plastic tub and under tank heater

[justme123]

I was wondering if it would be safe to put a under tank heater on a plastic tub? If not, are there any alternatives to heat lamps to use with this type of cage? Thanks!

[Stewart_Reptiles]

I was wondering if it would be safe to put a under tank heater on a plastic tub?

Yes it is safe just like when using a glass enclosure you MUST have a thermostat to control and maintain proper temps of 90-94 on the warm side and to avoid over-heating.

[JLC]

A UTH is fine going under a plastic tub....IF you have some sort of device attached to it to control how much heat it puts out. UTH's can get very, very hot if unregulated.


A thermostat is the best control you can get because you get to choose the temperature it stays at...and a really good thermostat will keep that temperature steady 24/7 with only a degree or two of fluctuation.

If you can't get a thermostat, the next best thing is a rheostat (dimmer switch) that you can get from the hardware store. They make them for plugging lamps in...and you just plug the UTH into it sort of like an extension cord that has a dimmer switch attached to it. Very simple. The drawback to this method is that the dimmer only controls how much power is going to the UTH...and therefore the temps will still fluctuate up and down with the ambient room temps. But at least you'll know it won't get hot enough to burn your snake or melt plastic.

[mxrider42]

I stuck an UTH on a platic tub. I waited 15 minutes then checked the temps on top of the heater in the tub. The bottom of the tub was 115 degrees! So you will need a thermostat.

Trey

[justme123]

Thank you! I'd rather be safe and ask then start a fire...

[justme123]

Could someone please direct me to the best place to purchase a thermostat from? I'm relativly new to all this, so any help is really apreciated. This may seem stupid, but the only thermostat's i can find are for water. Thanks again!

[JLC]

Could someone please direct me to the best place to purchase a thermostat from? I'm relativly new to all this, so any help is really apreciated. This may seem stupid, but the only thermostat's i can find are for water. Thanks again!

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