Thermostat drama

[Robpiersen]

I bought my first snake a little while back and wanting to provide the best I could bought a jet-005 thermostat it ran great for a few weeks always showing temp within •5 of a degree of thermometer but now even though it is winter and its much colder it says it's running 34 but thermometer reads 29 can't get it to heat much more and has anyone had an issue with this thermostat / any suggestions for a new one ?

 

[Robpiersen]

Sorry this is running a 15 watt heat mat in a 7lt click clack

 

[andynic07]

If it is not getting to temperature the heat mat might not be big enough to reach the required temperature, is the thermostat switching or just staying on?

 

[Robpiersen]

It's constantly running just not getting enough heat some days it does some days it doesn't but last few days won't budge over 30

 

[andynic07]

Sounds like you might need a bigger heat mat.

 

[Rogue5861]

It's constantly running just not getting enough heat some days it does some days it doesn't but last few days won't budge over 30

How do you have your mat setup? If it isnt sandwiched between 2 tiles i would suggest trying that. The tiles will hold more heat an it should get up to temp, a 5-10mm thick tile should be fine.


Rick

 

[joelysmoley]

Same problem with mine, except mines a 50W globe, but mine is a glass tank, so it doesn't hold heat very well. Is yours a glass tank?

 

[The_Geeza]

Sorry this is running a 15 watt heat mat in a 7lt click clack

I can run a 7 w mat under 1/3 of a 10 lt tub and its fine so I don't understand how a 15 w mat can't make temp in a tiny 7lt??? Am I missing some info?

 

[Bart70]

Have you checked the specs for the Jet 005 in terms of minimum connected heating load?

The Jet 005 is a dimming thermostat - in a lot of cases, dimming thermostats require a minimum connected load to function correctly. Many are up around 40 or 50w minimum connected load - I am not sure what the limit is or if the JET 005 has a minimum, but it would be something I would be following up on. I know this was the reason why I originally did not look at dimming thermostats as I only had small heat mats.

 

[Bart70]

Same problem with mine, except mines a 50W globe, but mine is a glass tank, so it doesn't hold heat very well. Is yours a glass tank?

I cannot get a 50w globe to 'heat' the hot end of a glass tank either........glass tends to lose a lot of heat energy.

.......I can get it to heat a 'basking' spot adequately. Whether you get the result you want will depend on how you have set it up and what it is you are trying to achieve.

 

[J-A-X]

Have you checked the specs for the Jet 005 in terms of minimum connected heating load?

The Jet 005 is a dimming thermostat - in a lot of cases, dimming thermostats require a minimum connected load to function correctly. Many are up around 40 or 50w minimum connected load - I am not sure what the limit is or if the JET 005 has a minimum, but it would be something I would be following up on. I know this was the reason why I originally did not look at dimming thermostats as I only had small heat mats.

Website states 'controlling load 1200w' if that helps (I don't use thermostats so I'm clueless) but it seems a high end unit, maybe to 'high end' for a tub ?

Ok, just did a quick search on some of our sponsors sites (the herp shop) and found the following quote

" Dimming Thermostats
Sophisticated Dimming thermostats are designed specifically for controlling light bulbs. Dimming thermostats are one of the most accurate methods of temperature control and whilst it is perfect for controlling light bulbs, it can be used on almost any heaters. Unlike other Habistat thermostats, it requires a minimum load of 40 watts, but has a maximum capacity of 600 watts at 230 volts."

It would seem you have the wrong type of thermostat for your current requirement !

 

[lizardwhisperer]

Do you have a lid over the top of the glass enclosure ?

You've made an expensive mistake by buying the JET-005 when a cheaper on/off thermostat and separate 240V 24hr timer from Bunnings would do the job.

 

[buffcoat]

Do you have a lid over the top of the glass enclosure ?

You've made an expensive mistake by buying the JET-005 when a cheaper on/off thermostat and separate 240V 24hr timer from Bunnings would do the job.

Not really a mistake, expensive, but not a mistake. Op just won't need to buy a therm for their next snake


Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Bart70]

You've made an expensive mistake by buying the JET-005 when a cheaper on/off thermostat and separate 240V 24hr timer from Bunnings would do the job.

Not really.....One day this snake will grow up and need a bigger enclosure with, in most cases, a larger heat source where this thermostat will perform very well and have the added bonus of controlling light cycles as well.

A simple Jet 200 does the job well on small heat mats for hatchy/juvies - Wouldn't bother with the timer - snakes of that age are generally on 24 hour heating anyway.

 

[Bart70]

I bought my first snake a little while back and wanting to provide the best I could bought a jet-005 thermostat it ran great for a few weeks always showing temp within •5 of a degree of thermometer but now even though it is winter and its much colder it says it's running 34 but thermometer reads 29 can't get it to heat much more and has anyone had an issue with this thermostat / any suggestions for a new one ?

If you want to cautiously test if it is a capacity/mat issue or a thermostat issue - You can do the following (This assumes that your thermostat probe is sensing temp from the surface against which the snake lies upon:

1. Unplug the heat mat from the Jet 005 and temporarily relocate your snake while testing.

2. Ensure that the Jet 005 is still pugged into power and turned on (so it will read the temp of the mat from the screen)

3. Plug the mat into a normal power socket (so it is not controlled by the Jet 005)

4. Watch and monitor (DO NOT GO AWAY!) the temps of the mat on the Jet 005 display when mat is plugged into the power continuously.

DO NOT LEAVE UNATTENDED WHILE DOING THIS - YOU MAT MAY GET A LOT HOTTER THAN YOU WANT IT TO AS YOU ARE NOT USING A THERMOSTAT.

If it reaches (or exceeds) temp easily when connected directly to power - it is your thermostat preventing the mat from heating up properly and you should look for a more appropriate thermostat for that size mat.

If it only gets to the same temps that it was when connected via the thermostat - It is likely that your mat is not installed or setup correctly, or is faulty etc...

IF the latter is the case I would be looking more at how it is installed and how you are measuring your temp (probe placement) as I have no problem getting surface temps through a tile of greater than 40c with a 15 wat mat. In most cases increasing the size of the mat does not always mean more heat as the mat wattage increased in relationship with the mat size - so the heat per Sq metre is the same. If measuring surface temps the mat size will make little difference - it will most likely be a faulty mat or an install/setup issue.

 

[Robpiersen]

Thanks heaps everybody ill make sure to check it. Never even thought about a thermostat not being able to handle too low watts. As for a new on off one for a click clack any suggestions or best ones too get so I can pick one up tommorrow

 

[Bart70]

I currently have Jet 200's on both my hatchy/juvie tubs and have not had an issue with them at all.