Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just bought several of the 500 Watt, direct-contact thermostats that LLL is selling for $12.99. I didn't realize they would be probe-free. The package says you can use it w/ a UTH, but also that it measures the air temp to keep the temps stable. How do I use it to keep my UTHs at a consistent temp? It's bulky, so I can't mount it underneath (it's supposed to be mounted on the glass near the heat source). Will they not work for what I want? I'm having trouble keeping my 3 snakes' UTHs at the temps I want, despite using a rheostat...
I've also posted this on the boa forum, just covering my bases.
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1.1 Corn snakes Snake Plissken & Abby
0.1 Hog Island Boa Isaboa
1.3.0 leos, Yoda, Geo, Tang, Ginger
1.0 Blue Tongue Skink Indigo (Indy)
0.1.1 frogs Buffy the Cricket Slayer, Butrose Butrose Froggy
1.1.4 firebelly newts Wayne Newton, Isaac Newton, Fig Newton, Juice Newton, Olivia Newton John & Helmut Newton
1.1.0 cats Gus & Mena

I can't offer you any advice on those units.

What I use are RANCO ETC-111000 units. I am happy with their performance, but you have to wire it up yourself (not a big deal). The Boaphile sells them pre-wired as well.
So for about $55 and twenty minutes of time you can control several devices (I wire in 6 socket surge protectors). If you bought three of those other units at $13 per, plus shipping, you’re nearing $50 already.

Just an alternative
TomChambers

I use a radio shack indoor out door thermometer and a lamp corded dimmer switch to keep the temps right on my boas. The Thermometer has a probe for the heat pad and it gives me the general cage temp to. I just use the dimmer to adjust the heat tape to the temp I want it at. Regardless of the faultiness of the thermometer, the dimmer switch will never increase the heat because the readings go bad, I have to manually adjust them, less to go wrong and no risk to the snakes from broken equipment.
The whole set up was about $20.00 (not counting the heat tape) and I use it for 8 cages at a time.
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Jim Hopkins "Hoppy"
Hopkins Holesale Herps
Hopfam1@aol.com