# Why So Long (Stat Question)



## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

Ok guys

I have 12 mats controlled by a Pulse Stat, as I switched from a mat stat....BUT 24hrs after putting it on the heat light is still on......so the desired temp is not reached as yet

I am aware that the pulse stats just pulse once the temp is reached but mine is still on full

Even when i had the mat stat controlling them it rarely red the desired temp

Any thoughts

PS - all the mats are 11x11 and 12 watts each and are sited underneath the underbed storage boxes that I use for my leo's homes........

Also noticed that on my other mat stat that I am using to run just 2 6x11 7 watt mats and the light always seems to be on there too (indicating that it is heating all the time)

The probes are on the ground at the warm end too

Any suggestions please


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## cbmark (Feb 23, 2008)

mats in general are shit none are getting upto temp turn the dial down til the light goes off then you will see roughly how hot there getting ever thought of buying a room heater setup with built in stat it will be the general air temp thats causing your issues at a guess room heaters are great :no1:


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

the thermostat is like a dimmer switch in your house, you set the temp you want and it supplies just enough current to keep the mat at the desired temp eg you use 12w mats which when plugged straight to the mains heat to 100f, you then plug it into the thermostat which is set to 90f (90%of100%) then the mat will be using 10.8w (90%of 12w) does that make sense? thats why the light is on most of the time it only goes off if the mat gets slightly hotter than you,ve set the stat


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

boywonder said:


> the thermostat is like a dimmer switch in your house, you set the temp you want and it supplies just enough current to keep the mat at the desired temp eg you use 12w mats which when plugged straight to the mains heat to 100f, you then plug it into the thermostat which is set to 90f (90%of100%) then the mat will be using 10.8w (90%of 12w) does that make sense? thats why the light is on most of the time it only goes off if the mat gets slightly hotter than you,ve set the stat


Nah you lost me there dude :bash:

What you saying set the stat higher than the desired temp that I want?

ie. if I want 32degrees set the stat to 33 or 34 degrees?

You'll have to explain real simple I'm afraid :blush:


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

sorry mate i'll try again. the thermostat supplys just enough juice to keep the mat at the temp you want, thats why the light is always on, any better?:mf_dribble:


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

boywonder said:


> sorry mate i'll try again. the thermostat supplys just enough juice to keep the mat at the temp you want, thats why the light is always on, any better?:mf_dribble:


So what is your suggestion to cure the problem matey :blush:.......


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

also, get yourself a digital temp guage with a probe on a lead and use this to measure the temp, the dial on the stat is only a guide for setting up with


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

Yeah I have an exo-terra digi temp thing but is set into my incubator at the mo.......but as it's not in use yet I'll get it out and test the temps


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

i don't have a pulse stat but i use dimming ones and they are always on and heat indication light is always on too, i wouldn't worry about the heat light. are all your mats warming up enough? thats whats important


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

Will only know when I get the digi temp thing sorted I guess.....temps must be there abouts as all leo's seem sweet as, but if the light is 'constantly' on then something is not right somewhere


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Is the light steadily and constantly on all the time (as in "you've watched it for five minutes straight and it hasn't flickered once") ? 

My pulse stats spend their time mostly ON, with the occasional flick off to adjust the temperature downwards when the probe gets too warm. 

I'd recommend checking the thermostat probe location - and maybe trying an infrared thermometer to do spot readings on the various mats.


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

The light on the stat is constantly ON.....just got a 2 digi thermometers in there are the mo.....the exo-terra one reads 27 degrees and the lidl one reads 25.5 degrees

The probe is on the floor of the tub at the warm end

Am I gonna have to buy higher wattage heatmats


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

higher wattage heat mats will be larger in size but put no more heat out than what you have already, if your mats are too cool and your stat probe is in the rite place then turn the stat up a bit more, the dial on the stat is only a guide


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

Ok, stats turned up 

Willl check on temps tomorrow as the land of 'zzzzz' are calling me


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

Sorry peeps me again......I know your gettin bored of this now 

Anyway.....2 digi thermometers are both reading only between 24 and 25 degrees.........a bit off the 32 degrees that I want 

Please can anyone solve this for me


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## amanda75 (May 23, 2006)

if the tubs are empty, i'd try getting rid of the stat and plugging the mats straight into the mains to see what temps they reach unhindered. 

if they're occupied, i guess all you can really do is keep turning the dial up very slightly and checking on it every few hours, or turn it up a long way and sit and watch..... then if the temps get to where you want them, turn the stat back down til the light just goes out.


