Confused about UTH And Thermostat

Had to ask some questions, is it ok if the uth in the middle is hotter from the rest? cause i have to different brands of UTH and they are both hotter on in the middle and colder as it gets to the edges.

also i discovered that when i setted my thermostat to 36C(94F) the tempreture rises to about 101-105F when the thermostats cuts power to the UTH is this ok ?

certain spots on the uth will be hotter or colder.
what kind of thermostat are u using? set it so that the hottest it will get is 94 and it will cool down to about 89 or so.

But should i put the thermostat's probe on the hotest part?
i set my thermostat on 34C(94F) but still got up to 101-105F before it cut the power. Of Course i fixed that by setting the thermostat to a low setting.

also does somebody know a way to test if a tempgun is working correctly?

The best way to work with a thermostat/UTH combo is this: Make sure the stat probe is taped to the UTH over the center. Then, adjust the setting on your thermostat until you get the desired 93-95 reading on your thermometer INside the enclosure right over the UTH spot. You want the place inside the cage right over the heat source to be the hottest acceptable temperature, then the temp on top of the bedding will be a few degrees cooler.

The numbers on the thermostat are NOT what you would be concerned about. The number you want to watch is that of the thermometer inside. I have several stats set to over 102 in order to get the 94 I want inside. :)

Also, tempguns are usually the most accurate things out there, but they can be a little tricky to use when they're the smaller type. Why do you ask about testing? What is the difference between your digital thermometer reading and your temp gun reading?

to clarify, the thermostat probe goes on the outside of the cage, taped to the Bottom of the UTH or in between the UTH and the bottom of the enclosure.

Can I add 2 questions to this because this is helping me to.


1) What kind of tape do you use to tape the probes to the UTH?



2) I have been measuring temps on top of my substrate. Should I be measuring under it instead?

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Originally Posted by Seru1

Can I add 2 questions to this because this is helping me to.


1) What kind of tape do you use to tape the probes to the UTH?



2) I have been measuring temps on top of my substrate. Should I be measuring under it instead?

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Aluminum tape works very well. It is heat resistant so it doesn't loose its stickyness.

Your substrate shouldn't be very thick. The temperature difference between the top of the substrate and right on the glass should only be a few degrees. You want to measure the hottest point the snake can get too, right where the UTH is on the glass. If you measure 95* at this point, the temperature on the substrate should be only a few degrees lower.

My substrate is about a quarter of an inch thick, but the plastic floor of the cage could read say 100* While the top only reads 91-92.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Seru1

My substrate is about a quarter of an inch thick, but the plastic floor of the cage could read say 100* While the top only reads 91-92.

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No point in the enclosure should be hotter then 95*F. If the bottom of the cage is getting to 100*, turn down your thermostat. If the snake needs too, it will move the substrate to get closer to the heat source. Sometimes they do this on purpose, and sometimes they don't. That is why you need to make sure that spot doesn't get too hot if they do happen to lay directly on it.

ooooh I see thank you!


Sadly I just ordered my new thermostat today and this is as low as my rheostat will go. I suppose I should just turn it off though.

i read somwere on snakes forums that the probe should be on the substrate in the snakes hide and thats how i made it. well i will change it altought i doubt it will have any advantage since im using newspaper as substrate and layered not shreded so its the same temp as the glass but im soon changing into wood chips. could that be the problem why my tempgun is marking 101-105F and the thermostat is still on??

also i want to check the tempgun because i dont have a thermometre inside i check temps with tempgun since i was told its the most accurate thing to buy.

Are you shooting the temp gun right onto the glass? If so, you might be getting a wrong reading since it can't take temps of reflective surfaces very well.

no im shooting it at the newspaper

:) Yes, your problem is that the thermometer probe is on top of the substrate. But don't feel bad, it's a common mistake. Even I used to think that where the snake spent its time was where the probe should go. But no, the probe is best placed right on the floor of the cage over the heat pad. Don't worry too much about the temps on top of the substrate, if the snake is cold they will burrow down. :D

And yes, aluminum foil tape is the best tape for the probe on the UTH. For the probes inside cages on the thermometers, I use velcro since NO tape should EVER be used inside a cage.

so does the prob go on the inside or outside?because mine are on the inside of my vision cages and if thats not right i will fix asap...thanks

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Originally Posted by Marc from CT

so does the prob go on the inside or outside?because mine are on the inside of my vision cages and if thats not right i will fix asap...thanks

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The thermoSTAT probe goes on the outside right on the UTH, and the thermoMETER probe goes inside the cage under the substrate, right over where the UTH is.

Ok Now I Encountered a Program , i did as said here i putted the probe under the tank over the UTH (i have enough space for both the UTH and the probe to fit so no need to tape) and now the thermostat is turning off quickly so i think its working as it should. i changed my substrate to wood chips and the tempreture with the tempgun over the wood chips is reading about 79 - 81F isnt this too low for a ball python? i putted a very thin layer of wood chips. please somebody can tell me whats happening?!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by DarkSmoke

Ok Now I Encountered a Program , i did as said here i putted the probe under the tank over the UTH (i have enough space for both the UTH and the probe to fit so no need to tape) and now the thermostat is turning off quickly so i think its working as it should. i changed my substrate to wood chips and the tempreture with the tempgun over the wood chips is reading about 79 - 81F isnt this too low for a ball python? i putted a very thin layer of wood chips. please somebody can tell me whats happening?!

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Check the surface temperature of the glass right where the UTH is. I would use a probed thermometer for this. You want this temp to be no higher then 95*. You will probably have to turn up your thermostat higher than 95* to obtain a temp inside the tank in the low 90's.

my problem right now is that in malta the max thermostatsi found are 35C about 95F and i have wich i bought them 60euros and i don't wish to throw them away, and i don't have a probed thermometre only a tempgun, is there a different way to do this?

for example can i put a piece of news paper were the UTH is on the glass so i get the correct reading with the tempgun ?

Hi,

Ah yes I have encountered that temp range problem before. :(

I would get the temp gun ready and just scoop away the substrate inside the hot end hide and quickly shoot the floor. This should let you know how close to the right temps you are getting at the moment. If the temp gun doesn't read glass very well you could try using a piece of low tack painters tape to temporarily give you somehting to shoot at.

What type of thermostat did you get? And is there a gap between the tank floor and the heatmat?


dr del

yes the glass tank is sitting ontop of 2 piecies of furniture one a little bit shorter then the other with just enough space for the UTH and the probe to go under , i was lucky.

is putting a news paper under the substrate and then tacking the read on the thin one page news paper enough? also when you shoot the temp gun on the wood chips is it reading good? or the wood chips stay cold so thats the case of bad temp im getting from the tempgun?

Hi,

Is there enough space between the uTH and the bottom of the tank for anther few milimeters of stuff? Just trying to think ahead.

You could try the newspaper yes.

It really depends how deep your chips are as mentioned before - wood isn't a bad insulator - that's why it makes good snake tanks.


dr del

Ok so after she digested her last meal and before feeding her again today i putted some newspaper/magazine pages under the wood chips and when i came from work before feeding i gave a shot of the tempgun on the magazin pages.

The tempreture ranges from 88 - 91F wich i think its good since the temp should be up to 94F on the UTH and some degress less above.

But Surprisingly my snake is not warm and is a bit cool to the touch , maybe she was runing around her viv before i came from work so she was cold because today was feeding day?

Anyway do you think my tempretures are good and should i leave them as they are?
thanks in advance for your help!

they sound fine, I think it is time for you to stop worrying. Your snake will feel warm or cool to the touch depending on how warm or cool your hands are.