Home Depot's Lamp Dimmer Vs Zoo Med's Rheostat

[AntMan612]

Hi everyone,
Home Depot carries a 300W Lamp Dimmer for $11, whereas Zoo Med's 150W Rheostat sells for $16 online. I think the right choice is clear, but does anyone think it would be better to go with the Zoo Med product for controlling UTH's?

Thanks!

 

[David Loftin]

I would personally recommend spending the extra money for a GOOD Proportional Thermostat. I have used Rheostats [the Home Depot or Ikea varieties] for over 12 years. At the beginning of this year I switched to Thermostats.. I wish I did it sooner. I don't have to worry about adjusting the Rheostats daily. Best buy of this year.. No question about that.

 

[Jeremy Letkey]

I use the lamp dimmers on a regular basis. However, I use them as a back up. I set my thermostat to my desired temp but still run the heat tape to the dimmer first. I set the dimmer a few degrees higher than my thermostat so if the stat fails I have a failsafe.

I also use the dimmers at shows to regulate my heat tape on the table.

If you use any type of dimmer make sure to frequently check the temperatures. Room temperature can vary quite a bit and it has a greater affect over the dimmers.

 

[David Loftin]

Well said Jeremy!

 

[AntMan612]

I would personally recommend spending the extra money for a GOOD Proportional Thermostat. I have used Rheostats [the Home Depot or Ikea varieties] for over 12 years. At the beginning of this year I switched to Thermostats.. I wish I did it sooner. I don't have to worry about adjusting the Rheostats daily. Best buy of this year.. No question about that.

Thanks for the response David,
I should have explained more. I currently use an on/off thermostat for daytime overhead heating and a timer switches the heat source to the UTH's at night. Sometimes the floor temperature gets too hot, so I think I need a dimmer device.

But, since you got me thinking:
1) Would a proportional thermostat work well with an 8 watt UTH in a 20-gal vivarium?
2) Or, is it intended for use with heat cable or heat tape with a higher power rating? The UTH's take 30 minutes to an hour to get to a stable temperature, so I'm not convinced a proportional thermostat would work properly.
3) If an 8 watt heating device is too weak, then would I need to switch to heat cable or heat tape having higher power rating? (I assume that's what others with proportional thermostats have.)
4) How does a proportional thermostat work with overhead heat lamps? Would it vary the brightness, too, or even turn them off? My heat lamps serve the dual purpose of heating and viewing, so this would be odd.

Thanks!

 

[AntMan612]

I set the dimmer a few degrees higher than my thermostat so if the stat fails I have a failsafe.

Thanks Jeremy,
How exactly do you set the dimmer temperature? Is this a calibration you do with a temperature gun, while bypassing the thermostat? Great idea!

I set my thermostat to my desired temp but still run the heat tape to the dimmer first.

Referring back to my previous comment about the lower wattage of UTH pads, does a proportional thermostat work better because the heat tape is usually a higher maximum power output?

 

[AntMan612]

Bump

Is anyone using a proportional thermostat with a UTH pad?

 

[Jeremy Letkey]

On my racks I use Johnsons as well as Rhancos. They are both on off type thermostats. I plug my heat tape into the dimmer, plug the dimmer into the wall. I then let the rack reach the desired temperature (in my case it's 95). This does take quite awhile to fine tune (at least a few hours). Then I plug the dimmer into my thermostat. I set my stats at 92.



I do believe that any thermostat will work just fine for you.
I use a helix on my male incubator and I only have 1 foot of 3" heat tape in there. I believe that it's only about 6-8 watts. Works perfectly. :main_thumbsup:

I would suggest to run your undertank heater 24/7. Try to loose the overhead lighting. If you need to have a viewing light, try to get a low watt florescent. I do believe that they make them in a black light version now. They put off very little heat. You can also raise the light fixture up off of the tank to reduce the heat.

 

[brad.a.c]

I haver used the Zoo-Med rheostat that you're talking about. They are OK, but I would listen too Jeremy and them, because I don't think they're reliable.

 

[AntMan612]

I haver used the Zoo-Med rheostat that you're talking about. They are OK, but I would listen too Jeremy and them, because I don't think they're reliable.

Some people have commented that "they've had problems" with the Zoo Med rheostat or that they "don't work well." Even if they were not specific, I would like to know what those problems were. Jeremy's comment about taking several hours to calibrate the dimmer would also apply to the Zoo-Med rheostat. I expect a low wattage heating device to take awhile to get to its stable temperature. If this is correct, the higher price of the Zoo Med is just for the brand name.

 

[MonteQ's]

Anthony, the Zoo-Med Rheostat is just a dimmer. I've had a bunch of them, and for the most part they do work pretty well. Depending on the room, I'm adjusting some all day long. I quarantine in the room with my thermostat, and those are basically set it and forget it. Due to the steadier room temp. I have had a few duds that either died and stopped running power all together, or never ran power at all. On one, the on/off switch is a little off, but it still works great. If you have a problem, Zoo-med does have a guarantee, and has replaced one for me.

I have a few of the HD dimmers and a couple from Wallyworld ;o) too. They are basically the same thing, but usually designed for a different wattage. While I've never had one of these go out on me, they have burnt a few UTHs out to where I couldn't get enough heat from them period.

Two things to keep in mind...These dimmers are not designed to run two different types of heating sources...IE - light and Uth at the same time. Also, with the fact that they are dimmers, they have no failsafe to prevent overheating.

The proportional thermostats will consistantly adjust the amount of power going to the heater to maintain a desired temp. On/off thermostats will turn the power on and off to attempt to maintain the desired temp. You will get a bit more fluctuation with these.

Some people have had issues where the rheostats/thermostats failed, and basically baked the animals...this is why Jeremy is suggesting using the dimmer as a failsafe to a thermostat. If you use solely a dimmer, you can set it...then 10 minutes later need to set it again if the room temp changes...

Hope this helps. Sorry for the novel

 

[AntMan612]

Moving on to the topic of thermostat controls...

Hope this helps. Sorry for the novel

Thanks for a lot of good information. This is slightly different from my original question, but I am in the market for another thermostat for my hatchling tank. So, I want to dig into the details of the tradeoffs between getting a $40 on/off thermostat (I have 2 already) and a $130 Helix proportional thermostat. In that comparison I would like to put reliability aside for a moment and get others' experiences/opinions on performance characteristics.

1) Do proportional thermostats work better, worse, or no difference, with heating devices with higher power output (e.g., racks with long stretches of heat tape or cable) versus low power output (e.g., a single tank with a UTH)?

2) Is it just plain silly to use a proportional thermostat with overhead heat lamps?

Thanks!

 

[MonteQ's]

I haven't noticed a difference between how the proportional thermostats run large and small wattage. The lowest wattage I've used is 25w for my incubators. I think the racks are about 100w. Temps are very stable in both applications.

It is a little silly to use a proportional thermostat with an overhead lamp. If I were you, I would use a low wattage bulb maybe flourescent, and connect the proportional stat to the UTH. While I haven't tried it, my guess is with proper probe placement, the stat would compensate for the additional heat from the lamp. I don't remember off hand, but I believe they adjust every 15 seconds, so there's no logical reason it shouldn't work. But I've been surprised before

I haven't used the helix, so I can't speak for them. The herpstat is another option. The basic model is usually around $100 shipped. I tried the on/off ones from lllreptile, and it fluctuated from 85-92 so I returned it. But that room is the one thats been so trying with the dimmers. I can't wait to upgrade everything.

Hope this helps