New PVC Enclosure - Problems with heating

Hey guys, just got a new pvc enclosure from All Reptiles in Toronto and also a RHP by pro-products. But im having trouble with my setup at the moment. I was told to hot glue the Herpstat probe onto the closest wall to the RHP about 3-4 inches up. My enclosure is 4x2x1 feet. In the third picture, you can see the herpstat probe coming out of the right vent and glued down.

The issue I am having is this: the Herpstat probe is only reading 81. I left the RHP on for 3-4 hours yesterday, and the temps rose from 70-81 (on the herpstat). I had my Herpstat set to 90 but for some reason or another, the probe was in the wrong spot and the RHP kept on heating, trying to reach 90 F. I resorted to moving my thermometer probe around (i dont have a heat gun) to check temps in different spots. It was 84 on the ground just above the substrate, and I put a branch right underneath it and put the thermometer probe on top of the branch, and it read 89 after another hour.

The problem is my Herpstat probe placement.. The RHP was actually hot to the touch. As in I would put my hand on it and after 5-10 seconds I actually had to take it off because it was burning me. (I dont think this is normal? because the Pro-Products guarantees that their products cant burn snakes) I think the reason it was so hot is because the Herpstat was telling it to go to 90 F, but the probe was placed in a cooler spot where it could only reach 81. Please let me know where a better place to put the Herpstat probe would be so that I can get a better control of my heating device.

Heres pictures:
http://img256.imageshack.us/img256/5649/secondcage.jpg
http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/7461/secondcage2.jpg

And Inside...
http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/3...cageinside.jpg\

Thanks for reading this, and hope you can help me out ! : )

Still lookin for an answer, eager to use my new setup ! :rolleyes:

Hi, When I use to use RBI cages with RHP's I mounted the probe from my Helix (thermostat) directly on the floor of the cage underneath the RHP and underneath my substrate - never had any issue with keeping the right temps.

Make sure your room temps are at least 75 degrees to avoid making the RHP Work too hard. And yes, if you keep your hand on the RHP for any length of time it will feel very hot. The RHP hangs from the ceiling of your cage, thus the snake cant never lay on it - which is why they are soo safe.

Hope this helps.

I would move the probe to under the substate and over the hot spot and try to control the ambient temperature outside the enclosure. That would be a sure shot way to control temps, imo.

Edit: I use a couple extra digital thermometers to take exact temps in various spots..then I can control the temp of the heater via thermostat and can monitor the variance in temps throughout the enclosures. adjusting the thermostat accordingly.

I *highly* recommend purchasing a temp gun if you want precise control over your temps.

Put the probe in a convenient safe location close to the hot spot (make sure that the reptile can't accidentally dislodge it) and set the thermostat to the temp that you want. After a few hours, point the temp gun at the hot spot and adjust your temp accordingly. In other words, don't pay too much attention to the temp reading on the thermostat. Use your temp gun on the hot spot and then adjust the thermostat to get the temp that you want. Better yet, point the temp gun directly on the reptile when it's in the hot spot because it retains heat differently than substrate.

For example, even though my herpstat is set at 82 and the probe is on the hot spot, the temp on my chondro is 81 when he's not directly under it. If he were, then his temp would be around 86.