Animal Plastics Owners...Please Help!

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Originally Posted by bg1906

Does this sound factual? What does everyone think? Matt and Adam...I'm all ears!

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I have no idea ... I've never used "heat rope" or an Animal Plastics "cage".

I think some of the other AP owners would be able to help out a lot better than me.

-adam

I also have the probe taped to the cable on the outside of the enclosure, thermo reads 91.8 in the enclosure and I have the T-stat set at 94* so its a little over 3* off but works out great. The main reason I did it this way was safety. Many times my snakes have dislodged and move one of my thermo probes, if they did this to a T-stat probe the heat would jump up as the probe would not get a accurate reading.

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Originally Posted by Python-77

I also have the probe taped to the cable on the outside of the enclosure, thermo reads 91.8 in the enclosure and I have the T-stat set at 94* so its a little over 3* off but works out great. The main reason I did it this way was safety. Many times my snakes have dislodged and move one of my thermo probes, if they did this to a T-stat probe the heat would jump up as the probe would not get a accurate reading.

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Have you temp gunned areas of the heat cable from inside the cage and noticed varible temps, some as high as 100? I'm just wondering even though those areas are so small (mind you other parts of the cable i measured in high 80s - low 90s), does Mark's (AP) "absorbing the average temperatures" statement seem accurate?

BTW: The probe I will move to outside the cage and attach it to the Heat Cable. Do you do it just at the end where it comes out or a bit further underneat the cage?

I tape the probe to the end of the cable, I also have all my elevated 1/4" from each other so that the heat doesnt build up and create hot spots. I use my temp gun and the highest reading I have gotten was 95* but that was awhile ago before I elevated the enclosures.

i don't have any direct knowledge with the heat cable but i have alot of hvac smarts! lol i think you're using the herpstat 2 since it's proportional you could tape it directly to the the heat cable and you won't confuse a proportional stat. whatever temp you set is the temp of the cable itself. you then have to adjust your setting to achieve the desired temp. for example if you wanted a hot side of 92-94, you might run your stat at 94-95.
i use flexwatt and proportional stats and i always tape my probes directly to the heat tape and adjust until i get the proper temps in the cage. btw the raytek guns can and will vary 2-3 deg. surface contact temps and ambient air temps are different, don't sweat it though they are precise enough to fit our needs for them.

a non-proportional stat may be confused or go on/off constantly if you taped their probes directly to the heat source.


vaughn

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Originally Posted by kavmon

i don't have any direct knowledge with the heat cable but i have alot of hvac smarts! lol i think you're using the herpstat 2 since it's proportional you could tape it directly to the the heat cable and you won't confuse a proportional stat. whatever temp you set is the temp of the cable itself. you then have to adjust your setting to achieve the desired temp. for example if you wanted a hot side of 92-94, you might run your stat at 94-95.
i use flexwatt and proportional stats and i always tape my probes directly to the heat tape and adjust until i get the proper temps in the cage. btw the raytek guns can and will vary 2-3 deg. surface contact temps and ambient air temps are different, don't sweat it though they are precise enough to fit our needs for them.

a non-proportional stat may be confused or go on/off constantly if you taped their probes directly to the heat source.


vaughn

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Thanks Vaughn. That's what I will do then.

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Originally Posted by kavmon

i don't have any direct knowledge with the heat cable but i have alot of hvac smarts! lol i think you're using the herpstat 2 since it's proportional you could tape it directly to the the heat cable and you won't confuse a proportional stat. whatever temp you set is the temp of the cable itself. you then have to adjust your setting to achieve the desired temp. for example if you wanted a hot side of 92-94, you might run your stat at 94-95.
i use flexwatt and proportional stats and i always tape my probes directly to the heat tape and adjust until i get the proper temps in the cage. btw the raytek guns can and will vary 2-3 deg. surface contact temps and ambient air temps are different, don't sweat it though they are precise enough to fit our needs for them.

a non-proportional stat may be confused or go on/off constantly if you taped their probes directly to the heat source.vaughn

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I do the same thing.. I have tried the probes in the cage over the flexwatt and the snake woudl always rip them off, pee on them or what ever and I woudl walk in and see the t-stat saying it 400 degrees and I woudl have a small seziure..lol.. I agree with Vaughn, put it directly on the rope(above probably) an you will ahve to set it slightly higher than what your actually looking for.. You da man Vaughn:)

Thanks to everyone. I put the probe on the heat cable and went to wal-mart and got a new acurite (i popped the probe cable on the other one). Wal-mart was much cheaper for the newer model. 9 bux! I paid 20 bux for the other one off of ebay! Anyways, this morning the temps were: 83.1 cool side and 92.3 on warm side. There were still areas on the warm side with the temp gun higher than 92 and some lower than 92, same thing on the cool side (some higher and some lower) but nothing that seemed drastic. The humidy with nothing in theer is 47%. The temps of 100s are gone though. So I'll add the substrate and hides in tonight. I'll also add her water bowl with water and take some flicks (pics). She comes home tomorrow! Then she gets 7-10 day quiet time to adjust! Then 1st feed! Wish the boy luck!


Thanks again all. You all are the BEST! BP.NET 4 Life! :community :cool:

i have a t11 for my ball. i use a johnsons controls thromstat with the heat cable. it is set to 92 on the hot side. the probe was sealed around the crimp with the same silicon used to seal the cage it was then taped to the botom of the hot cage about 1 inch from the cable. i have an acurite from walmart set on the cool side with the outside probe taped directly over the heat cable. the johnsons and the acurate are always within 2 degrees of each other if they very at all in the readings. hot side ranges from 90 to 93 and cool side is always 83/84 i had to install some large closeable vents (thanks home depot heat registers) becuase with cypress mulch the humidity was reaching off the scale (100% +) now the humidity is controlable by opening and closeing the vents. (50 to 70% during shed cycles) the cage is a natural setting with many silk/fake vines, plants, slate rocks flower pot hides, large water dish and a small climbing perch. i will be posting pics soon. and ginger roams all over this cage late at night.