So I bought a thermostat for my under tank heat pad and I'm confused. When I scanned the temp of the surface it was reading about 100 degrees. So I set the temp on the thermostat at 90. My question is where should I stick the probe that came with the thermostat? I put it under the tank on top of the heat pad but it seems like it drops down to like 85... Then slowly rises... Then drops again. Like it can't stay right at 90? Am I doing something wrong? When I feel the ground at 85ish it hardly feels warm at all. Any advice would be appreciated!
Heat questions
- Thread starter sidman24
- Start date
Lavodnas
New Member
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- 164
- Location
- San Antonio
I have the probe on the inside edge of my gecko's "hot hide". I keep the temp set at 92 degrees and have never had any trouble with fluctuations.
indyana
Well-Known Member
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- 2,336
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- Massachusetts, United States
I agree with the above. While you can put the thermostat probe on the outside, that means tracking the inside temp. and trying to set the thermostat to the temperature outside that makes it the right temperature inside. It's much more reliable if you can put the probe directly in the hot spot.
To route mine into my tank, I used a pair of small wire cutters to clip a small hole, just big enough for the probe, in one corner of my screen top and ran the probe in. If it didn't come with a suction cup, you can tape the probe to the floor so it doesn't get pushed around. You can use any tape that doesn't have metal in it (clear packaging tape, "Gorilla" tape, etc., not aluminum tape or duct tape).
As for temperature variation, that depends upon the quality of your thermostat. Every on/off-type thermostat has a variance because the thermostat turns off the heating device when it reaches your set temp.. The thermostat that waits for the temp. to drop a certain amount before kicking the power back on. Otherwise, the thing would constantly be turning on and off. Most on/off thermostats will allow the temp to drop 2-3 degrees before turning the heat back on. For that reason, I usually end up setting my thermostats a couple degrees higher than the lowest temp. I want the hot spot to be.
To route mine into my tank, I used a pair of small wire cutters to clip a small hole, just big enough for the probe, in one corner of my screen top and ran the probe in. If it didn't come with a suction cup, you can tape the probe to the floor so it doesn't get pushed around. You can use any tape that doesn't have metal in it (clear packaging tape, "Gorilla" tape, etc., not aluminum tape or duct tape).
As for temperature variation, that depends upon the quality of your thermostat. Every on/off-type thermostat has a variance because the thermostat turns off the heating device when it reaches your set temp.. The thermostat that waits for the temp. to drop a certain amount before kicking the power back on. Otherwise, the thing would constantly be turning on and off. Most on/off thermostats will allow the temp to drop 2-3 degrees before turning the heat back on. For that reason, I usually end up setting my thermostats a couple degrees higher than the lowest temp. I want the hot spot to be.
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