Keep melting Zoomed UTH's on my tubs... Is my setup wrong?

Hi,

Your hot end should be about a third of the size of the tank if at all possible - that leaves it pleanty of room to move away from the heat and thermoregulate properly.

You might be able to set both tubs so that both tubs are on the same mat at the warm end connected to one reptitemp set to give you the 93f and the same placement on the cool end with the other reptitemp set to 82f.

I'm not sure how you have a UTH that is hot enough to melt and deform plastic and feel extremely hot to your hand and still only be getting 92f inside the tub on the surface of the plastic - how thick are these danged things?

Leave the censor there for a little while and see if it goes up - this is where the infra-red thermometers win. They are also great for chasing the cat with. :twisted:


dr del

I actually find the ZooMed UTHs are a bit hot--I don't have a thermostat, mind you, but my IR thermometer says my 20gal ZooMed UTH is currently 119F. I've been keeping it side-mounted on a glass tank, rather than under, because I worry about it damaging the desk and/or the ball pythons.

I've got a Desert Heatwave UTH under my big glass tank. I think it's ExoTerra? Not sure. It stays a lot cooler without a thermostat, maybe 85F. Even so, the girls in that tank tend to hang out on the edges of the hot spot, rather than right on top of it.

I've also heard that these thing tend to run hotter over time. I don't think I'd keep them as a long-term heating solution for racks, because they kind of worry me.

Hope the flexwatt works out for you!