RHP and an UTH?

Hello all,
i want a T8 enclosure, and plan to get a proproducts rhp. Is an uth necessary with a rhp, or would i be fine with just a rhp?

Thanks,
Tom

You would also be fine with a UTH. They RHP does the same thing. RHP can be tricky to balance. I would suggest saving the cost of the RHP and the operational costs of running one and spend that on a better t-stat.

Thanks. My plan was to get a RHP from ProProducts and a Herpstat thermostat. Do you think i would be ok without the uth?

Yes or visa versa. IMO RHP do not belong in terrestrial enclosures they do not generate horizontal gradients but vertical ones, you end up setting the temp for the top of a hide and have to take what you get on the floor. They cost more to buy and use more electricity. Save your money radiant heat panels and radiant heat tape are the same, they do the exact same job the exact same way. No difference at all. The low density UTH are safer and less problematic. All around easier.

thanks.
how would i go about installing an uth to a T8?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by starman87

thanks.
how would i go about installing an uth to a T8?

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I'm not sure how the T8 is setup, but when you buy an UTH they usually come with 4 clear little things that you stick on the corners to lift it up, though I didn't use the corners because of the weight all going to the middle, that gives the lift so the cord can fit.

I'll explain what I mean.

Say this is the tank: ------------------- so instead of putting them o--------------------o, I put them -----o--------------o------, or something around that. But also the aquariums have a lip because of the plastic, if the T8 is completely flat then it may not work even with those clear things.

Depends on the uth it would just fasten to the outside bottom. Some need to be taped (Ultratherm bulk heat tapes like flexwatt) others are self adhesive. The thermostat probe is best placed between the heat source and the enclosure.


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thanks Kites,
when the time comes i'll try my luck with an Ultratherm.

...... it was easier for me to use both...needless to say i'm not using a t8 ...a determining factor would be the temp of the room your enclosure will be in . You may find that correct ambient temps with just a uth may be difficult to reach in a cooler room . I keep mine in a room that stays 70-72 degrees year round so the rhp helps me keep my ambient temps correct. Since I have my rhp set to run at 81 degrees the hottest spot anywhere is 90.1 degrees ( on top of the hide ). If I didn't use a uth for my hot spot I'd probably have a bad headache trying to create it with the rhp alone . just my two sense and may not be the best way but for me it's most stable way I've ever had to keep my temps correct.

This is one of the issues with radiant heat period it is poorly understood. Radiant heat panels produce radiant heat UTH also produce radiant heat. Radiant heat by definition does not heat air it heats objects which will then heat air in directly. This is why radiant heat systems are used to heat tables in out door cafes and seats in rinks. They do not heat the air.

The trouble comes in when people think that if they place a thermometer probe under the panel they are measuring the air, they are not they are measuring the surface of the probe. The only way is to shield a cool probe with a sheet of something white (like with card paper isn't enough) with 2-4 inches of clearance (to the probe). Then wait for the probe to warm up and stabilize. RHP and UTH are good for a few degrees of air temps but that is it. If you cannot get a UTH to generate a correct hot spot it is likely too much substrate too thick a bottom of the enclosure (wood usually) or too low wattage for the air temps. RHP are exactly like the sun it heats objects not air. RHP can be tricky because as you alter the cage items it changes the way they heat, dark matte objects heat faster than light shiny ones. They can also foul IR gun measurements as well. They work super well in arboreal set ups as they do exactly what you expect but not in terrestrial set ups everything is the wrong direction.