Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i'm in the process of setting of several cages in the garage. does anyone know if there is something i can plug a heater and a swamp cooler into that would automatically control the heater and cooler as the temps changed?

dennis

YES! That's exactly what I've done and in the next few days, I'm adding a bunch of extra plugs out there (I have about 20 light bulbs per plug right now). I'm in Las Vegas and it gets hot here, like 110-120 in the summers with no humidity, but with a medium sized swamp cooler (maybe 300 bucks, if you install it yourself) I keep my garage in the mid 70's on the hottest of days. The room humidity hovers around 60-70%. All you need is the swamp cooler, maybe a few tools to install it, and the guts to cut a hole in the side of your house (my very first house BRAND NEW and I moved in March 2003 and as soon as I got situated I took a saw to the wall. Scary, but nessesary. My chameleons watched this whole process while they were crammed in small cages during the move-in process). All it takes is a small 14 inch water line and a plug to run it, and it's easy to do. A swamp cooler uses as much power as a fan (about one tenth of what an AC unit uses), and blows a nice breeze through my garage. U barely even heat my garage much, but when I need to, I am just gonna use a small iol heater they're not too expensive. I control both temperatures with a basic thermostat. You can get the ones that plug in between your cooling unit and the power and they do it all for you. You can program it to come on at 79 degrees or whatever. Also, if you need a temporary fix (I did this for a while) just put it on a timer to come on during the day and flip off at night, then adjust it as the weather changes. Any other questions shoot em at me. I've got my garage DOWN! You shoulda asked before you came to Vegas I woulda let you check it out.
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
1.2 Nosy Be Panthers
2.2 Sambava Panthers
1.0 Tamatave Panther
1.0 Nosy Be X Unknown Cross
1.1 Veiled Chameleons
0.0.2 CBB Desert Tortoises
0.0.1 Sulcatta Tortoise

tyler are you using a surge protector for all the plugs? i have 1 outlet in the entire garage! i just may make another trip out your way to check out your set up! i'll let you know though.lol

dennis

Yeah actually I have 2 from the one plug... I have only 2 plugs in my garage.... And 1 of them powers almost all of my chameleon cages. The other powers a fan, swamp cooler, insect heat/lights and my MUSIC while I'm out there. I have chords all over the place. But yeah the surge protector is plugged directly into the wall, and then like 5 lights plug into that, then an extension chord plugs into the first surge protector that splits into like 15 more plugs.... I'm being serious too! I'm gonna burn this place down. That's why I'm adding plugs. An electrician at work (I'm a concrete guy) said he'd give me all the parts and draw up how to do it. Let me know before you come. I'm gotta tear apart my garage tonight for a much needed cleaning and sweeping.
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Tyler Stewart
Las Vegas NV
1.2 Nosy Be Panthers
2.2 Sambava Panthers
1.0 Tamatave Panther
1.0 Nosy Be X Unknown Cross
1.1 Veiled Chameleons
0.0.2 CBB Desert Tortoises
0.0.1 Sulcatta Tortoise

Dennis-

Yes I know just the thing for you! There is a controller used in the aquarium trade that can control both heating and cooling. When used on aquariums it would be plugged into the wall then the appliance (chiller) and or heater would be plugged into the controller. The controller is digital so you just set it to the temp you want and you are good to go. The controller has a probe that will take the room temp and comes with a fairly long cord. There are a few different brands all are heavy duty for large loads and are water proof or resistant. They also come with the option of a wall unit where you would install it in to the wall connected to the main circuit breaker. I don't think you need anything this intense but the option is there. The controllers go for about $100 and work like a charm. The best price last I checked way back when was from www.customaquatic.com . They are a great company to work with, have a catalog here I can look up the product for you, if you are interested just email me. Hope this helps!
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John W. Lucas

CHAMELEON PARADISE

CHAMELEONS ONLINE E-ZINE AUTHOR

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F. pardalis - Ambilobe Locale

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Photo © Chameleon Paradise 2003

john i'll send you an email tomarrow. i've been thinking about HOW i am going to set up the cages. at first i was going to put them all on one wall of the garage, but thinking about it i think it i put the benches in an "L" shape i think i can heat and cool all of them easier. i'm picking up most of what i need tomarrow. i need that temp thing that gives the highs and lows!

dennis