Thermostat

[mark]

Hello all, for the first time I'm planning to house my salamanders in an outhouse this winter and to protect them from very low temperatures I was thinking of using a thermostat. Has anyone used one before or can recommend a commercially available one? It would need to be one that operates at low temperatures i.e. if the air temperature drops below freezing heatmats could be turned on until a specified air temp was achieved. Any advice or experiences would be welcome.

 

[mike]

Hi Mark,
It might be more prudent to protect the outhouse, as apposed to having heat mats coming on, which could be too harsh for the occupants.
I would suggest that you use an electric oil filled radiator which as standard comes with a timer, 3 heat settings, and a variable thermostat with frost protection!
For example:
http://www.argos.co.uk/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Search?storeId=10001&catalogId=3801&langId=-1&searchTerms=4158154&go.x=23&go.y=7

 

[mark]

Thanks Mike. I guess heatmats arn't the best idea as they provide too much localized heat. The problem I have with the radiator is that the outhouse is quite large, 12ft by 15ft-ish and well ventilated, making it hard to heat the whole thing. How sensitive are the thermostats on those things? Could I set, for example a low temp of 0 degrees C and a top temp of 5 degrees C?

 

[mike]

The 3 heat settings on the example which has a total output of 1.5kW would be 0.5kW, 1kW, and 1.5kW.
The thermostat has just 1 setting, and is accurate to about + or - 1C.
Could you block off part of the building with light wooden frames, covered in bubble wrap insulation, as sold for greenhouses. It would certainly help with the electricity bill!