Thermostat question

I just got a homemade tank from my friend. It came with a radiant 40w heat panel & a thermostat. I have the thermostat set at 94 & the warm side only gets to 86. Can I raise the thermostat up to increase the temp? Just asking because I don't want to burn my snakes. Thanks


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You should buy a temperature gun or good thermometer. Its hard to go off of only the thermostat as a source.

If u have a reliable thermometer that is reading low u can turn it up. But check for hot spots because it could read much higher in different spots and that will cause burns. I had my racks set for 96-98 to achieve a good hot spot

Ok. I have a temp gun already. Today I woke up & the thermostat said 79. Temp gun said hottest part was 83. I mean if I move it up to 99. Will it keep it at a safe temp all the time? I mean thought the thermostat would regulate the heat auto.


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That's what it's supposed to do. Where is the probe for the thermostat in relation to the heat panel?

It's right under the heat panel. The panel is attached to the top & the probe is under it about 1" from the bottom. So keep raising the thermostat up to get the tank temp where I need? I would say it would have to be set at 100 to get the tank to 90-91. Is this correct? I thought if I set it at 91 it will make the tank 91 then shut off then back on as needed.


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I have my Helix thermostat set to 100 in my back heat rack and my racks are in the low 90s on the hot side.

I also have a rack with a Rancho right now that I leave at 92. It gets hotter than 92 since it's not a proportional stat so I don't set it any higher than 92. I have measured 94 in the tub on the hot side when it was heating up.

It is possible that the heat panel can't get the enclosure to the proper temp. Can you see how much power is being sent to the heat panel? If not you could pull your snake out and plug the panel directly into the wall and see how hot it gets.

RHP are designed to generate verticle heat gradients not horizontal ones. It is quite likely that the 40w isn't enough power and also likely that if you went with a higher wattage you world have a heat unit inside the enclosure that was well over 100ºF. I suspect that the room temp is quite low and that is adding to the issues you are having. Is there any way to re-configure the system you are using? Maybe using the RHP as an ambient heater and adding a UTH as a hot spot heating unit might work better.

Well I moved the probe & it seems to be working fine now. It's a homemade tank so UTH is a no good. I'll post pictures soon.


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