UTH problems

yet another issue with my bins...

ok, I used to have a glass 30 gallon tank for Nag. it was working out greatt...nice humidity and tems were perfect. so when I got Nagaina I swithed to plastic bins. (the long ones that you can put stuff under the bed, 2 locking handles on either side, and it bends in the middle.)

my UTH's just dont seem to want to put out some real heat?
I ruined one of them, so I bought a new one. I put both uth's on the lids instead of the bottom of the bins, and they were both brand new, and it still doesnt feel warm to the touch.

I dont know what else to try. I have both uth's plugged into a thermostat, and even when I set it on high its barely warm. I have also plugged it directly to an outlet, and it makes no difference.

any advice? its satarting to get cold up here and I really need to get this fixed so they dont freeze at noght, but I'm out of idea.

*sigh*
any and all advice would be greatly appreciated.

What kind of UTHs do you have? I found that the cheap ones that you find at pet stores are pretty unreliable and can vary in how much heat they put out. A better UTH like the Ultratherm is probably all you need. Also, why are you placing it on the lid instead of underneath the bin? That's not a very efficient way of heating which is probably another reason why you can't get the temps up. Even though your bin is plastic, you should be okay placing your UTH under the tank as long as it's being regulated by a thermostat.

Try putting the UTHs on the bottom and see if that helps. Unless the pads are faulty, putting them on the bottom should work.

EDIT: Is your tub on the floor? LOL, that may explain why you don't have them on the bottom. Can you place the tub on top of a slab of wood or something to get it off the carpet?

I initially had them on the bottom of the bin with no luck. I have the bins sitting on an old tv stand.

I do have the uth's plugged into a thermostat but that doesnt seem to be doing anything either as the pads are room temp to the touch.

I bought "exo-terra" uth's, both tanks have the same kind on them. this was also the brand I had when in a glass tank and it worked really well. anyone got any brand name referrals as to what I can try next?

both tanks are stacked too...one on top of the other one. one of the reasons I put it on the lid...thought it might work better. guess not *grin*

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gurgie

I bought "exo-terra" uth's, both tanks have the same kind on them. this was also the brand I had when in a glass tank and it worked really well. anyone got any brand name referrals as to what I can try next?

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Flexwatt; it's cheaper and higher quality. You can get some prewired for about $9. On the link, scroll down a little. It's in the table, the "crimped connection," which basically means prewired.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gurgie

I do have the uth's plugged into a thermostat but that doesnt seem to be doing anything either as the pads are room temp to the touch.

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If it's cool to the touch when plugged directly into the wall, then it is obviously broken. I recommended one brand name above named Ultratherm and there is another similar one named Cobra. You can't go wrong with either one of those...

ok if I go the flex watt bit, what size would I need? I guess I mean how do I figure out what size/how much would I need?

got a link to the ultratherm thing, or will I find it if i google?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xdeus

If it's cool to the touch when plugged directly into the wall, then it is obviously broken. I recommended one brand name above named Ultratherm and there is another similar one named Cobra. You can't go wrong with either one of those...

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I agree with Lawrence. Try plugging the UTH directly into the wall, with no thermostat. See if you get any heat. It's possible there's an issue with the thermostat and not the UTH. At least it's easy to rule out. :rolleyes:

The Exo-Terra UTH's are incredibly fragile I find. Sneeze on them too hard and they break. For pet-store grade UTH's I recommend the Zoo-Med ones - they are a bit thicker, but this is good as they are much more durable. I've yet to trash one out of the eight we use.

thanks folks. I did go to that web site someone mentioned and am working with him to figure out what it is exactly what I need.

Nag and Nagaina thank you as well :)