Thermostat or Rheostat?

[JMurphy97]

Is there any difference? I think they are both by zoo-med. I will be hooking a ceramic heat emitter to it.

[Rex322]

there are many different brands of thermostats. i like thermostats over rheostats though. but if your gonna get a rheostat, just get a dimmer from home depot. thier only $10 insteadof $20-$25

[JMurphy97]

What is the difference between the two?

[Rex322]

a rheostat will only control how much the heat source puts out. so say you want your temps at 90, and you get the rheostat set to what would hold it at 90, and leave to go somewhere. well if your temp goes over 90, it stays on. if you had a thermostat, then it would shut your heating source off

[Rex322]

a thermostat works like one in a house would.

[JMurphy97]

OK now I got it. I'm gonna get a thermostat then. Thanks for the help.

[Rex322]

yup no problem. i reccomend herpstats. their pricy, but worth it. check out www.mgreptiles.com, i got mine from him, and my heat tape. great service

[ozzyman778]

also isn't a reostat dependent on ambient tempuratures.... for instance if you had it set to produce 90 in a room that's at 70... that room heats up to 80 during the day wouldn;t the reostat allow for unsafe temps?

[Nexus]

A Rheostat is a variable resistor, usually consisting of a high-resistance wire-wound coil with a sliding contact. It is used to vary electrical resistance without interrupting the current (for example, when dimming lights). The circular type, which can be used, for example, as the volume control of an amplifier, is also known as a potentiometer.

The unit does not have any control circuitry as found in a thermostat, so the output will remain constant.

Cheers
Nick