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Southwestern Center for Herpetological Research

herpstat nd help

sooperscoot Nov 23, 2008 09:16 AM

I just got a herpstat nd and i have a few questions. First off, I had to set the temp to 118 to reach 90 in my rack. Is this normal. Probe is directly on flex watt. Room temp is 68-72. Second, as of recently for some reason the temp on the thermostat wont reach 118 as I set it. It goes up to maybe 113 then fluctuates down to around 107. The pwr says 100%. Any ideas or answers? thanks.

Replies (7)

bsharrah Nov 23, 2008 03:50 PM

Move the probe away from the flexwatt. It is sitting too close and reaching target temp before the tubs can reach the desired temp. I prefer to keep it in the back of an empty tub in the rack and avoid pulling that tub out for any reason. As far as it not reaching desired temp and the power reading 100%, several things could cause this. First thing that comes to mind is the room temps are too low. If you are looking for the temps to reach 90, room temps should be no lower than 75, IMO.

Bart

SooperScoot Nov 23, 2008 05:54 PM

Thanks bart. I dont have any empty tubs. so where else can I place the probe.

mingdurga Nov 23, 2008 07:11 PM

Had the same problem on my vision rack and was advised to move probe away from heat source until desired temp reached. It works fine now after moving it a few times. My vision bp rack has 11 full tubs with the probe under the fifth one down. It's about 2" away from heat source. HD set at 93 and my temp gun shows temps about 88-89 in the back, 78 range up front.

Mike

bsharrah Nov 23, 2008 08:17 PM

You can place it in one of the occupied tubs, just keep in mind that if that tub is opened the tstat reads the drop and pumps more power to the flexwatt, essentially causing an increase in heat to the other tubs. Try not to keep that tub opened any longer than necessary. Not the best placement but better than right up against the flexwatt.

Bart

SooperScoot Nov 24, 2008 05:22 PM

I tried placing the probe directly in the tub. I set the thermostat to 90 and Im monitoring the temp with 2 thermometers. The problem is the thermostat is only bringing the temp up to 82. Its wont budge any higher. Maybe I'll try the 2" advice.

bsharrah Nov 24, 2008 08:38 PM

What size tubs are you using and how are you heating it (i.e., 11" backheat, 4" belly heat, etc.)? What are the room temps where the rack is located? Is the power display still holding steady at 100%?

Bart

ArtInScales Nov 25, 2008 12:27 AM

How long are you giving the Herpstat to get the temps up? The reason the flexwatt won't get to 118 degrees is because flexwatt will only get up to 100 to 115 degrees, even without a thermostat. I have my probes under the flexwatt and don't have any problems, but you have to wait several hours for everything to even out. You also need to check the temps as soon as you open the box, I can literally watch the temps drop in the box once I pull it out.

Where do you have the flexwatt? Is it back heat or belly heat? What size flexwatt are you using? Sorry for all the questions, but more info will help.
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Randy and Michelle
Art In Scales
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info@artinscales.com

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