Help needed with installing ceramic heat emitter into a bin

[Kingdomall]

Hello,
So I just got a 75 watt Fluker's Deluxe Clamp Lamp and a 60 watt ceramic infrared heat emitter and my snake is housed in a 200 quart (50 gallon) bin and I know there are tutorials out there for it, but none of them have answered my question.
What kind of heat resistant mesh can I use? I see fiberglass here and there, but I fail at finding any actually useful meshes for this sort of project.
I want to cut a hole on the top of my snake's enclosure and put on the mesh securely, and I don't want to risk any sort of burn. All day no one's attempted to help me with my questions so some help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.

PS: I'm not having much luck at finding a good dimmer either. Any suggestions?

[KevinK]

Hello,
So I just got a 75 watt Fluker's Deluxe Clamp Lamp and a 60 watt ceramic infrared heat emitter and my snake is housed in a 200 quart (50 gallon) bin and I know there are tutorials out there for it, but none of them have answered my question.
What kind of heat resistant mesh can I use? I see fiberglass here and there, but I fail at finding any actually useful meshes for this sort of project.
I want to cut a hole on the top of my snake's enclosure and put on the mesh securely, and I don't want to risk any sort of burn. All day no one's attempted to help me with my questions so some help would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks.

PS: I'm not having much luck at finding a good dimmer either. Any suggestions?

Admittedly, I don’t know much about the specific project you’re talking about but it was always assumed in the past that a ceramic heat emitter was a no-go with any type of plastic tub. However, if you ignore that fire safety advice and you still want to do it, noncoated, 1/2” steel hardware cloth is what I’d use


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[bcr229]

PS: I'm not having much luck at finding a good dimmer either. Any suggestions?

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Lutron-Cred...Dimmer/3189447

I wouldn't even try using a CHE or DHP with a tub. Is the goal to increase the ambient temp because heat pads can't do it?

[XpensiveWino]

@kingdomall, respectfully and with care, there are several flags here. That tub is huge. A CHE on a tub is asking for disaster, and without a thermostat, a dimmer is a secondary concern. None of these issues alone are deal breakers, but all three together is just a huge hurdle for results that are likely to be disappointing.

I am sure somehow success *can* be achieved in the scenario you're chasing, but I wouldn't recommend it.

The following slight, and inexpensive tweaks will make all the difference:
- use a smaller 32 or 41 quartz tub with a lower clearance. This will aid in humidity and temperature retention.
- use two heat pads, or get even less expensive heat tape and solder up two pads. One for your hot temp, and one for the cool temp.
- Use a thermostat on both. Disregard the dimmer and CHE altogether.

Best of luck.

[Luvyna]

I have a CHE on a large tub hooked up to a Herpstat 2 thermostat. Never had any problems with it and my snake enjoys the extra space. Here is the tutorial I followed on the correct and safe way to do it. For a tub as large as yours you may need two CHEs, which means you will also need two thermostats or a thermostat with more than one output.

No matter what type of enclosure you use, you MUST have a thermostat hooked up to every heat source. This is the single most important piece of equipment in snake keeping as it can mean the difference between life and death for your snake in a matter of hours. I would highly recommend getting a Herpstat or Vivarium Electronics thermostat as they are the industry gold standard, the most reliable and long-lasting, and equipped with safety features to prevent electronic failures that might result in your enclosure overheating and killing your snake.

The only downside is that these thermostats are pretty pricey, but they are worth saving up for IMO. A Jumpstart thermostat is a decent cheaper option but beware as they can fail after a year or two and do not have safety features.

[KevinK]

I have a CHE on a large tub hooked up to a Herpstat 2 thermostat. Never had any problems with it and my snake enjoys the extra space. Here is the tutorial I followed on the correct and safe way to do it. For a tub as large as yours you may need two CHEs, which means you will also need two thermostats or a thermostat with more than one output.

No matter what type of enclosure you use, you MUST have a thermostat hooked up to every heat source. This is the single most important piece of equipment in snake keeping as it can mean the difference between life and death for your snake in a matter of hours. I would highly recommend getting a Herpstat or Vivarium Electronics thermostat as they are the industry gold standard, the most reliable and long-lasting, and equipped with safety features to prevent electronic failures that might result in your enclosure overheating and killing your snake.

The only downside is that these thermostats are pretty pricey, but they are worth saving up for IMO. A Jumpstart thermostat is a decent cheaper option but beware as they can fail after a year or two and do not have safety features.

If you’re spending that much on double herpstats, why are you still messing around with a single tub with chicken wire and a che?


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[Luvyna]

If you’re spending that much on double herpstats, why are you still messing around with a single tub with chicken wire and a che?


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It's my starter enclosure for my BP when he was growing up and from when I had just started snake keeping. I started off with Jumpstart thermostats and upgraded. I got a 4' x 2' x 18" PVC enclosure recently but I haven't set it up yet! I wasn't able to upgrade everything at once and I figured that I'd start with the thermostat since that is the most important. Also it's a Herpstat 2 because I use a CHE and UTH as the temps in my house are pretty low.

[Kingdomall]

I never said I didn't have a thermostat. I have a thermostat with my heat mat right now, though I assumed that a dimmer would replace a thermostat.
and 200 quarts is really not that big... a lot of people keep their snakes in 120 gallon 4x2x2's and their ball pythons are happy.

[Hugsplox]

I never said I didn't have a thermostat. I have a thermostat with my heat mat right now, though I assumed that a dimmer would replace a thermostat.
and 200 quarts is really not that big... a lot of people keep their snakes in 120 gallon 4x2x2's and their ball pythons are happy.

A dimmer doesn't replace a thermostat. I used CHE in a dimming fixture, but it was still plugged into a thermostat. I just used the dimmer so the on/off thermostat didn't crank it up as hot as it would go to get to the temp I needed the enclosure at. If anything the dimmer was just a temporary fix until I discovered how wonderful proportional thermostats are.