RHP - is this right?

I have an 8ft L x 2ft W x 2ft H pvc enclosure and I bought 2 RHP from Pro Products (followed their recommendations on what to get). I've got a Herpstat 2 thermostat controlling them - taped the probes halfway down the side and I've gotten the hot side up to about 86°F and the cool side at 76°F as measured on the floor by an infared temp gun, but the panels are running at like 187°F and 150°F respectively when measured with the temp gun. Is this okay?? I tried originally putting the probes directly on the panels like the Herpstat instructions said, but heating the panels even to 95°F couldn't get the hot side past 74°F on the floor. I'm just worried the panels will be running too hot for being inside and technically accessible to my boa.

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Originally Posted by xFenrir

I have an 8ft L x 2ft W x 2ft H pvc enclosure and I bought 2 RHP from Pro Products (followed their recommendations on what to get). I've got a Herpstat 2 thermostat controlling them - taped the probes halfway down the side and I've gotten the hot side up to about 86°F and the cool side at 76°F as measured on the floor by an infared temp gun, but the panels are running at like 187°F and 150°F respectively when measured with the temp gun. Is this okay?? I tried originally putting the probes directly on the panels like the Herpstat instructions said, but heating the panels even to 95°F couldn't get the hot side past 74°F on the floor. I'm just worried the panels will be running too hot for being inside and technically accessible to my boa.

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As long as your RHPs aren't somewhere your boa can lay on them, they should be fine. Pics of your set up would help.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

As long as your RHPs aren't somewhere your boa can lay on them, they should be fine. Pics of your set up would help.

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I could only find a picture of before we fixed the probes and added about 2-3 inches of substrate (cypress & coconut husk mix) but here is the basic set up. Final placement of the probes are the red X, blue is where the heat panels are.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xFenrir

I have an 8ft L x 2ft W x 2ft H pvc enclosure and I bought 2 RHP from Pro Products (followed their recommendations on what to get). I've got a Herpstat 2 thermostat controlling them - taped the probes halfway down the side and I've gotten the hot side up to about 86°F and the cool side at 76°F as measured on the floor by an infared temp gun, but the panels are running at like 187°F and 150°F respectively when measured with the temp gun. Is this okay?? I tried originally putting the probes directly on the panels like the Herpstat instructions said, but heating the panels even to 95°F couldn't get the hot side past 74°F on the floor. I'm just worried the panels will be running too hot for being inside and technically accessible to my boa.

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You shouldn't use tape in your snakes enclosure. Snakes have a knack for getting stuck on it. To secure wires, use a cable clamp instead. The probe I'd suspend 2-3" under the rhp, as illustrated in the picture below. That's a VE RHP, but I don't see why that placement wouldn't work for a Pro Products one.

https://i.imgur.com/ncXf77m.jpg

How long have you been running your heat panels? I ask because they can take a while to raise the temps in your enclosure. That may be why they're running so hot. I wouldn't expect their surface temps to drop much, but once they've gotten your enclosure nice and toasty, they may not need to run so hard.

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Originally Posted by Homebody

You shouldn't use tape in your snakes enclosure. Snakes have a knack for getting stuck on it...

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I'll second this, from personal experience! What happens is that the warmth & humidity loosens the tape, & when a snake slides against it, off it comes & sticks on their body someplace. And then it can become VERY stuck on the snake, & very difficult to remove without harming your snake's skin/scales. Best not to use any tape in snake enclosures- not for anything.

It might be worth fully setting up the enclosure with all the hides and hardscape and so on, and get the moisture levels where they will ultimately be, and then get a bead on the temp issue. All that mass is what holds the heat -- the radiant energy needs to heat stuff.

So I had to fiddle a little with the thermostat to fine tune but after running everything for over 24hrs the temps are sitting at the correct spots. We're going to continue running everything without her in there just to make sure but I think the substrate just needed to dry out (it was somewhat damp) and warm up. We'll also be switching the tape on the probes out for something else, it's just all we had at 11pm.