Temp problem

Hello all,

Well i noticed my warm side temp would sometimes get too hot. I have a UTH on a thermostat and i'd have it set to 92 and the accurite in the cage would read 105 and then hed be out moving around because he's too hot. Any suggestions?

It shouldn't sometimes get too hot on a thermostat, what type of thermostat are you using?

i have the Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats i dont have the money for a herpstats

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Originally Posted by OokamiReyuu

i have the Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats i dont have the money for a herpstats

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I use two of those, try turning the thermostat down to 90 and see what the temp reads after an hour or two.

Alright, i'll see how that works

what is your ambient room temp?

Some times in very cool rooms on/off style t-stats will swing and sometimes the swing can be dramatic.

Are you using a tub?

Tubs heat and cool very very quickly so any swing or over shoot will be almost instantly seen inside the tub. Adding a small air space between the tub (1/16 inch) and uth or a bit of glass (1/8 -1/4) between the tub and heater will slow the rate of heating down and take the edge off the spikes.

The third thing to always keep in mind is the possible deviation. The hydrofarm T-stat is spec'd at having an accuracy of +/- 3ºF so if you set 90 is could actually be reading anywhere between 87-93. The rest of that dilemma is the accurite is spec'd at +/- 2ºF so if is reading 90 the temperature could be really be between 88-92. If both are high 97-98 could easily be produced.

The cheapest way to check if they are close to correct or not is a stick on Liquid crystal thermometer. DO NOT STICK IT, just place in where the accurite probe is and wait ten min and see if they read the same. Do the same for the probe of the hydrofarm. They hopefully will be within a degree if farther make the deviation down and keep it in mind. LC thermometers typically have a +/- 0.5ºF range.

Both probs are under the warm side and i have a infrared temp gun. hes in a glass tank. The accurite is in between the paper towels while the hydrofarm prob is on the glass closets to the uth

Sounds like gain to me. What is the room temp?

About 74-76 i wan to get another UTH and hydrofarm and raise his temps up on the cool side. But i gotta wait til next week. i just had a big payment for my car

That may work but the ambient might still be too cool and the shift happen on both sides. Can you raise the air temps?

Are you using a plastic tub?

No i'm using a glass tank. And i dont know with it being summer and all

Just to be sure are your temps spiking and swinging from too hot to too cold over a short period of time?

Or are you seeing high temps stable?

they aren't really swinging besides the previous one i stated in the first but on the cool side it stays pretty much the same. it drops and rises earlier it was 78ish

Are you still seeing temps of 105? Did you turn down the t-stat?

No they are staying 88-92 and its set at 90

sounds like things are ok 78 cool is ok not ideal but not really too much of a problem. If you are finding the cool side temps low and the ambient air temp low addition of a flourscent light during the day may help if it is on the cover or inside it will give off heat during the day but not massive amounts just some. This can help raise the temps in a fairly natural way and allow for an over night drop especially if you can add some insulation (foam sheeting like blue or pink or even packing foam) to the sides or back.

Alright i'll goto walmart soon and get some stuff for the sides and back. About when should i move him up to a bigger tank? hes about 19 inches and 100 grams, probably more he just ate yesterday