Having problems...Help??

Ok so I have a two 20 gallon with screen top, which I taped off to keep in heat..I have I 100 red light bulb with an UTH....Imanging looking down at the tank..the heat lamp is on the right side in the middle and the UTH is in the right hand corner..on both tanks...I cannot achieve the 93 degrees I want on the hot side even though I have a Herstat Pro...I'm very confused about where to put my sensors and I really need some help...How do I use the UTC and the Bulb together??....A phone call Or someone who lives in VA would Help Me a lot..trying to do the best I can, but I'm very frustrated..Thanks..MJ

What size UTH do you have, where did you place the thermostat probe, what are you using for substrate, and what is the bulb wattage?

Ideally you should place the thermostat probe somewhere static... say taped directly to the UTH. You could possibly plug both the UTH and bulb into the Herpstat, but you may have problems. I'd suggest running it past Dion from Spyder Robotics (they make Herpstat) to see if there's a problem.

Also, what are the room temperatures? A small UTH and low watt bulb might have a hard time heating a 20 gallon tank in a cold room.

The problem is i do not not know where to put the sensors..If I put the bulb sensors near the bulb and program it to 93 the bottom of the tank is only about 85..I'm not sure what to do...I want to program the UTC and the bulb at the same time, but I'm not sure how to do it...That's why I asked if anyone in the Front Royal, Va..or anyone who I could call would help me

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Originally Posted by alilshadee

The problem is i do not not know where to put the sensors..If I put the bulb sensors near the bulb and program it to 93 the bottom of the tank is only about 85..I'm not sure what to do...I want to program the UTC and the bulb at the same time, but I'm not sure how to do it...That's why I asked if anyone in the Front Royal, Va..or anyone who I could call would help me

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Sorry I don't live in VA but I think I can give you some guidance...you want to place the probe were the snake is. Since your snake is on the substrate you want the probe down around the substrate. In a tank you can either hang it so it floats an inch or so above the ground or a better idea is to stick it to the warm side hide so the snake cannot move it and the probe is located where your snake will spend most of its time.

Once you have it set then adjust your temps accordingly. Also, keep in mind 20g are tall so your red light heat won't penetrate far...I would suggest you change to a ceramic heater to get better heat penetration.

Hope this helps.

Thanks Sean....can I run both the red bulb and the UTC together and achieving the right temp?...Like I said, I just got my Herpstat Pro and it's kinda confusing me on how to set the bulbs and the UTC together

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Originally Posted by alilshadee

Thanks Sean....can I run both the red bulb and the UTC together and achieving the right temp?...Like I said, I just got my Herpstat Pro and it's kinda confusing me on how to set the bulbs and the UTC together

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Yes...but with a few things to keep in mind. First don't position the bulb over where the matt is...you run the risk of overheating the matt (which can lead to a fire). Secondly I haven't used a bulb with a proportional thermostat but my guess is that typically incandscent bulbs don't last long when you run fluctuating power to them...so you can expect that the bulb won't last long. I still recommend you replace the bulb with a ceramic heater (does the same thing just no light and will work just fine with the Herpstat.

Ok since I have the bulb on the right side and the UTC in the right hand corner, you're saying I should repostion the UTC...Where should I place it according to where the bulb is...and I will replace the bulb indefinitly to a ceramic.

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Secondly I haven't used a bulb with a proportional thermostat but my guess is that typically incandscent bulbs don't last long when you run fluctuating power to them...so you can expect that the bulb won't last long.

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Hi,

Actually with proportionals they tend to last quite well - I have a red spot bulb that has been in the tank for over 4 years now. The reason they last is because (although it fluctuates) it is nearly always running at a lower voltage than it was designed for if you choose the right wattage.

The thermostats that tend to eat lightbulbs for breakfast are the pulse proportional ones as the stress of the turning on and off is far greater than the strain of constantly running.

But I agree the ceramic bulbs are a far better solution when coupled with a good thermostat. They have far greater heating capacity so can cope with unbexpected dips in ambient temperatures with fewer problems and even the best red or blue light bulb gives out some white light (usuallly around the neck) which might annoy the snake if it was bright enough for long enough.


dr del