Automating set-up: 2 Questions

[GrogStudio]

I'm trying to get as much automated as possible for the ease of my petsitter. I'm hoping some experts can help with two questions.

First, I see people post basking temps as if they are constant. Is this so? I have the thermostat in the room where my veiled cham resides set for 62 at night and 70 during the day. That means his cage (along with the room) warms during the day. His heat bulb is on a dimmer that I gradually lower as the room temp rises to keep the basking temp pretty constant. But I don't want my petsitter to have to babysit the basking temp. How do others automate the basking temp or do you just let it fluctuate with room temps?

Also, I use a reptisun 5.0 tube for UVB and so far have not found a hood that works with my timer. After several failed hoods I asked my home depot electrical expert (who turned out to be a lizard owner!). He said it is not possible to get a fluorescent light fixture to work with a timer because of the fluorescent starters. Is this true? If so, I'll use a back-up compact fluorescent bulb for the days I'm gone as I know this works with the timer.

Thanks for any help!

 

[ChamFreak]

they sell power strips with digital timers. I had a strip that will automaticlly turn on all my lighting on and off at certain times. You can go to petsmart and buy them. I think they are like 30 bucks and it works great.

 

[GrogStudio]

they sell power strips with digital timers. I had a strip that will automaticlly turn on all my lighting on and off at certain times. You can go to petsmart and buy them. I think they are like 30 bucks and it works great.

So a fluorescent light works with a power strip timer but not a dial timer? Seems to go against what the Home Depot guy said about fluorescent starters but experience tells. Thanks!

 

[Lpsouth1978]

I think the guy at Home Depot is misinformed. I use a Dial type timer for my girls lights and she has 2 x 18" standard fluorescent fixtures, one with a Reptisun 10.0 bulb, the other with a 6500K daylight bulb. They both work flawlessly with the timer. I will be upgrading her lights shortly to T5's, but these have worked well in the mean time.

 

[melble68]

hold the presses. something isn't adding up correctly. a timer, and I don't care what kind of timer, is just an on/off switch. you should have no problem getting your florescent tube to work. what you can't do is dim fluorescents. is the inline dimmer you are using on both your basking and tubes?

edit: my lights (basking and t5's) are all in the same power strip. the power strip is plugged into my timer. timer plugged into the wall. in between the power strip and my basking lights is a slide dimmer. wa laa, its definitely works.

 

[Olimpia]

All my light fixtures (all normal, simple ones from Home Depot) have always been plugged into a normal timer and they switch on and off like nothing.

I do let my temps fluctuate. If the room itself is getting too warm at noon in the middle of summer I will have the timer switch off the lights for a couple hours (their rooms always get a lot of natural light, so they aren't in the dark.) But if the temps are going up or down by a few degrees that's ok with me, I won't do anything about it.

 

[Carlton]

I'm trying to get as much automated as possible for the ease of my petsitter. I'm hoping some experts can help with two questions.

First, I see people post basking temps as if they are constant. Is this so? I have the thermostat in the room where my veiled cham resides set for 62 at night and 70 during the day. That means his cage (along with the room) warms during the day. His heat bulb is on a dimmer that I gradually lower as the room temp rises to keep the basking temp pretty constant. But I don't want my petsitter to have to babysit the basking temp. How do others automate the basking temp or do you just let it fluctuate with room temps?

Also, I use a reptisun 5.0 tube for UVB and so far have not found a hood that works with my timer. After several failed hoods I asked my home depot electrical expert (who turned out to be a lizard owner!). He said it is not possible to get a fluorescent light fixture to work with a timer because of the fluorescent starters. Is this true? If so, I'll use a back-up compact fluorescent bulb for the days I'm gone as I know this works with the timer.

Thanks for any help!

As others have suggested, a plug in timer works fine for lights. I've used dial and power strip timers for incandescent basking bulbs and fluorescent tubes for many years...no problems with compatibility. If you are worried about overheating during midday, you could set the basking spot to come ON for a morning warm up, set it to go OFF at midday, then set another ON on for a while in the mid afternoon, then a final OFF in the evening. The UV can stay on all day as it doesn't produce much heat.

 

[GrogStudio]

I think the guy at Home Depot is misinformed. I use a Dial type timer for my girls lights and she has 2 x 18" standard fluorescent fixtures, one with a Reptisun 10.0 bulb, the other with a 6500K daylight bulb. They both work flawlessly with the timer.

you should have no problem getting your florescent tube to work. what you can't do is dim fluorescents. is the inline dimmer you are using on both your basking and tubes?

All my light fixtures (all normal, simple ones from Home Depot) have always been plugged into a normal timer and they switch on and off like nothing.

As others have suggested, a plug in timer works fine for lights. I've used dial and power strip timers for incandescent basking bulbs and fluorescent tubes for many years...no problems with compatibility. If you are worried about overheating during midday, you could set the basking spot to come ON for a morning warm up, set it to go OFF at midday, then set another ON on for a while in the mid afternoon, then a final OFF in the evening. The UV can stay on all day as it doesn't produce much heat.

Thanks so much for the feedback. Very helpful (as always!). I guess it's back to Home Depot for one more try.

And the idea of switching the basking light off for a couple of hours midday is great, though I guess I'll need separate timers for the two lights now.

 

[Lazy Boy]

I use two 60w bulbs for basking in the morning (main one on top and a side one). As soon as room temp get to 73 or so I shut the side light off. It could be setup on a thermastat to shut the second off.

 

[sharp229]

I think the guy at Home Depot was thinking of very old fluorescent fixtures with a magnetic ballast and a manual start (you have to hold a button in to start the bulb). This would obviously not work with a timer.

You should always be using a newer fixture with an electronic ballast with UVB bulbs, so this issue should not occur. Magnetic ballasts are bad for UVB because they have a 60Hz flicker so the light quality is much poorer.

Another option for the basking temp is to set it for the bottom of the acceptable range. Then if it heats up during the middle of the day it probably will not go up more than 5 degrees or so and will still be OK. Unless the room gets significantly hotter, then you may have to use a timer as suggested.