Warm side question

[Elise.m]

So I've got my UTH set up and it's been running for about 2 days. After some tweaking (Took out some substrate and my BF brought home his temp gun) now we're at a different worry.

I have the temp probe between the substrate and the UTH, so basically sitting on the glass. The temp is reading 110+ degrees. Now when we use the temp gun on the surface, it reads perfectly around 90-94. Should I be concerned about the thermometer reading, or should I follow the temp gun?

[h00blah]

do u have a thermostat regulating it? b4 i got my t-stat, it used to do that too, it would say the bottom is 115, and the top is like 89... i would suggest just getting a t-stat, that way u dont have to worry.

im gonna guess ur using aspen bc thats how i got those results. i switched to paper towels and bought a t-stat, and never looked back ^-^.

[Elise.m]

right now no thermostat, can't afford it. We did get a dimmer. I'm using Cypress Mulch atm.

[Elise.m]

Well I guess my real question is, is it ok for the thermometer to read that when it's right about the UTH glass?

[Elise.m]

Sorry for the third post in a row, but I just found this:

http://www.petmountain.com/show_prod...tm_term=502819

Is that like some half of the product for half the price, or is that the real Thermostat? For $22, I'm thinking of returning the dimmer and buying that.

[Kaorte]

The reptitemp 500r is a good starter thermostat. I would say get it

Are you using the temp gun right on the glass? if so you will get an inaccurate reading because it is a reflective surface.

[dr del]

Hi,

But if it is the probe of the thermometer thats reading 110f then yes you want ot turn that down.

Try and get it to about 95f and then simply keep thinning the substrate layer till the temps insode the hot end hide are in the 92-94f region.


dr del

[Elise.m]

I was pointing the temp gun right at the substrate with my hand in the tank. I'll try what Del said, and once my other half wakes up I think I'm gonna order that Thermostat for $22, and take back the dimmer.

So once I install the thermostat, it'll take care of the hot side if it gets over 100?

[knott00]

I was pointing the temp gun right at the substrate with my hand in the tank. I'll try what Del said, and once my other half wakes up I think I'm gonna order that Thermostat for $22, and take back the dimmer.

So once I install the thermostat, it'll take care of the hot side if it gets over 100?

Glad to hear you're getting a Thermostat. They take most of the worry out of keeping the temp correct. Once you get the t-stat, it just takes a little tweaking to get the temp to the correct setting and then you just check it every once in a while to make sure it with your temp gun still in an acceptable range. I'm sure you'll love it, I know I do.

[Patricia]

Hi! This is the same challenge I've been facing, using about an inch of ReptiBark as substrate. The temps on the glass and up on the substrate where snakey actually is are so different. After reading more here, during the next handling session I'm planning to use less newspaper and only ¼" of bark, then stick the thermometer probe directly on the glass to measure the UTH output.

BTW, I have that same ReptiTemp 500R, and that price of $22.89 you linked to is good! Once you install it, it should prevent heat output even reaching 100.

HTH!