Not a good day, but could have been worse..

I guess I jinxed myself when I said I never ran into problems with my Rack for the 6+ years I've had it :(

I started spot cleaning my tubs today when I thought the tubs felt warmer then usual over the heat tape area. So I got my temp gun and checked and yup.
Higher then it is supposed to be. Not "fatally" high (thank god) but not good..

Quickly unplugged the heat tape and checked all the snakes. Thankfully all were in the front of the tubs, away from the warm end. All look fine to me, no neuro signs, all look strong, alert. Normal muscle tone and reactions.

Found the problem. The probe from the thermostat was glued onto the heat tape and the glue broke off. The probe hung next to the heat tape. Thankfully it was right next to it, which must have kept it from going to high.

This rack has the heat tape underneath the tubs in a recess, then going up the side and under the next tub, etc. The probe was fixed on the tape along the wall, not under a tub.

Its fixed for now, and I hope I dodged the bullet. When I spot cleaned Saturday night, all was well. I am checking temps periodically, but not daily. I have my hands in those tubs almost every day, so I could tell the temp. difference as soon as I had my hand in the tub.

I'm going to check the probe daily from now on as well as hit a tub with the heat gun once the day.

Hopefully they are and stay fine. :tears:

Nah, be thankful. It is a very good day. Not finding it would have been a truly bad day.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

Nah, be thankful. It is a very good day. Not finding it would have been a truly bad day.

---

You are right, but I'm still beating up myself.

I should have checked daily. I don't think the temps were up that way for long, but anytime since Saturday night is possible... :tears:

I'm glad you found and fixed the problem before any damage was done Zina. It could have been much worse. ;)

Glad you found it. I had a probe slip once. The temps went to 112 really fast. It was while I was setting up the enclosure and getting everything stable. From that point on, I secure the probe at multiple points to prevent this. No use taking any chances.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by cletus

Glad you found it. I had a probe slip once. The temps went to 112 really fast. It was while I was setting up the enclosure and getting everything stable. From that point on, I secure the probe at multiple points to prevent this. No use taking any chances.

---

The hot glue held for all this time, not sure why it broke off :(

I have it taped on there for now with elec. tape, until I can get new glue sticks. I've heard gorilla glue hot glue sticks are better then regular ones..

My thermostat says not to use alu tape. To bad, that stuff sticks great, but not taking any chances..

I used to drive myself nuts with heat tape and sensors. To many failure points (at least in my head). Always checking and rechecking. I'm the kind of person who will check and make sure the oven is off in the middle of the night. If you are going to use heat tape, I would run another thermostat and probe inline so that one is a fail safe for the other. I don't deal with that craziness anymore other than in my isolation rack. I am now running ambient and it is a lot easier to figure out if something is wrong.

I wouldn't trust hot glue for anything other than decoration.

Glad to hear everything was fine, sounds like a good day to me. ;)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

I used to drive myself nuts with heat tape and sensors. To many failure points (at least in my head). Always checking and rechecking. I'm the kind of person who will check and make sure the oven is off in the middle of the night. If you are going to use heat tape, I would run another thermostat and probe inline so that one is a fail safe for the other. I don't deal with that craziness anymore other than in my isolation rack. I am now running ambient and it is a lot easier to figure out if something is wrong.

I wouldn't trust hot glue for anything other than decoration.

---

I would like to use ambient heat, but until I have one dedicated room in which I could do that, I have to rely on other methods.

How did you fasten the probe ? I researched that quite a bit and many people said to use hot glue on the tip and tape on the cable (or hot glue)

Was told not to use Alu tape. It sticks well but can mess with the readings. Electric tape doesn't stick well.

Grateful for any ideas :)

You bet I will check that probe every time I open a tub from now on.. Plus I will attach another probe to a digital thermometer, so the temp is always in front of me. (thanks Chris)

I always wondered how you put another thermostat on flex tape. I know some people connect two Ranco's to one another, but how else can one do that ?? If I plug in the heat tape to the thermostat, what do I plug into the second thermostat?? I mean, how will the second thermostat control the heat tape, if that is plugged into thermostat #1 ?

And that doesn't protect me from probe failure (if 2 thermostats are connected to one another), right ?

