# Mat stat use with a bulb?



## Andylsg (May 11, 2010)

Hi peeps i know it might sound a stupid question but would it be safe to do this? Thing is i need about 4 thermostats and mat stats are alot cheaper and thermostats are a rarity in the classifieds  if they support 100watt surely just a 60w bulb would be fine? I saw on a rankins dragon website someone had said they did this with a ceramic with no problem but wanted get the general consensus  cheers in advance

andy


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

A mat stat will turn a bulb on and off constantly though, not such a problem with a ceramic as it emits no light, didn't I read somewhere that using a bulb with a mat stat can fry one of the electronic components too?

You can get a Microclimate B1 dimming stat for as little as £32.67 here Microclimate Thermostats - Surrey Pet Supplies, obviously still considerably more than a mat stat, but it will do the job it's designed for!


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## sam12345 (Dec 28, 2007)

Using a bulb on an on off stat damages the thermostat over time. : victory:
As above you need a dimming stat.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

That's confused me a bit, can somebody explain how it happens.
A thermostat doesn't know what it's controlling, all it knows is that there's something plugged into it and when the probe reaches a certain temperature it turns the supply off to the plug socket.
I can see it damaging a bulb as it's turning it on and off, but how can it damage the thermostat as it's still just turning off  the supply of power to the plug?


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## Andylsg (May 11, 2010)

*hi*

thanks for the replies guys i think i will stick with the dimming thermostats then 
ha i've gotta be honest i am probably the least technically minded person i know :S well i better get asking for the overtime at work then


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## peterf (Jul 27, 2007)

Meko said:


> That's confused me a bit, can somebody explain how it happens.
> A thermostat doesn't know what it's controlling, all it knows is that there's something plugged into it and when the probe reaches a certain temperature it turns the supply off to the plug socket.
> I can see it damaging a bulb as it's turning it on and off, but how can it damage the thermostat as it's still just turning off the supply of power to the plug?


Because the constant turning on and off of a bulb will make it frequently fail. When bulbs fail they often fail short circuit for a few milliseconds and this blows the triac in the thermostat which is a sensitive part of the instrument.
This will not happen all the time but with frequently blowing bulbs the incidence of failing short circuit and this happening is greatly inceased.


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## Meko (Apr 29, 2007)

Cheers Peter; so it's the bulb blowing that does it.. 

From that we can establish that light bulbs are female - can't have a breakdown without taking everything else down with it.


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## snowgoose (May 5, 2009)

Meko said:


> Cheers Peter; so it's the bulb blowing that does it..
> 
> From that we can establish that light bulbs are female - can't have a breakdown without taking everything else down with it.


haha, I was wondering this too Meko 

( your in my sig now  Does that make you feel special? :lol2: )


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

> From that we can establish that light bulbs are female


Surely the bulbs are male as the socket is quite obviously female, at least from an engineering point of view?

Anyway, what peterf said is what I was thinking of, in fact it was probably in one of his posts that I read it first.


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## Andylsg (May 11, 2010)

*right*

and im too avoid using pulse thermostats if im using a bulb say in a uromastyx tank as it will make the light flicker so i would have to use a dimming thermostat? :blush:


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## Andylsg (May 11, 2010)

*erm*

can i not just use an on/off one?? would the light turning on and off irritate a lizard that much really? what do they do when theres cloud cover?


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## Graham (Jan 27, 2007)

Apart from any effect it may have on the lizard, switching the bulb on and off all the time is likely to shorten it's life, then as peterf said when the bulb blows there's a chance it'll take the stat with it, if you end up frying your mat stats and having to replace/repair them then it could work out a lot more expensive than simply buying the correct stat in the first place!


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## Andylsg (May 11, 2010)

*hi*

fair point well made i guess : victory:
well bank account my dear friend, we had a good run :whistling2:


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