heating question

So I have central air in my house and realized over the last few days, my temps stay at 70-75 in his terrarium. I'm guessing its because of the AC. My wife wants to get a heating light to go along with our UTH, but everything I've read says No. I put a thick towel over the top and it seemed to have brought temps up a little.

What do you guys do who have AC?

Ceramic heat emitter (CHE) on a dimmer or thermostat. It will raise your ambient temps without requiring there to be a light on at all times. Yes, you might need to mist more for humidity, but proper temps are much more important than a little extra swing in humidity.

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Originally Posted by Annarose15

Ceramic heat emitter (CHE) on a dimmer or thermostat. It will raise your ambient temps without requiring there to be a light on at all times. Yes, you might need to mist more for humidity, but proper temps are much more important than a little extra swing in humidity.

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So no to an over head bulb?

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Originally Posted by greenacid

So no to an over head bulb?

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there is nothing wrong with using an overhead bulb to boost ambient air temps. It is always highly recommended to use a thermostat to control your temps though. the infrared(red) bulbs work better for most because they can be left on 24/7 without disrupting the snake too much. Others here on this forum have had some luck using deep blue florescent lights as well, but im not to sure where a person could buy those from? maybe other members can give advice on finding those.

An overhead bulb that is infrared will be fine, or a ceramic heat emitter (which is a special type of heat bulb)

Here are the two I would recommend:

infrared heat lamp:http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...AvailInUS%2FNo

Ceramic Heat Emitter: http://www.petco.com/product/5003/Zo...-Emitters.aspx

You don't want to use a white bulb though.

My home stays at 68. I have two tanks in my living room as displays and one is a 40 gallon for my ball. I use a 100 watt che on the warm side and a dual fixture with a day and night 60 watt bulb on a timer for the cool side to keep my eminent temps right. I also use a uth.

With humid hides I still have great sheds.

My che and bulbs are not on a dimmer or tstat. I use the ZooMed lamp stands to give the correct distance needed to give me a good surface temp and good ambient temp.

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Originally Posted by greenacid

So I have central air in my house and realized over the last few days, my temps stay at 70-75 in his terrarium. I'm guessing its because of the AC. My wife wants to get a heating light to go along with our UTH, but everything I've read says No. I put a thick towel over the top and it seemed to have brought temps up a little.

What do you guys do who have AC?

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1) We set the A/C thermostat to 77*F but our daytime highs are well into the 90's so the house is comfortable, not super-cold like in many shopping centers and office buildings. It saves on the electric bill too.
2) Cover the top of the enclosure, either with plexiglass with some ventilation holes, or with Glad Press n Seal and leave the corners open slightly for ventilation. If still more insulation is needed you can put a towel on top of the cover.
3) I've found that if I use a ceramic hide as opposed to plastic for the warm side, over time it does pick up the heat from the UTH which is then radiated to the air inside the hide. It does take a while though.
4) Build/buy a rack (or 4 LOL), stick them in the spare bedroom on the south side of the house, block the A/C vents, and close the door.

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Originally Posted by norwegn113

there is nothing wrong with using an overhead bulb to boost ambient air temps. It is always highly recommended to use a thermostat to control your temps though. the infrared(red) bulbs work better for most because they can be left on 24/7 without disrupting the snake too much. Others here on this forum have had some luck using deep blue florescent lights as well, but im not to sure where a person could buy those from? maybe other members can give advice on finding those.

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So is it okay to have both UTH and bulb? My wife seems to think UTHs are fire hazards but I told her that's what the TStat is for.

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Originally Posted by greenacid

So is it okay to have both UTH and bulb? My wife seems to think UTHs are fire hazards but I told her that's what the TStat is for.

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Yes, its fine to have both. You just can't run both off of a single thermostat.

Do you have a separate room for your snakes? If so, simply try partially closing the vent registers and keep the door closed. I have a dedicated snake room, but don't have separate heat/AC and it has worked very well for me. I check on my snakes multiple times a day and if it gets a tad warm or I know the forecast is calling for warmer temps, I'll crack it open a bit more. Has worked for me perfectly.

If you don't, CHE or a bulb on an adjustable pole and a dimmer and cover 2/3 of the top with wet towels or foil. Use the temp gun to make sure surfaces inside don't get too hot.

As far as the fire hazard, bulbs are more of a fire hazard than UTH. I use Flexwatt on Herpstats and the enclosures sit directly on top of low wood entertainment centers and are stacked on top of each other (PVC AP enclosures). I have my High/Low alarms set to +/- 5 degrees and if it hits that, the Herpstat shuts off the Flexwatt. Another advantage of investing in a good thermostat. Fires are very rare, but can happen with ANY electrical appliance.