Temperature readings go CRAZY when snake is coiled up on the probe.

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

OK why do you have a rheostat and thermostat? they are working against each other. One is restricting the heat the other is trying to adjust it.

The t-stat should be set to deliver the correct temp in the tub the bottom of the tub. Don't use too much substrate that it changes much. Racks really need to have warm stable room temps. It can be done differently (I am actually) but it is not easy or cheap. I am wondering if your room temp is changing too?

I check every tub I have about a 3º variation that is it snakes or no snakes. I can't imagine why you have a change at all.

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1) I have a thermostat as well as rheostat because then if one fails the thing won't overheat and melt the tubs. I read that on this forum actually. It is not working against each other, like I said I set the rheostat ABOVE the correct temperature setting, so the thermostat is working within that range and not affected. It is only in case the Thermostat fails that the rheostat will not allow the tape to get sooo hot it will melt the tubs.

For example, if I need the heat pad to operate at 95 to get the temps right inside the tub, I set the thermostat to 95. But I set the rheostat so that without the thermostat the tape would only run to 98 for example. If the thermostat fails, the rheostat will stop the tape from running to 150F or whatever they are capable of un monitored. It's like those people who use low wattage flexwatt that gets a little more than hot enough but not too hot, but I can't get that flexwatt so I use the rheostat to make it operate "lower", if you know what I mean.

2) Secondly, the temperature variations I speak of is not from room temp fluctations. It is the temperature reading on the digital thermometer that changes when the snake is sitting on top of the THERMOMETER probe (NOT THERMOSTAT PROBE THAT IS OUTSIDE THE TUB).

I thought it would matter because well, if the snake is there, and by virtue of it being there the temp is now too high, welll I thought it would affect the snake. Apparently it seems everyone just measures the temp with no snake there and that seems ok. So that problem solved. I still having a problem with hides causing a lot of different temps on different levels etc.

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Originally Posted by hungba

Thanks GALE for the very helpful reply! May I ask the following?

1) You said you measure with the heat gun aiming through the hide door to see if it is within 3 degrees of the temp shown by the probe in the empty tub. Is the "empty" tub just substrate? Or is there a hide in there water bowl etc. with no snake? If so, is the probe there in a hide?

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Oh silly me you said there was a hide in there.

Still interested in what the temperature difference is in any tub on the hot end IN the hide vs. OUT the hide. So your hide runs to around 90F, what is the surface temp on the hot end OUTSIDE the hide?

Also, in your experience, does the SIZE of the hide or SHAPE affect how much it raises the temperature in the hide much at all? Obviously I have different sized snakes in the same size tubs if they are still within that "size range" suitable for that tub. But the hides would be different because it has to be suitable for the snakes.

Ambient air temps will quickly change tub temps by huge amounts especially with a T-stat set against the heat source. This is also why rheostats make poor failsafes. They only work if the ambient air temp is stable if it is not they change. For example you have it set to keep the max power at 98ºF in a room that is 80 if the room is 70 it will drop the max temp down to 88 or maybe even lower (my experience is lower it takes more power to heat in a lower room temp) So if for example you are heating a room with an oil heater and it fails the rheostat will not allow a t-stat to maintain proper temps. A good safety device (generally) will protect against many faults not just one. It also does not help if the room gets too hot either it allows the max possible temp to be too hot.

It is still true that the thermostat needs to be set correctly to give you the correct temps it doesn't matter where the probe is if the temps are not right change the set point.

Is it possible that the snake is cooler than the heat source...

Could it be thermostat swing? on offs can be temperamental to how and where the probe is placed and heater power also effects them a great deal.

I own and use a bunch of hide 1/2 the animals in my rack use hides and in the fleet of enclosures I have all use them. The size shape and material of a hide effects the internal hide temp to surface temp. My heavy hides often have as much as 8º and the lighter ones 4º depends on the material. Temps need to be taken and set for inside the hot hide and the ambient temp controls everything else.

I usually place the thermometer probe in the side of the hide and not on the surface and take it from there. I use a thermometer probe on the hot hide top middle and bottom rack shelves and in addition to the T-stat probe I place a thermometer probe on the 2nd and 4th shelf heat source. I know if any of the flexwatt goes dead, and exactly what the temps are doing. I set the T-stat at 95º and that delivers a safe range in the tubs (I loose 2-4º to the tub) the failsafe is set at 100º it is enough to allow the primary to adjust but not enough to burn the snakes. I also run a secondary heat source and Tstat off a battery back up system (transfer switch and battery bank with an inverter and charging circuit) and secondary heat on the cool end to stabilize ambient temps.

Empty tub is EXACTLY like the other tubs minus water in the water bowl and the snake. It has substrate and hide just like any other tub. I put the probe I am monitoring under the substrate inside the empty hide, just like you are minus the snake. What I want is to know that the closest my snakes can get to the heat source is not too hot for them. I keep one empty tub for each set of flexwatt, so I have three altogether.

Yes, I only inch the tub open enough to aim the IR gun into the hide. Pull it open too far or too fast and it skews the readings.

And yes, if your snake coils up on the probe, the heat it traps will change the reading. I don't think I've ever seen a 10 degree difference in the outside of the hide and the inside, but 5 or 6 degrees I've seen. And yes some hides trap heat better than others do. This is also why it is important to provide a heat gradient. If one of mine gets a little too warm in their hide, they come out and curl around it for a little while to let the hide cool down then go back. I have seen this. I hope this helps you.

Gale