I'm just trying to understand how I can run 2 independent thermostats, each with their own probe, to one single flex heat tape, that only has one plug to put into one thermostat..

glad your snakes are ok. i use aluminum tape to tape the wire and the probe stays under the heat tape great!

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ax01

glad your snakes are ok. i use aluminum tape to tape the wire and the probe stays under the heat tape great!

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I could use that to tape the wire, but not supposed to use it on the probe itself (according to thermostat instructions)

But since the probe attaches to the side wall inside the rack, not underneath the tubs, I need something to keep the probe in contact with the tape, as gravity won't help me with that. I wish I could use the alu tape, as it sticks like crazy and its easy to use, but now I'm paranoid, LOL.

Hm, I guess I could push the probe between the wall and the tape, but since nothing is sitting on top of the tape, I'm not sure it would keep good contact that way.

I might try to use the probe under the tape, under a tub, in the recess. But I will have to see if that pushes the tape up to high, to where the tub will rub on it each time I pull it in and out.

I used aluminum tape for everything that did not have exposed contacts. I never had a problem. I am not a chemist but i would think that the temp fluctuations would really screw with the hot glue. Silicone maybe?? I am definitely open to better ideas also, since my isolation rack still has heat tape.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by JodanOrNoDan

I used aluminum tape for everything that did not have exposed contacts. I never had a problem. I am not a chemist but i would think that the temp fluctuations would really screw with the hot glue. Silicone maybe?? I am definitely open to better ideas also, since my isolation rack still has heat tape.

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I've never tried the Alu Tape for that. If that was ok, it would be a great way. It sticks well and takes heat.

But I'm hesitant to use it, it says in the instructions to not use any metal tape, it can create false readings or a "heat sink" or something along those lines ? Perhaps I need to investigate this further.

This is what I'm talking about .

This is in the Herpstat directions. Does that perhaps only apply to Herpstat thermostats ??

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...79923251_o.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zina10

I've never tried the Alu Tape for that. If that was ok, it would be a great way. It sticks well and takes heat.

But I'm hesitant to use it, it says in the instructions to not use any metal tape, it can create false readings or a "heat sink" or something along those lines ? Perhaps I need to investigate this further.

---

If heat syncing is why that is being recommended maybe surround the sensor with hot glue then put the aluminum tape over that. I am somewhat guessing because like I said, I have had no problems. Hopefully someone that has actually had an issue will chime in to help you out.

I went through a very similar thing once. The probe slipped out the back of an enclosure. I was fortunate to catch it soon as well.

So glad to hear that no one is worse for wear Zina. :)

the aluminum tape doesn't cover the probe, it only secures the wire. the probe is underneath and in direct contact with the heat tape in my racks. is there a way for u to secure the probe and wire using a screw/fastener? something like this:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2Fs-l1000.jpg

I use aluminum tape for pretty much every except securing the probe to the flex watt. I use a little piece of black electrical tape for that. Just on the tip to keep it flat and flush against the flex watt. I do use hot glue to secure thermometer probes inside my tubs.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ax01

the aluminum tape doesn't cover the probe, it only secures the wire. the probe is underneath and in direct contact with the heat tape in my racks. is there a way for u to secure the probe and wire using a screw/fastener? something like this:

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2Fs-l1000.jpg

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Hm, not really. The heat tape runs inside of the rack. It starts on a side wall (flush against the inside wall) then runs under the tub, in a recess, then up the other side wall, under the next tup, up the opposite sidewall and so on. It sort of "snakes" it way in a "s" shape under each tup and up a wall. The probe is attached to the tape on the side wall, as I can't put it under the tub (would rub the tub I think)

Here are a couple pics, disregard the weird reflection on back wall..

This is the bottom shelf. To the right is where the flex tape begins. You can see the holes where the cable comes in for the heat tape and also for the probe. Probe is fastened right there.

