Cage Heating (Radiant Panel vs Belly Heat)

i tried something new with my new enclosure , I put the probe close to the top on the cold side opposite where the rhp is ..... before i installed the rhp my tank stayed at room temp ( 70-72 ) after installation I achieved 82 ambient temps with the panel set at 82 and the hottest spot under the panel is 91 ....all i know rhps make it easy for me....

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Originally Posted by mshadows

i tried something new with my new enclosure , I put the probe close to the top on the cold side opposite where the rhp is ..... before i installed the rhp my tank stayed at room temp ( 70-72 ) after installation I achieved 82 ambient temps with the panel set at 82 and the hottest spot under the panel is 91 ....all i know rhps make it easy for me....

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How did you measure the temps? Probe thermometer, temp gun, etc.?

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Originally Posted by KMG

How did you measure the temps? Probe thermometer, temp gun, etc.?

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...all of the above ...

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Originally Posted by mshadows

...all of the above ...

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What's the cage type and dimensions?

...mdf 36 x 24 x 12

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Originally Posted by mshadows

i tried something new with my new enclosure , I put the probe close to the top on the cold side opposite where the rhp is ..... before i installed the rhp my tank stayed at room temp ( 70-72 ) after installation I achieved 82 ambient temps with the panel set at 82 and the hottest spot under the panel is 91 ....all i know rhps make it easy for me....

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This is very similar to the wat I have my probe set up and I am getting close to the same results. I am not concerned if the surface of my panel reaches 190 as it is mounted to the ceiling of my cage and there is no possible way my snake can lay on them. Worst possible situation is that they brush against them and that temp is not hot enough to cause burns for brief encounters. My cages are made of 3/4" plywood and hold temps incredibly well. ( maybe the wood has something to do with why we are getting good results? Or maybe its the probe positions?) Who knows? As for kitedemon, I WILL NOT ARGUE WITH YOU about UTH being more efficient, because you are right it is but you can get satisfactory results from RHPs. One thing to keep in mind as well, once all objects acclimate to the desired temps my panels do not run at full 80 watts. They are proportioned down by my herpstat to run just enough to maintain my dedired temps. Works like a dream!!!!! One thing I wil say to those who run tests with rhp is that it takes almost 48 hours for the environment to stabilize before you will get accurate results. Rhp will raise ambiant air temps BUT not directly, indirectly by heating objects, substrates, etc. But that reaction takes time. The best part about that is the fast recovery time my air temps have if I open the csge doors. If the hot air escapes the objects retain their temps giving me fast recory times and therefore a more stable environment than let say a light or something that only heats the air. UTH will do the same for they run on the same comcept of rhp, they heat objects. In theory radiant heat is radiant heat and yes it is a nice benefit that they are cheaper in cost butmy snakes do not lay on my panels so if worst case my thermostat were to totally fail my snakes would have no chance at getting burned. ( they would sense a change in airtemps and retreat to the cold side where they would be safe) but as hot rocks have shown us all, snakes will not leave a surface that over heats rather they will stay there and get burned. Why that is I dont have any idea but its the facts. THAT is why I choose to have an overhead source of heat rather than a surface heater. It has nothing to do with efficiency.

Plywood is just not a good material for a cage. Yes they hold heat very well but they are also hard to clean correctly.

Have you tested a rhp being unregulated in your cage type. If so what's the air temp get up to? If not I think you should. A snake can be killed by different types of heat not just surface heat.

Just wanted to point out that in your first post you gave no details of your caging and only made statements that rhp are better and that you get them to work perfect. I can assure you if you had PVC cages like we do you would be having the same issues we do. The plywood works better with rhp and that's great but include the fact that you are not using a PVC cage so the op will not get the wrong impression and think they can get the same results as you when they don't realize your using different materials.

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Originally Posted by KMG

Just wanted to point out that in your first post you gave no details of your caging and only made statements that rhp are better and that you get them to work perfect. I can assure you if you had PVC cages like we do you would be having the same issues we do. The plywood works better with rhp and that's great but include the fact that you are not using a PVC cage so the op will not get the wrong impression and think they can get the same results as you when they don't realize your using different materials.

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KMG , you make an excellent point there, different materials do have different reactionsas well as enclosure size. I am using 4'×2'×2' the added head space does give me an advantage. I apologize if I came off hard or with little detail but there are some things that are not known by all. There is a certain individual that has been on my case since I joined this group and does all he can to discredit ANYTHING I have to say and to be honest I have had enough of it. There are more than one solution to any given problem, not just the views of one. I have open tested my panels and they max out at about 100 deg on the hot side which leaves the cold side at 91ish. Both way to hot YES, but survivable.remember this is a worst case scenario. I apologize to the OP for lack of details in my post. Also KMG all surfaces of the cage interiors have been lined with frp ( fiberglass reinforced plastic) or what some call hospital board. This makes them incredibly easy to clean and sanitary.

I never said you could not, but you constantly have given advise based on myths. I have been tinkering in an empty enclosure for over a year now. I have been calibrating and woking with Radiant IR driers for just over 19 years. Add two years of using them with arboreal animals. I have a very good understanding of what they do and how they do it. I have never said your set ups don't work just to stop using myths to sell the idea of them they can stand on their own merits. Please keep in mind you have suggested using a RHP in an 11 inch enclosure, you suggest pro panels I understand this is inside their min recommended distance.


Over a grab bag of exchanges you have said all kinds of things.

Checking ambient temps with an IR gun. I pointed out if true you would only read the air in the body of the gun (objects not air...)
•Have you decided to use an accurate probed one ? Have you checked a shaded air temp yet placing a probe under a RHP only checks the surface of the probe not the air.•

You said RHP are very efficient, more so than UTH. I figure more cost, more power, and far more heat loss means less efficiency.

You said that plastic was dangerous inside an enclosure, and still you have plastic panels over wood, plastic RHPs. I don't think you believe your enclosures are dangerous and as glass reinforced polyester melts at lower temps than PVC, PVC is equally safe or safer as it is very difficult to actually burn. Can we assume that if the inside of the enclosure gets to 200ºC the snake will be cooked before the plastic melts.

You feel that black objects do not get hotter than white objects under radiant heat (the sun) . You felt this is a laughable idea.

You have also ignored the vertical gradient issues and suggested that 90º floor temps while ignoring the top of the hide was fine. I will not ever suggest subjecting a snake to temps over 94º ever is a good idea and the top of the hide is included.

My beef is simple give advise based on truth, RHPs do not directly heat air. They cost more than UTH. They may or may not require supplement heat to raise ambient air temps. There is a min set up distance some suppliers say upwards of 22 inches from face to floor. Probe placement can be tricky finding a spot that it cannot become dislodged, blocked by objects, or snakes. You recommend things repeatedly based on things that are not true. RHP do not belong in low enclosures less than 18 inches IMO I can accept variation but really not 12 not even mentioning 11 like you have just recommended in contradiction to one of your earlier posts. You claim 'keep egos out' then stop trying to undermine my points by hypocritical statements. Contradicting yourself to make a 'fool of me' (or words to that effect, that you said, and then started in on the plastic in enclosure can melt and cause burns, is that your position or is plastic safe again? Or perhaps polyester is not, in your mind, plastic?)

RHP are great when you understand how they work, they are not the fix every situation, and use them in every enclosure solution, you always make them out to be. They have up sides and down sides like everything else. Sometimes the inexpensive simple solution works better do not take buyers remorse out on me.