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

i've always found the dial temp on the stat to be way off, you want 30 degrees so you've got the stat set to 30 but actual temp is 24-5 turn the stat up to 35 and maybe your mats will end up at 30:mf_dribble:


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

The dials on BOTH stats are up full so around 33-34 degrees

The mat stat heating light goes off if I turn down to around 24 degrees, whereas the heating light on the pulse stat goes off around 28 degrees

The digi thermometers I have left to read over the past 48 hrs but they only read 24 degrees ish........to me something somewhere is not right.....prob something very basic but I still look for answers


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

just had a thought, try this, get something like a food bag with some sand in it and tie the top up so it stays inside the bag, put this on the heatmat with the digital temp probe between the mat and your sand bag, this will tell you the temp the herp will reach when basking on the mat, after this i'm all out of ideas sorry


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

Think it might be better just to put the mats INSIDE the tubs and tape them down


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

i have a small RUB rack that holds 9l RUBs two tubs to a heat mat and they easily get the tub temp to 32degrees from underneath, what are the mats sat on at the moment? the best thing to use is a polystyrene ceiling tile to reflect all the heat up into the tank or RUB


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

This is a couple of the tubs prior to putting decor and leo's etc in

You can also see what they are sat on......any thoughts?


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

Yup, immediate thought is "Oh look, all the heat is escaping because it doesn't HAVE to go through the plastic of the tub, it can just drift off into the air." This would be very much like the time I tried to sleep on a hammock. I had covers above me and should theoretically have been able to maintain body heat - but in all practicality a LOT of heat was lost downwards.

I'd recommend putting SOMETHING solid on those wire rack shelves, then put the heat mat on top of that, then put the tub on it - you should find that they heat much more efficiently then.


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

To be honest I did not think the heat would be lost throught the shelves and thought the heat would go up into the tubs.......hhhmmmmm

Schoolboy error


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## Ssthisto (Aug 31, 2006)

It's certainly a legitimate thought - but in practicality it doesn't work that way. I think if you try putting a piece of board on a shelf and put the heat mat on top of that, then test your thermostat, you may find it makes an immediate difference!


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

get to b&q n buy a pack of polystyrene ceiling tiles they're about £3 for 10 put the tiles on the wire, the mat on the tile and the tub on the mat


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

boywonder said:


> get to b&q n buy a pack of polystyrene ceiling tiles they're about £3 for 10 put the tiles on the wire, the mat on the tile and the tub on the mat


This is what I have in the cupboard ......so now the poly tile is on the shelf with the mat on top of it and the tubs on top of the mat 

Fingers crossed this will now solve my error :blush:

Thanks to eveyone who stuck with me and helped me out : victory:


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## DeanThorpe (Apr 9, 2006)

yeh..direct heat upwards to the tubs and they shoudl reach the temp you want... hope so.

BUT..back to original thingy...light on stat should be on most of the time as how they work is to keep them on buy just puttin enough power through to maintain it..a simpl ON/OFF STAT may have been better for you to get to grips with.


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

DeanThorpe said:


> yeh..direct heat upwards to the tubs and they shoudl reach the temp you want... hope so.
> 
> BUT..back to original thingy...light on stat should be on most of the time as how they work is to keep them on buy just puttin enough power through to maintain it..a simpl ON/OFF STAT may have been better for you to get to grips with.


I am using an on/off stat for 2 smaller mats and that was the same mate......light on constantly and not reaching the temps.......but not I have changed the error in my ways things seem to be much better, temps now between 29 and 31 degrees......just need a touch higher but this will be sorted very shortly......just nudged dial up slightly 

So to round up all is pretty well now......pulse stat doing nicely aswell as the mat stat that's controlling the 2 babies mats....happy days 

Thanks all : victory:


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## boywonder (Mar 10, 2008)

we got there in the end:mf_dribble:


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## labmad (Sep 23, 2007)

boywonder said:


> we got there in the end:mf_dribble:


About bloody time mate :whistling2:....christ it was really starting to do my chuffin head in :crazy:

cheers dude : victory:


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