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...p/large/t1.jpg

Picture from further away, the distorted looking thing in the back is just a reflection of the heat tape

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...p/large/t2.jpg

and this is the next shelf up

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...p/large/t3.jpg

Hope this clears it up a bit..

and yes, time to vacuum and dust in there !!

are u opposed to moving the placement of your probe altogether? like this. run the wire like the arrows and place the probe in the recessed channel underneath the tape where the star is.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FWLODLyh.png

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Ax01

are u opposed to moving the placement of your probe altogether? like this. run the wire like the arrows and place the probe in the recessed channel underneath the tape where the star is.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FWLODLyh.png

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i think on this rack that channel isnt as deep as the probe would need to be..
Correct me if im wrong.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Ax01

are u opposed to moving the placement of your probe altogether? like this. run the wire like the arrows and place the probe in the recessed channel underneath the tape where the star is.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...%2FWLODLyh.png

---

I've actually considered putting the probe underneath the tape, It would keep it in place more securely.

However, the flextape sits in there pretty tight. It doesn't lift easily. The recess has kind of "lips' on both sides to keep it from lifting up. Even if I forced it up and stuck the probe underneath, I think the bump this would create would keep the tub from sliding in and out easily, causing rubs on the heat tape. Another safety issue :(

I absolutely appreciate all the help, tips and thoughts I keep getting, super nice of everyone !!! Thank you so much :)

One thing I could do, is put the probe behind the heat tape on one of the side walls. I'd still have to fasten it somewhat, but it would keep it from "falling off" completely. There is no recess on the walls.

UPDATE!

So this is what I ended up doing.

First of all I dusted and cleaned all levels ;)

Then I drilled a hole in the back at the middle level on the left side (side the heat tape runs up on)
I then routed the probe through the new hole and stuck it between the heat tape and the wall. It sits very snugly and has great contact with the heat tape. I taped the cable of the probe against the wall, just to make sure it won't get pulled out accidentally. I also taped the side of the heat tape to the wall to create a tighter fit, although that wasn't strictly necessary. That probe is going nowhere and I didn't need to use glue or tape or anything on the probe itself ;)

I also decided to use my new thermostat on the Rack. I had a "Helix" on it and it didn't give me trouble, but since I bought the Herpstat 2, I decided to use that one instead. I've heard the "dimming" setting is better for Racks anyway. I planned on using the Herpstat on a free standing tub and on my incubator, But I can use the Helix on the Incubator or get another Herpstat. Who knows, maybe the follicles (if there were any) got cooked and I won't need the incubator this year. :(
But as long as my snakes are fine, I'm happy.

Here are a couple of pictures that show the new setup. The last picture shows that there is plenty of clearance between the side of the tub and the probe placement. No chance of the tub sliding in and out causing issues.

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens.../large/1_6.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens.../large/2_5.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens.../large/3_7.jpg

http://photos.imageevent.com/morgens...29224921_n.jpg


I want to thank everybody once again. For your well wishes for my snakes, and for your thoughts and tips. It is what ultimately led me to figure out what to do. You all are the BEST!! :)

Excellent job of course!!! You did it better than any of our ideas. Nice & clean too. I love it. How do you like the herpstat so far? Did you set your Hi/Low Alarms ect...

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

Excellent job of course!!! You did it better than any of our ideas. Nice & clean too. I love it. How do you like the herpstat so far? Did you set your Hi/Low Alarms ect...

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I did set all that !!

I kept trying to push the wrong button while trying to set it up, LOL. But that is because the others are different to set up!

And the constant changing of the numbers on the display is a bit seizure inducing, but I shall get used to it ;) The safety of my babies is most important and if that thermostat works well, I'll just buy another one for the incubator.
I got extra fuses for the Herpstat when I ordered it, too, so there is that.

I'm staying up late to watch everything, and I will probably get up a couple of times tonight to check it again.
My snakes are certainly sick and tired of me checking on them constantly, pulling tubs in and out, and all that. They are giving me the evil eye. I'm sure they are glad that all is quiet. Finally. LOL

:)

Cool:gj:
I cant remeber did you get the Herp1 or 2? Ive never needed a fuse change. Where is it inside? I remember tttaylorrr having a problem but im not sure if that ended up a fuse or not. She bought it used & it wasnt working & she was going to call Spyder...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mr Sully

Cool:gj:
I cant remeber did you get the Herp1 or 2? Ive never needed a fuse change. Where is it inside? I remember tttaylorrr having a problem but im not sure if that ended up a fuse or not. She bought it used & it wasnt working & she was going to call Spyder...

