Zoomed UTH's so hot

[Angrychair]

The surface of my 4 and 8 watt zoomeds, both new, hit like 140 degrees, I don't attach them directly to the glass because of this, and let them sit under slightly elevated glass aquarium's. Without lots of layers of paper towels the hot spots easily hit 100-110°F.

So for now, I just layer up the paper towels til I keep it under 100, or even 95F.

But I don't like doing this. I do check my hotspots daily with a infared thermometer.

I don't want to spend $200 on a thermostat. So between now and the time I buid a rack with flexwatt , what can I get, that I can use as a good rheostat or something, and reuse when I build a small rack using the 3" wide flexwatt?

 

[rebecky45]

I recently bought a dimmer switch from home depot. It plugs into the wall and you plug the UTH into that. Its real easy to adjust and seems to be working well. (I was having the exact same problem)...oh, and it only cost like 10 bucks.

 

[grboxa]

you don't have to spend 200$ on a thermostat. ive been using this thermostat http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Repti...QD9A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337861819&sr=8-2 for a year now and its been working flawlessly for me.

 

[marauderhex]

Just get a $15 rheostat and put it on the lowest setting, gradually increasing it to get to your desired temp.

 

[Designer Geckos]

you don't have to spend 200$ on a thermostat. ive been using this thermostat http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Repti...QD9A/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1337861819&sr=8-2 for a year now and its been working flawlessly for me.

Agree with George. The Zoo Med 500R is a good unit and $28 with free shipping is a great deal! They are $50 in most stores. We prefer Herpstats...the reduced power consumption of a proportional stat pays for it in no time. On-off stats like the 500R consume more power and bounce around in a 3-4 degree range. Proportionals are well worth the money and keep temps in a one degree range....better for the geckos.

One of the most important things for good leo health is proper temp regulation. A thermostat is a must.