Thermostats.

[Axel28]

So, today I got my Thermostats and to be honest I don't know what I am doing. >.>

So, I got my Thermostat maybe about an hour ago and do NOT know what I am doing....
Obviously, you have to plug the Heat Mat in the thermostat outlet and set it, right? I mean obviously you have to plug the thermostat to the wall outlet, of course, but the UTH not getting hot, I just plugged it up to the heat mat about maybe 20 minutes ago, I just check it, just now, to check if I can feel it through the glass, well I can't.

Do I have to give it more time to heat up or should it have heat up already?

My mom had to leave about 20 minutes ago but she did help me lift the tank to get the probe between the UTH and the tank, so, help would be appreciated!

Thank you.

[SDA]

Just a few things to remember:

1. You won't feel a hot thermostat even if you have it set to 100 degrees.
2. It takes up to 10 degrees to get it to heat the substrate in the tank so to get to 88 degrees you can need it all the way to 98 on the thermostat. Not to say you need it 10 degrees warmer but you will need to set it warmer than your desired inside temps.
3. Make sure you have good contact still with the heat mat and the glass. Some suggestions is to wedge styrofoam or foamboard under the tank on the heat mat side to keep it in place. tttaylorrr gave you some good instructions on installation.

I have the jump start and it will take a bit of time for it to heat to temp. Use a thermometer or IR heat gun to check the temp inside the enclosure to verify it is working. Wait 30 minutes or more to have it get up to temp from cold.

[EL-Ziggy]

What temperature is your thermostat set to and do you have a temp gun to measure the surface temps? If it's hot to the touch for you then it's likely too hot for your snake. I try to maintain a surface temp of 88-90F so my thermostat is usually set a few degrees higher to account for heating through the enclosure floor.

[honeybee]

I'm using the jumpstart thermostat. It's set to 95 degrees and it keeps the substrate/just-below substrate temp on the hot side at around 88-90 degrees.

I do know that when I first got the thermostat, it took a good half hour to reach the set temp and begin regulating it.

[Axel28]

Thanks everyone.