HEating Pad Placement

Hi all, I'm a little confused. Maybe someone can help me.

Do you keep the heating pad outside of the rubbermaid tub. And if so, should anything go in between the tub and the heater??

And also, is it okay to use a plastic party bowl as a hide?

Thanks in advance :gj:

Outside and you need a thermostat to regulate the heat, no more then 94 degrees. Plastic bowl will be okay as a hide, just make sure its snug for the snake to get into.

Thank you, so should i put something inbetween the heater and the tub? In case it gets too hot and melts the plastic?

No, that is what the thermostat is for, it will regulate the temps for the heat pad to make sure it does not get too hot. If you do not use one, you can seriously injure your snake. You tape down the probe to the thermostat on the outside of the tub which allows it to read the temps at all times.

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Originally Posted by LGray23

No, that is what the thermostat is for, it will regulate the temps for the heat pad to make sure it does not get too hot. If you do not use one, you can seriously injure your snake. You tape down the probe to the thermostat on the outside of the tub which allows it to read the temps at all times.

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Indeed, you need a thermostat.

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Originally Posted by Kuzar

Thank you, so should i put something inbetween the heater and the tub? In case it gets too hot and melts the plastic?

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No, but I put something between the tub and the floor or shelf or whatever you are setting the tub on. That allows for a little air flow for the heat pad so you don't get hot spots. What I did is just glued 2 liter pop bottle caps to each corner of the tub and one in the middle for extra support (if you have a heavy snake). Worked for me...

Ahhhh i see, good idea, thanks for the replies everyone.

Like it was mentioned before, make sure you have something to regulate your heat pad. At the very least a dimmer is needed, but you need to be really responsible to use that. If your house fluctuates in temp the dimmer will not adjust for that, so you may have to adjust the dimmer twice a day. A thermostat would be easier because it will adjust for temp changes in your house, but if you are going to spend less than $60 on one, you might as well get a lamp dimmer. Cheap thermostats are a waist of money. I suggest not buying anything cheaper than a Ranco or Johnson (thermostats).

And no you don't need anything between the tub and the heat pad. The heat pad will not get hot enough to melt the tub, plastic melts at 400+ degrees.

It wouldn't be a bad idea to invest in a temp gun also and check your temps at least twice a day to make sure everything is spot on.

Good luck!

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Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

Like it was mentioned before, make sure you have something to regulate your heat pad. At the very least a dimmer is needed, but you need to be really responsible to use that. If your house fluctuates in temp the dimmer will not adjust for that, so you may have to adjust the dimmer twice a day. A thermostat would be easier because it will adjust for temp changes in your house, but if you are going to spend less than $60 on one, you might as well get a lamp dimmer. Cheap thermostats are a waist of money. I suggest not buying anything cheaper than a Ranco or Johnson (thermostats).

And no you don't need anything between the tub and the heat pad. The heat pad will not get hot enough to melt the tub, plastic melts at 400+ degrees.

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Thank you for this information Stephanie! I am moving my snake into a tub and I was wondering at what temperature plastic would start to melt.