Two heat sources on one thermostat?

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Originally Posted by Ax01

yep, make sure the placement is like how it's outlined in this helpful diagram from Mr Mod Pitontheprowl.

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../5/crayola.jpg


Edit: also looks like that thermostat u have is rated up to 600watts which would be good for running a rack w/ a long strip of heattape and your UTH is rated up to 24watts. u don't have to buy the higher wattage thermostat if they offer a lower watt one for less.

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I did it exactly like this...and my readings are off. I have my thermostat set high like at 110° to see if inside the hide it can reach at least 90°. But it's not. The highest reading I'm getting is 85

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Originally Posted by Red357

I did it exactly like this...and my readings are off. I have my thermostat set high like at 110° to see if inside the hide it can reach at least 90°. But it's not. The highest reading I'm getting is 85

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Your readings aren't necessarily off. It's probably that the heat isn't penetrating to the surface. If your ambient temps aren't high enough, a UTH may never be able to create a warm enough hot spot because the heat will dissipate too quickly due to the low ambient temperature.

What's the temp in the room were the enclosure is located? I'll bet it's too low to use only a UTH.

Hook up the CHE to the thermostat and use that. You may need to play with the settings a bit, but I guarantee in short order you'll achieve the right temperature gradient.

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Originally Posted by JRLongton

Your readings aren't necessarily off. It's probably that the heat isn't penetrating to the surface. If your ambient temps aren't high enough, a UTH may never be able to create a warm enough hot spot because the heat will dissipate too quickly due to the low ambient temperature.

What's the temp in the room were the enclosure is located? I'll bet it's too low to use only a UTH.

Hook up the CHE to the thermostat and use that. You may need to play with the settings a bit, but I guarantee in short order you'll achieve the right temperature gradient.

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🤔 good question. Honestly I'm not sure. I'm pretty sure it drops to low 70's at night. But during the middle of the night when I had the UTH connected directly to the wall (no thermostat) it was warm inside that hide. I think a little too warm. That's why I did this setting here with the thermostat

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Originally Posted by JRLongton

Your readings aren't necessarily off. It's probably that the heat isn't penetrating to the surface. If your ambient temps aren't high enough, a UTH may never be able to create a warm enough hot spot because the heat will dissipate too quickly due to the low ambient temperature.

What's the temp in the room were the enclosure is located? I'll bet it's too low to use only a UTH.

Hook up the CHE to the thermostat and use that. You may need to play with the settings a bit, but I guarantee in short order you'll achieve the right temperature gradient.

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Sorry forgot to ask. What's a CHE? I don't think I've heard of that before. Unless I've heard it named something else.

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It's important to measure the actual surface of the glass, not the substrate. Snakes can and will burrow and push substrate around and lay directly on the glass.

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Originally Posted by Red357

I did it exactly like this...and my readings are off. I have my thermostat set high like at 110° to see if inside the hide it can reach at least 90°. But it's not. The highest reading I'm getting is 85

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Edit: Craig got to it first.

Also, I think it's an important note that even if the glass doesn't feel that hot too you, it could be hot enough to burn your snake. Since we are warm blooded, things won't feel hot until they are hotter than the extremity in contact with it (let's say hands are usually high 80's low 90's) so a surface adequate for the snake to heat itself with is likely going to feel fairly neutral to your touch.

Now, the danger is that when we think of burns we think of how we might burn, but the process is different partly because we are warm blooded and our tissues react to mild sources of heat differently than our scaly friends. Even if we think we can leave our hand on the surface all day and all night, and it doesn't 'feel very hot' the sensitive skin of your snake (which does not have the somewhat built-in temperature regulation that us warm blooded humans do) could still burn if they fail to move off of the heat source soon enough, and historically they are not very good at telling temperature with their bellies.

Sorry to be long-winded, just thought a detailed explanation might help. I agree with the others that getting an additional thermostat is the way to go.

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Originally Posted by Red357

I had the UTH connected directly to the wall (no thermostat) it was warm inside that hide. I think a little too warm.

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Yeah, don't do that. Never run any heat source without a thermostat.

To answer your other question, a CHE is a Ceramic Heat Emitter. Very useful and commonly used method to warm a reptile enclosure. If you can't keep the temps right with a UTH, then get a CHE, and use it with the thermostat. Placement of the temp probe will be different with a CHE. I'll let others chime in on that as I've never used a CHE before, RHP all the way for me!

If you ask questions and take the advice you get here seriously, you'll do fine. This community wants you to be successful and to have a healthy and long-lived snake.

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Originally Posted by -ryan-

Edit: Craig got to it first.

Also, I think it's an important note that even if the glass doesn't feel that hot too you, it could be hot enough to burn your snake. Since we are warm blooded, things won't feel hot until they are hotter than the extremity in contact with it (let's say hands are usually high 80's low 90's) so a surface adequate for the snake to heat itself with is likely going to feel fairly neutral to your touch.

Now, the danger is that when we think of burns we think of how we might burn, but the process is different partly because we are warm blooded and our tissues react to mild sources of heat differently than our scaly friends. Even if we think we can leave our hand on the surface all day and all night, and it doesn't 'feel very hot' the sensitive skin of your snake (which does not have the somewhat built-in temperature regulation that us warm blooded humans do) could still burn if they fail to move off of the heat source soon enough, and historically they are not very good at telling temperature with their bellies.

Sorry to be long-winded, just thought a detailed explanation might help. I agree with the others that getting an additional thermostat is the way to go.

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Great point. I didn't think about it like that.

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Originally Posted by JRLongton

Yeah, don't do that. Never run any heat source without a thermostat.

To answer your other question, a CHE is a Ceramic Heat Emitter. Very useful and commonly used method to warm a reptile enclosure. If you can't keep the temps right with a UTH, then get a CHE, and use it with the thermostat. Placement of the temp probe will be different with a CHE. I'll let others chime in on that as I've never used a CHE before, RHP all the way for me!

If you ask questions and take the advice you get here seriously, you'll do fine. This community wants you to be successful and to have a healthy and long-lived snake.

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Is a CHE a light bulb?

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Originally Posted by Red357

Is a CHE a light bulb?

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No, but it works the same, without shining any light. It screws in like a bulb, but just throws heat without any light