Dimmer Stat

[Petrus]

This might be the stupidest question ever, but I'd appreciate it if someone could try and explain this to me using small words and visual aides if possible! :)

If you are using a dimmer stat to control your basking bulb, how do you know which wattage of bulb to use and the height to suspend the bulb?

[egyptiandan64]

Kind of a moot point if your using a MVB for a basking spot as you can't use a dimmer on the bulb. If though you are using a non UV bulb than you can use a dimmer on the bulb. You can go as high as you like wattage wise as the dimmer will control the temperature.

Danny

[Petrus]

Kind of a moot point if your using a MVB for a basking spot as you can't use a dimmer on the bulb. If though you are using a non UV bulb than you can use a dimmer on the bulb. You can go as high as you like wattage wise as the dimmer will control the temperature.

Danny

That helps, Danny. How would you know if your wattage was too low? Just by measuring the temps with a thermometer?

[16 shells]

If it's a dial in temp stat the probe read's the temp, so if a 50w bulb at 10 inches or so in a cool room the stat would not dim out. If you change the bulb to 100w the stat would dim after a while, when the temp has been reached allowing the area to cool, then spark up again.
The height is playing about with the aid of the thermometer, if to low the stat will be on and off a few times an hour, if too high the stat would be on constant. About 10-12 inch'ish for a 75w in the summer depending on room temp i would think as a starting point.

[Petrus]

If it's a dial in temp stat the probe read's the temp, so if a 50w bulb at 10 inches or so in a cool room the stat would not dim out. If you change the bulb to 100w the stat would dim after a while, when the temp has been reached allowing the area to cool, then spark up again.
The height is playing about with the aid of the thermometer, if to low the stat will be on and off a few times an hour, if too high the stat would be on constant. About 10-12 inch'ish for a 75w in the summer depending on room temp i would think as a starting point.

So what is the aim, for it to be on not that often?

[filardimarg2]

So, how high from the floor would the basking bulb be, mine is about 4/5 inches, is this too low??

Marg.

[16 shells]

It would depend on the reliable thermometer your using, if the bulb need's highering or not, guess the stat is set at 32c.

[16 shells]

So what is the aim, for it to be on not that often?
Using with a uv source i would say the bulb on most of the time. In summer indi house they can be on in the morning and off mid day, back on near 4pm'ish if the room heat's up too.

[EJ]

Better to use a higher wattage bulb and dial it down. You will need a thermometer for the final fix. That final fix is also going to vary with the ambient temperature.

A rheostat is not a thermostat. A rheostat is simpler to deal with because you set an output and that's it.

A thermostat has a temperature probe that measures the temperature at the probe and allows the thermostat to adjust the temperature as set at the thermostat.

The big problem is that if the environment is not consistant the thermostat is all over the place depending on where the probe is placed.


That helps, Danny. How would you know if your wattage was too low? Just by measuring the temps with a thermometer?