minute later it shuts off again....should it maintain more of a constant temp??? Should I place the probe in one of the tubs???? Any help would help!!! LOL! Mike

I've never used heattape or anything of the sort, but typically in my tanks I place my thermometers directly where the herp will be when basking/soaking in the warmth of their warm end. Like for my Kenyan sand boa, the thermometer on his warm end is directly on the glass on the bottom, but for my leopard geckos it's on top of the bedding where they lie.
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>>I recently built my first homemade rack. I placed the probe for the thermostat on the heat tape but it seems not to be working the way i think it should. I placed the setting for 90 degrees. once it hits 90 degrees it shuts off, but no more than a minute later the temp goes down then the thermostat comes back on..and then a minute later it shuts off again....should it maintain more of a constant temp??? Should I place the probe in one of the tubs???? Any help would help!!! LOL! Mike

If your using an On/OFF type controller than its working fine, that's how it works...

As for placement I always place the probe directly on the element. Than adjust the temps where the animal basks to meet the gradient. I just know that because my controller says 100°F doesn't mean that is the temp inside the cage. I use a temp gun, specifically a PE-II from Pro Exotics, great product.

Cheers
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Jeremy Payne
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I'll add a few comments:

The best placement for control is in the cage over or in the substrate over the heater. But, that often means you cannot use that rack box to house a snake, since sliding the box in and out may be diificult with the probe in there. With a hatchling rack, I just use one box for the probe. If you have a spare rack drawer, go for it.

The other option is to put the probe on the heater like you have done, and adjust the controller accordingly. This is not the best for control, but is the easiest to setup w/o interfering with the cages. If you do this, the best placement is on the heater within the rack if possible as close to the box as possible.

ON/OFF controllers do what you are experiencing. If you want a more constant temp, use a proportional controller.

Keep in mind that when you put the probe in a box in/among the substrate, the heater will cycle less because of the mass taking longer to heat up and longer to cool down. So that is the better placement if using an ON/OFF controller. Less cycling extends relay life for mechanical relay-output devices like Rancos.
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Mark