Helix DBS-1000 doesn't keep temps

So all of a sudden my helix is running hot. Doesn't keep temps stable. I feel lucky to have noticed in time. I could have lost over 20 snakes. So I had it shut off all night, set it up to test and set the temp at 85. I decided to unplug it at 98 degrees. Thoughts? Is it the probe? is the probe replaceable. How would i know if it is the probe?

Contact Helix controls. They helped me out when I was having issues with my thermostat. I sent it in and they fixed the issues and replaced the cord at no cost to me. They have great customer service.

You are right, I contacted them right after posting this, and Jeff said if I pay for shipping both ways they will repair and upgrade free of charge.

And he thinks it's a faulty internal switch. Jeff said if the prob was faulty the probe would not read the heat spike. Makes sense.

That is some scary business. That is why thermostats should be plugged into a backup tstat that will turn everything off if it starts getting hotter than intended.

I had the same thing happen last year on the incubator ... cooked everything in it. Have replaced all Helix with Herpstats now. The nice thing with the Herpstat is you can see the 'power on percentage' which should give a visual warning if something sticks on. Knock on wood.

Hope we never have issues with our helix thermostats.

Originally Posted by SpitZu

That is why thermostats should be plugged into a backup tstat that will turn everything off if it starts getting hotter than intended.

tstat's are either ON or OFF .. heating or not heating.

proportional units (helix, herpstat, etc) vary the amount of power going to the heat strips.

With the helix the only indicator is that the unit is heating or not. It could be at 5% or 100%.

With the herpstat you see the actually percentage of power. If the unit is running at 100% constantly there could be a problem with the unit.

Additionally, I now keep 3 thermometers in the incubator. Each rack also has a thermometer in one of the bins.

Accidents/failures can still happen. So keep a close eye on things.

should add:

tstats fail in the OFF position == 'no heat'.
proportionals fail in the ON position == "full blast"

the newer herpstats have a safety feature that you can set to kill power if a certain high or low temp is reached.