# On/Off thermostat questions



## jdakin95 (Mar 4, 2009)

can i use a on/off stat for a spot bulb because well i'm going to have a mvb, spot bulb and a fluorescent strip im going to be using the mvb for 8 hours a day and i'm having a cooling PC fan system connected to an on/off stat so when the temps in the viv get to hot because mvb's cannot be statted it will turn the fan on and when it gets to cold turns the fan off but i'm not going to be using the mvb for 8 hours so for the other 4 hours ill be using a spot bulb and want to know if it will work on an on/off stat but the viv will still have light when the spot bulb turns off and it shouldn't be to long for it to turn back on again


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## SteveCourty (Oct 4, 2009)

jdakin95 said:


> can i use a on/off stat for a spot bulb because well i'm going to have a mvb, spot bulb and a fluorescent strip im going to be using the mvb for 8 hours a day and i'm having a cooling PC fan system connected to an on/off stat so when the temps in the viv get to hot because mvb's cannot be statted it will turn the fan on and when it gets to cold turns the fan off but i'm not going to be using the mvb for 8 hours so for the other 4 hours ill be using a spot bulb and want to know if it will work on an on/off stat but the viv will still have light when the spot bulb turns off and it shouldn't be to long for it to turn back on again


Itll work but youll spend a fortune in bulbs as they will blow very quick. get yourself a dimmer


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## jdakin95 (Mar 4, 2009)

will a dimmer work with pc fans tho?


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

I don't know if the cooling fan system will work the way you expect it to - an on-off stat turns itself OFF when the temperature is high (switching off your fan) and turns itself ON when the temperature drops (turning the fan back on).

You'd need the "cool control" thermostat that switches itself on when the probe is hot and off when it's cool, rather than a normal stat.

But either way, an on-off stat will do light switch disco for your reptiles if you plug a bulb into it.


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## SteveCourty (Oct 4, 2009)

Ssthisto said:


> I don't know if the cooling fan system will work the way you expect it to - an on-off stat turns itself OFF when the temperature is high (switching off your fan) and turns itself ON when the temperature drops (turning the fan back on).
> 
> You'd need the "cool control" thermostat that switches itself on when the probe is hot and off when it's cool, rather than a normal stat.
> 
> But either way, an on-off stat will do light switch disco for your reptiles if you plug a bulb into it.


Yes hes right. I dint realise thats what you meant I thought you meant regarding the bulb. I said about the cool stat in the other thread you made tho


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

Hi mate,

I would just use a low wattage spot, say a 40watt, put this on a dimmer stat, this bulb on it's own shouldn't be enough to heat the viv on it's own, and when the M.V.B turns on, if the viv gets too hot, the dimmer stat will dimm the spotlight, and therfor lower the temps.

Ideally you only want the M.V.B to get the temps to around 80%, the spot should make up the rest : victory:

Jay


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

jabba1967 said:


> Hi mate,
> 
> I would just use a low wattage spot, say a 40watt, put this on a dimmer stat, this bulb on it's own shouldn't be enough to heat the viv on it's own, and when the M.V.B turns on, if the viv gets too hot, the dimmer stat will dimm the spotlight, and therfor lower the temps.
> 
> ...


What he said :lol2:


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## jdakin95 (Mar 4, 2009)

Okay i came up with this idea i'm going to be using a MVB for 8 hours a day using a pc fan cooling system connected to a cooling stat and then for the rest of the hours after the mvb shuts off ill be using a 100 watt spot bulb for heat and use the cooling system also to control the temps would this work


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

jdakin95 said:


> Okay i came up with this idea i'm going to be using a MVB for 8 hours a day using a pc fan cooling system connected to a cooling stat and then for the rest of the hours after the mvb shuts off ill be using a 100 watt spot bulb for heat and use the cooling system also to control the temps would this work


Yes, but it is overly complicated, and you can be introducing problems like respirotory infections from the draft caused by the fans.

And you are missing one of the benifits of having an M.V.B. i.e. a natural heat rise, just like in nature.

The spot comes on at say 8am, it starts to "gently" warm the viv, at 10am the M.V.B. comes on, and along with the spot light brings the temps up to max, at 6pm the M.V.B. turns off, and the viv starts to cool, at 8pm all lights off, bed time : victory:

Simple 

Jay


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## jdakin95 (Mar 4, 2009)

MVB's can reach really high temps though and can't be statted so how am i supposed to manage the temps?


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## SteveCourty (Oct 4, 2009)

Im also using a fan system to control a megaray. this helps to keep fresh air into the viv and cant understand why itll create respiratory problems?


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

jdakin95 said:


> MVB's can reach really high temps though and can't be statted so how am i supposed to manage the temps?


You want a Mega Ray E.B. (externally balasted) bulb, they run at about half the heat of a S.B. (self balasted), go for the 60watt E.B. M.V.B, or better still the Mega Ray 70watt M.H. (metal halide).

What size is your viv, You want a 4x2x2 min to make this work.

Jay


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

SteveCourty said:


> Im also using a fan system to control a megaray. this helps to keep fresh air into the viv and cant understand why itll create respiratory problems?


It doesn't take much, for instance if your humidity is 50% there will be no problems, if it gets to 60% there will be.

Having a fan come on once in a while to control the temps if they go wild is fine, but to have it come on as the "main" temp control system is too much i.m.o. You should only do it as a last resort.

You've heard the old saying, "get out of the draft, you'll catch your death"

There can be an eliment of truth in some of these old sayings : victory:

Jay


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## jdakin95 (Mar 4, 2009)

there like £80 and plus the thermostat for the spot bulb another £45 thats £120 on lighting and heating i don't have that kinda money its not really a draft if the temps are 110 f


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

jdakin95 said:


> there like £80 and plus the thermostat for the spot bulb another £45 thats £120 on lighting and heating i don't have that kinda money its not really a draft if the temps are 110 f


It'll cost you more than that, if you get an M.V.B or M.H you will want one of these too;

Solarmeter 6.2 by: Kimbos

:lol2:

Good luck

Jay


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## jdakin95 (Mar 4, 2009)

Yeh i think i'm gonna use a normal setup with a spot bulb on a dimming stat and 12% uvb tube with a reflector


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## SteveCourty (Oct 4, 2009)

jabba1967 said:


> It doesn't take much, for instance if your humidity is 50% there will be no problems, if it gets to 60% there will be.
> 
> Having a fan come on once in a while to control the temps if they go wild is fine, but to have it come on as the "main" temp control system is too much i.m.o. You should only do it as a last resort.
> 
> ...


What im using it for is a setup that requires 60-75% humidity its not a desert setup. I see your point if its being used for say a beardie as the humidity in the average house is much higher than what is required in a desert setup so the fan would only increase this


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

jdakin95 said:


> Yeh i think i'm gonna use a normal setup with a spot bulb on a dimming stat and 12% uvb tube with a reflector


Sounds like a plan : victory:

Jay


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## Pendragon (Dec 8, 2008)

SteveCourty said:


> What im using it for is a setup that requires 60-75% humidity its not a desert setup. I see your point if its being used for say a beardie as the humidity in the average house is much higher than what is required in a desert setup so the fan would only increase this


Fair enough : victory:

Jay


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## jdakin95 (Mar 4, 2009)

How much is a typical translucent beardie on average? i know it has nothing to do with my thread but i was just wondering


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## HadesDragons (Jun 30, 2007)

jdakin95 said:


> How much is a typical translucent beardie on average? i know it has nothing to do with my thread but i was just wondering


£100-300ish at the moment, depending on other colours, hets, where you get it from etc.


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