hot side not hot enough??

hey guys i havent posted on here for a while cause everything has been great. anyways i noticed that my male BP is spending most of his time in his cool side hide. which is weird cause its winter and although i live in So Cal and its not freezing its still chilly. i have a temp gun and it is reading 82 right now on the hot side floor. i have a UTH that is on a thermostat and the thermostat is set to 92.... whats going on here?? i also have a heat light over that hot side to boost the temp but it doesnt seem to be working.... could it be time for a new thermostat??

thanks

What is the ambient temp? From the sound of it this is too cold. How much substrate do you have down. This too can block the heat. It is possiable that the air and conditions are warmer on the cool end than the hot. Snakes see heat the ir gun see surface temps.

i do not have to much substrate down. and the ambient temps are probably between 70 and 75.... how long do thermostats last for? i have had it constantly plugged in since 2009.....

Oh I missed your first bit of your post I thought it was new ish. Thermostats can fail and so can heating elements, Try unplugging the T-stat and plug it into a lamp Can you remove the probe? If you can set it beside the light it should come on and shortly shut off again. Try testing the heater too remove the snake and just plug it into the wall and feel it to be sure it is heating. It sounds like it is partially working my guess would be the heating elements but it is 50/50.

Might be easier to test the heater fist if it doesn't work it is likely the problem it is easier to test.

the UTH is fairly new... about a year and a moth.... i bought it last christmas... the T-stat is whats old... so i will test that when i get home from lame school. :/ thanks for your help

What is your uth? The solders/clips or bad wires can cause the heating element to not get as hot as it should.

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the UTH is a zoomed and so is the T-stat....i cant really take the UTH off of the tank and see if its getting hot cause its stuck under the glass... i wonder if i should just start over with new equip.... or heat tape???

Those Zoo-Med Thermostats really aren't that great. I would suggest that you at least get a Hydrofarm ($30 on amazon) or any of the herpstat models from Spyder Robotics (sold ion the spider robotics website entry model "Herpstat intro" is $99)

As for the UTH, give it a test, take your snake out of the tank, then plug it in to a wall outlet. give it 20 minutes or so and see if it is hot or not. (do not put your snake back in until everything has cooled back off) If the UTH is working then just keep using it, if not replace it.

ok so i just tested the UTH and its working great. it got hot quick when i pulled the probe out. what would be the best T-stat for my money. please take into consideration that i am a college student paying over 3,000 every three months just for tuition... not including books... so preferably one that is on the lower side of 100 bucks.... like 50 to 70 range...

I too am a college student so I feel your pain. A hydrofarm will be much better than what you have, and the Herpstat is about the best you can get. Either will be fine. Personally I use herpstats and love them.

do you have a website where i can pick one up.... the only local pet stores around here are petco and pet smart.... and u know what they sell. haha

Herpstats (they have multiple models, all work great)

http://spyderrobotics.com/

Hydrofarm:

http://www.amazon.com/Hydrofarm-MTPR.../dp/B000NZZG3S

alright thanks. i really appreciate all of your info.... i am going to order one right now. is the herpstat better quality....??

Hydrofarms are non-proportional thermostats. this means that it turns the UTH on and off full blast to maintain the desired temperature. This causes them to be less actuate.

Herpstats are proportional thermostats this means that they vary the amount of power to keep the desired temperature. They are extremely accurate, and are built better.

well after reading that i just ordered my herpstat... it hurt to blow 100 bucks just like that but oh well my BP is totally worth it. he better like his new toy dammit!!!!!

he will, its an investment, but it should last the rest of your snakes life at least

thanks again

no problem