so i have a lizard and she needs a heat lamp and im sick of tired of constantly having to deal with the dimmer switch on the lamps cord just to get it right. so ive been thinking about a setup for when a timer is running in the on state the heat-lamp is set to full and when the timer shuts off it switches to the dimmer switch mode for night time due to the area i live in is kinda cold and at night i since shes cold blooded dont want her to to suffer. now im still working out the design and things. one of my main concerns is one is it safe and wont one day catch the house on fire and 2 is it possible. now i have seen things that do the same thing on amazon and other places but are way to expensive and complicated for what i want. i just want something that at night it auto flips into a low dimmed state for night and when morning comes it immediately switches back. im thinking of something like a flip latch that dose the change powered by an electromagnet nothing to big but enough to move it. so once again i ask is it safe for ac and 2 is it possible with out issues.

 

Sound like you need a double throw 120 volt coil relay that is closed in either position. The timer controls the relay and the relay chooses one of two feeds to the heater. One through a dimmer and one not through a dimmer. Maybe one of the pros can figure the rest out.

 

Welcome to the forums.

I have built something like that for a friend. It had a receptacle, a dimmer and a timer all in a metal electrical box with an attached power cord.

 

It seems that for all that trouble of building something, a commercial heat controller would be simpler, smaller, and just a few dollars more. I saw one wired rheostat unit that can control 2 devices (lamp and rock for instance) for under $20. The thermostatic unit was under $30 and kept a constant temp. I don't know much about lizards except that there is a difference between desert dwellers and forest/jungle types. I guess one thrives in heat with a drop in temp at night while the other wants constant temps with just night/day cycles.

 

heres what i think so far

1. the unit pjmax showed is a great starting point for what i want in terms of box design and size

2. the relay idea sounds like what i would need would have to look more into it

3. the idea of a thermostatic unit no i can have it turn on and off my lizard needs constantly area of 100+f and at night because of how cold it can get i need it on enough for is she gets to cold there is a place emitting a bit of heat

 

No need for a relay. Input power will go to the input of the time clock and the dimmer. Output of both the dimmer and the time clock go to the same terminal of the receptacle. Set the time clock for the hours you want full heat and set the dimmer for the reduced heat setting.

When the time clock is "on" it merely bypasses the dimmer giving full power to the receptacle. When the time clock is off the dimmer controls how much power go to the receptacle.

A further refinement would be a line-voltage thermostat with a remote sensing bulb. Wire the thermostat in series with the receptacle hot leads (from the time clock and dimmer) and set the remote sensor inside the animal's house. This would prevent the area from getting too hot, something the dimmer and time clock cannot do.

 

wouldnt that cause issues im not an expert on ac wiring i have a better understanding of dc but know enough but still wouldnet that cause issues

 

What "issues" would it cause? That type of bypass circuit is used in many similar applications.