RHP smell!!

We recently ordered two Animal Plastic T-10s for our snakes; cages are put together and ready to go, sealant is cured. However the RHPs smell to high heaven! Ordered them from Reptile Basics and they've been on now for about 2 weeks; tanks still smell like warm plastic.

How do we get rid of the smell so we can move our snakes into the tanks? We've taken the doors off and let them run (on the thermostat) and it seems better but once we put the doors back on a few hours later the smell is back.

Should we unplug them from the thermostat and run them to help burn off whatever is causing the smell?

We'd really like to use our new tanks :)

i'm interested in this too. i'll probably get another snake and will be doing a tub set-up but concerned about the fresh plastic smell. how do you get rid of the smell? does the smell do anything to the snake like make it nauseous, etc?

What kind of sealant did you use?

I didn't have a smell with my RHP... What does it smell like?

Sent from my A0001 using Tapatalk

My thinking is that its not from the RHP itself, but rather from a sealant in the pvc cage. Usually when you seal a cage with something like polyurethane there is a ton of outgassing that occurs once the RHP turns on.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by JoshSloane

My thinking is that its not from the RHP itself, but rather from a sealant in the pvc cage. Usually when you seal a cage with something like polyurethane there is a ton of outgassing that occurs once the RHP turns on.

---

I"ll have to look when I get home but it's the sealant that Animal Plastics send with their cages. But I also read that RHP's can outgas as well so not really sure which one is the culprit. I just know we don't want to put our snakes in there at the moment.

I would bet the majority of the smell is from the sealant. Take the rhp off the thermostat and let it run full blast in the enclosure. It will ramp up the rate of getting rid of the smell

I don't know about reptile basics RHPs but it may be worth giving them a call, when I had my Helix RHP they actually told me to run it at full blast out of the cage for a week in a well ventilated area to let it completely off gas...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using Tapatalk

Are you sure it isn't the PVC enclosure that you're smelling? I have 4 Reptile Basics RHPs that are different sizes and none of them had any plastic smell.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Just a thought, the sealant may require a certain time to cure before heat is applied. If the sealant hasn't had time to cure and then exposed to the heat it may not allow it to cure properly. Could swear I read somewhere that you need to allow the sealant to cure for a couple days before you crank on the RHP.

Depending on cure times and all, remove the doors and use a fan to blow them out while heating them.
Would like to know on the type of silicone too.

The sealant is Lexel and we let it cure over a week before finishing assembly and install the RHP's and turning them on. Per the instructions it said allow a week for full cure.

I'm going to try turning up the temp on the RHP's and running them hotter to see if that helps.

It is not odd for a panel to smell when brand new.

I have 3 different Pro-Products panels and every one of them started out with a "new" smell.

When I get a new cage I plug the panel in and let it run unregulated for a few days before I furnish the cage and hook up the stat.

The smell always goes away, just like a new car smell goes away after time.

My cages and sealant don't smell at all and I was told by the RHP maker that the panel would give off a smell when run for the first couple of days.

I'm not familiar with Reptile Basics panels, but I would not be surprised if at start-up you'd get a new smell for a bit.

However as others have mentioned your cage and sealant could be part of it.

With new caging, I recommend getting the cage fully set up and running it for a few days, then add the furnishings and run it another few days. Basically a week of checks and monitoring before adding the animal.

That's just my procedure but it has worked and I DON'T have a smell from the panel by the time the animal is ready to go in.


Edit:

I saw your post.

"The sealant is Lexel and we let it cure over a week before finishing assembly and install the RHP's and turning them on. Per the instructions it said allow a week for full cure.

I'm going to try turning up the temp on the RHP's and running them hotter to see if that helps."


Yes,,,, just let it run hot for a few hours, then shut it off and do it again.

RBI heat panels are considered some of the best in the biz. You can always call them and ask questions.

Has the smell went away yet? If it hasn't, maybe a picture of your cage would help identify the issue.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CoryHEO

Has the smell went away yet? If it hasn't, maybe a picture of your cage would help identify the issue.

---

Tanks are Animal Plastics T-10s with Reptile Basics RHPs installed. Sealant was Lexel which was supplied with the tanks.

RHP should be ran unregulated until completely outgassed. Any sealant should be outgassed at a higher temp than it is expected to ever see. Kill two birds with one stone and run the rhp unregulated inside and let both outgas, with doors open. I don't know the sealant so I don't know how long it should take, but stuff I use takes a couple days with an rhp blasting in there.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by OhhWatALoser

RHP should be ran unregulated until completely outgassed. Any sealant should be outgassed at a higher temp than it is expected to ever see. Kill two birds with one stone and run the rhp unregulated inside and let both outgas, with doors open. I don't know the sealant so I don't know how long it should take, but stuff I use takes a couple days with an rhp blasting in there.

---

Bingo!

I also think unless the smell is "odd" like burning or very, very pungent, it is just the new product heating up and breaking in.

I remember buying our last couple of gas stoves, and turning on the ovens for the first time. We'd get a "smell" because the units were brand, spanking new.


If things don't change after running it wide open for a couple of days, call Rich at Reptile Basics or e-mail and inquire.

Unfortunately nobody here can poke their snout into your cage area and tell you if it's typical.