Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I finally am going to buy an expensive more efficient thermostat. I have already spent my budget for my BP this year but definatley need one so I would love to hear you opinions on which ones are top quality and what the difference is of the cheaper ones. Also wondering if there is really a point to have a double thermostat? Is it only if one fails or is it to control two different racks at the same time?

-Bill

Bill,

I have two: a Helix DBS-1000 w/night-time drop and ESU Reptile. Both are proportional. My Helix was around $150. The ESU around $40. If I did not need the night-time drop, the ESU would be just fine. The Helix has been a bit of a pain. It's like a car with dual carbs. When synced up it runs great but when out of sync, what a pain. I'm going to get a couple more ESUs though to run on my incubators for this upcoming season. I don't use doubles. Each rack has its own thermostat.
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Jay A. Martin

I use rancos and like their durability and high wattage capabilities. Dont get one on a surge protector, the surge protector will wear out long before the thermostat does. I have never had a problem with the ranco thermostat and I have used them on racks and incubators.

Proportional thermostats are the best way to go. Helix is the standard (~ $130 USD):

http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/-/helix-dbs1000-proportional-thermostat

Herpstats are a couple of dollars less and have some nice features (~ $110 USD):

http://www.herpstat.com

I use Rancos and I also have a couple of Alifes as well. The Alifes are sitting around and are use as a telporary fix. I love the rancos. I plan to order several more in the next month or so. You can get them pretty cheap.

>>I finally am going to buy an expensive more efficient thermostat. I have already spent my budget for my BP this year but definatley need one so I would love to hear you opinions on which ones are top quality and what the difference is of the cheaper ones. Also wondering if there is really a point to have a double thermostat? Is it only if one fails or is it to control two different racks at the same time?
>>
>>-Bill
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Thomas Jones
aligatorhunter@cox.net

I used a ranco last season on a incubator, It was ok but I think the 2 degree fluctuation was a bit to much for the eggs, I mean I got a good hatch rate but I think it should have been better. So I am switching to a Helix this season, BUT for just heating cages I use the RANCOs, and they see to work fine. Mine are set up with a 6 plug output with a reset button, That way I can run at least 6 cages with one unit. My breeder cages are 2x2x4, and I have around 4 females to one male per cage. So with that said RANCO's for cage heat, Helix DBS 1000 for Incubators. Thanks David

I have Ranco's myself and shut them off at night via a timer. The tanks fall to the room temp over time. The room temp fluctuates (73-78 F) and I'm trying to decide if this is OK for me or if I should try something else to have better "cage temp" management when the racks are off at night.

Your thoughts please, thanks.

Ron Crawford

The cheaper $40 thermostats have no display and use a dial to adjust temperature. Requires a additional thermometer to keep track of actual temperatures. No internal transformer so probe wires are not separated from the mains. Also they are non-proportional.

Helix DBS1000. Proportional. LED Display limited to whole degree adjustments. Night drop feature available with optional cable. Non Removable probe. No user settable features other than the temperature. Around $130.

Herpstat. LED Display allows setting and display in tenths of a degree. Proportional with essential features for incubator, cage, rack use. No additional thermometer necessary since the Herpstat tracks and displays the High / Low temps. Also allows the consumer to calibrate the sensor digitally if necessary. Special power matching mode allows consumer to change out power output curve to match the enclosures efficiency. Can be
used for 120vac emergency cooling fans instead of heating. Upgradeable with optional night drop cable. $109.

Inline Double Thermostats:
Double thermostats inline (such as the Ranco) cannot be done with a proportional thermostat and only solves 50% of the problem. That is if one fails in the on position the other will regulate the heat. However, if one blows a fuse or fails in the off position you have no heat which is preferable to overheat. So the only way to really avoid a bad situation is
to use double thermostats inline and a second heating coil with double thermostats which is just ridiculous. And once again non-proportional thermostats are generally not used for incubators.

Typically in both cases your best bet is to buy a good proportional thermostat, and if you are worried buy a second and keep it on the side in case of failure.

Double Thermostats Standard:
There may be some double thermostats that are simply just that. Two thermostats in one box. Two cages, racks, ect or in some cases you may monitor a hotspot with one of the probes and your cool area with the other.

Just because you are the tech person and stuff doesnt mean you get to end all the thermostat threads. My neighbor has an awesome touch screen thermostat for his house will a bunch of cool light up stiff on the screen and I personally would use that for all you ball python needs. I dont see how it could fail because it was the prettiest thing I have ever seen from a thermostat. My my opinion : )