UTH won't stick

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Originally Posted by maskedburito

I have read many conflicting opinions about the probe being in the enclosure or not...I understand and see great arguments for each side

It seems to make sense to have the probe on the inside so i know what the temperature is, where the snake would be, why would I want to measure the temperature of the outside. Im assuming there is issues with correct temperature measurements.

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If your Snake rests on top of the probe it could feed back incorrect temps to the t-stat I believe.

Also your snake could go to the bathroom over the probe damaging it, causing it to give incorrect temps back to the t-stat.

Having it on the outside would give me peace of mind. I had done this for 3 years and never had a single problem.

When I put thermometer probes into my snakes warm side hide, if he lay on top of them it would always tell me the temp is much higher than what it was.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by maskedburito

I have read many conflicting opinions about the probe being in the enclosure or not...I understand and see great arguments for each side.

It seems to make sense to have the probe on the inside so i know what the temperature is, where the snake would be, why would I want to measure the temperature of the outside. Im assuming there is issues with correct temperature measurements.

But also I just spent 300 dollars on a herpstat and now I would have to go buy another temperature probe for the inside, why not just put it on the inside originally?

I am worried if I put the probe on the outside I will not have the correct temperature on the inside, even if Im checking with the thermometer overtime.

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Your probe isn't telling you what temperature your warm spot is. The only thing it's doing is making sure your UTH is providing a steady, safe temperature. It can't do this if something on the inside of the enclosure impacts its ability to relay back to the UTH reliably. There are zero great arguments for putting the probe for a thermostat controlling a UTH inside of the enclosure. The setting that you set your thermostat to is determined by the reading that you get from a surface thermometer. The infrared types are very reliable and you shouldn't have to spend more than $30-$40 (including shipping) to get a good one.

For example (with the probe on the outside):

• Set thermostat to 90. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 85. Turn thermostat up to 95. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 90. Perfect!
• Set thermostat to 100. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 98. Turn thermostat down to 92. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 90. Perfect!

For example (with the probe on the inside):

• Set thermostat to 90. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 90. Perfect! Snake buries down to get to 90 temp and moves probe off of UTH. Probe thinks temp is only 80 and tells the UTH to crank it up 10 degrees. Temp on thermostat still reads 90 or lower, but actual temp on glass is MUCH hotter because probe got moved. Burned snake!
• Set thermostat to 90. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 90. Pefect! Snake spills water/pees on warm side, cooling it off. Probe thinks temp is only 75 and tells the UTH to crank it up 15 degrees. Temp on thermostat still reads 90 or lower, but actual temp on glass is MUCH hotter because probe got wet. Burned snake!

Well that was very helpful thank you!

That was well said. I guess my concern was it was nice having the probe (which also tells me the temperature, herpstat) tell me what the actual temperature is rather than having to always check with a temp gun. Plus I think the herpstat is more accurate than a temp gun, higher quality etc.

But I will move the probe to between the glass and the UTH and play with the numbers until I get what I want! I imagine when I find the right temperature, it won't fluctuate much and that will negate checking it super frequently.

Now to just find the balance between glass and substrate temperature.

Thanks everyone

Quote:

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Originally Posted by maskedburito

Well that was very helpful thank you!

That was well said. I guess my concern was it was nice having the probe (which also tells me the temperature, herpstat) tell me what the actual temperature is rather than having to always check with a temp gun. Plus I think the herpstat is more accurate than a temp gun, higher quality etc.

But I will move the probe to between the glass and the UTH and play with the numbers until I get what I want! I imagine when I find the right temperature, it won't fluctuate much and that will negate checking it super frequently.

Now to just find the balance between glass and substrate temperature.

Thanks everyone

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:D You're welcome. Herpstats are very reliable, so you shouldn't have to mess with it once you've done the initial set-up. I spot check a few tubs weekly, but honestly haven't needed to make any changes since the beginning. You're mostly checking to make sure the heat tape or probe themselves aren't going wonky, which is rare.

One more piece of advice - don't be concerned with the temp difference between the glass and the top of the substrate. The temp on the glass (the hottest possible spot in the enclosure) is what matters. Keep the substrate to a minimum - basically enough to soak up a spill or a big pee - and when your snake lies on the substrate, they will flatten it enough to make the actual difference very minimal. Typically, a snake will find a way to the glass anyway, so you want them to be safe when they do.