Thermostats

[jsheffield]

I've been using thermostats in my tortoise enclosures since I started keeping tortoises, but have recently been upgrading from pretty basic ones to slightly more sophisticated (and slightly more expensive) ones.


I started with these, with which you program in your desired temperature and place the sensor in your enclosure... when the sensor registers a temperature before the desired temp, it turns on the heating element plugged into it; when it reaches the desired temperature, the thermostat turns off the hearing element.

I keep the thermostat in Darwin's, the Redfoot I live with, enclosure set to 86°, and it cycles within a degree or two of that all the time.




When I set up the bigger enclosure, for Aretha, the MEP I love with, I needed a thermostat that could handle higher wattage as I was using a more powerful heating element. The benefit I hadn't planned on was that this type of thermostat allows me to program in a range of temperature for the enclosure.

I have Aretha's enclosure thermostat set to have the heat come on when the temperature sensor registers 68° and turn off again when it registers 84°, allowing a 16° range through which the enclosure cycles.

(I also have a CHE in one corner, near the UV lighting that runs on a 12/12 cycle, so that she can come over to find some extra warmth if she's in the mood)

I'd be interested in hearing about other uses of, or preferences with, thermostats....

Jamie

 

[Ergotaxon]

I use Vivarium Electronics thermostats for my ceramic heat emitters. I use them in enclosed chambers and love them. They have a night drop capability and are very accurate and dependable. They are easy to program. Let me know if you need my particular model number. I use them for my radiated tortoise juveniles.

 

[jaizei]

I've used Herpstat and Vivarium Electronic in the past, they work fine if you want something plug/play. But for a stack of enclosures, or multi zone, I think it's easier to use the inkbird itc -1000 or a similar brewing thermostat. Or one of the control boxes to house them if you more than a handful.

 

[jsheffield]

I use Vivarium Electronics thermostats for my ceramic heat emitters. I use them in enclosed chambers and love them. They have a night drop capability and are very accurate and dependable. They are easy to program. Let me know if you need my particular model number. I use them for my radiated tortoise juveniles.

I'd love to get the model number from you.

J

 

[Ergotaxon]

VE-300 or VE-300X2
The VE-300X2 will allow you to control temps in two different zones and includes 2 probes. VE-300 is only one probe and zone.

 

[Markw84]

I use both models mentioned above. The VE in my incubators where I need a much more precise temperature and desire a very small hysteresis plus I use a night drop to more closely emulate what I believe occurs in wild nests.

I use the inkbird ITC-1000 in all the enclosures I build and use personally. I have some that have been running for 10+ years with no issues. You can also set the "differential" in these thermostats to allow a much larger hysteresis like you are doing with Aretha.

In my night houses I use the Inkbird wifi ITC-308 thermostat. I want to be able to check temps there from anywhere and get alarms through internet if issues arise. I did extend wifi coverage across a lot of my acreage to include my barn to ensure proper monitoring. This also then allows monitoring of all my SensorPush though the extended wifi network.