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I got the Herpstat 2 .It's running a freestanding tub and my Rack. Plan was the Tub and the incubator. But this works, too ;)

I bought extra fuses because years ago the Helix blew a fuse. Only happend once in the 6 years, but when I saw that Spyder Robotics offers replacement fuses, and cheap, I got the 3-pack. Figured its a good thing to have at home, since they all take different ones. Even the different Herpstats take different fuses.

I think it might have been a power surge that messed up the Helix fuse ? Not sure, all I know was after putting in the new one, it ran fine again. I still have some replacement fuses for the Helix somewhere, too, god knows where, though.

You can probably buy those fuses in all kinds of stores, once you know what kind you need. But if you have a problem when the stores are closed..well, its a good thing to have on hand, I think. ;)


oops, forgot to say..I have no idea where it goes inside. I should probably figure that out. LOL. With the Helix, I just googled it..

Ok i'll find out what they are and buy some to keep on hand... I have herpstat 2's also. I run them through surge protectors but you never know.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

Ok i'll find out what they are and buy some to keep on hand... I have herpstat 2's also. I run them through surge protectors but you never know.

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Here you go..those are the ones you'll need

http://www.spyderrobotics.com/index....products_id=28

I have surge protectors too, so I'm not sure how it happened, but it happened after a power outage. When the power came back on, the Helix did not.

That said, we had power outages many times over the 6 years, but the fuse only blew once. Not really sure why..

But when you order the Herpstat it says right on the order page not to forget a pack of fuses. So perhaps it's not so rare after all ? I dunno ;)

Darn, good thing you caught that problem so quickly!! If someone only checks every other day, it might have been a disaster. And your solution looks great too!

Over a year ago when I was still living in an apartment with roommates, I had my dumeril's boa in a tub in my room. My room mate randomly decided that the tub was too much "on her side of the room" I suppose, and moved the whole enclosure while I was away at work without telling me. When I came back, the probe was loose on the carpet (obviously, because she has no idea how the thermostat and heating works!) and the heat pad was at something over 120 degrees! Thankfully, my boa was fine. These loose probes are scary.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by redshepherd

Darn, good thing you caught that problem so quickly!! If someone only checks every other day, it might have been a disaster. And your solution looks great too!

Over a year ago when I was still living in an apartment with roommates, I had my dumeril's boa in a tub in my room. My room mate randomly decided that the tub was too much "on her side of the room" I suppose, and moved the whole enclosure while I was away at work without telling me. When I came back, the probe was loose on the carpet (obviously, because she has no idea how the thermostat and heating works!) and the heat pad was at something over 120 degrees! Thankfully, my boa was fine. These loose probes are scary.

---

I bet you had some words for your room mate !!! 120 degrees! I'm so glad your boa was fine, that is so scary.

From now on I will check even more often then before !

Btw, saw your GTP on the other thread, what a BEAUTY !! :)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zina10

Here you go..those are the ones you'll need

http://www.spyderrobotics.com/index....products_id=28

I have surge protectors too, so I'm not sure how it happened, but it happened after a power outage. When the power came back on, the Helix did not.

That said, we had power outages many times over the 6 years, but the fuse only blew once. Not really sure why..

But when you order the Herpstat it says right on the order page not to forget a pack of fuses. So perhaps it's not so rare after all ? I dunno ;)

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Never seen that on the order page because I buy the Herpstats through a breeders website not Spyder.. Guess i missed it. Thx for the heads up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zina10

I bet you had some words for your room mate !!! 120 degrees! I'm so glad your boa was fine, that is so scary.

From now on I will check even more often then before !

Btw, saw your GTP on the other thread, what a BEAUTY !! :)

---

You would be suprised how many ignorant people run UTH's without tstats. The 18"x8" ZooMed (24 watt) runs 131degres direct into the wall and people all over do it... Crazy.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Mr Sully

You would be suprised how many ignorant people run UTH's without tstats. The 18"x8" ZooMed (24 watt) runs 131degres direct into the wall and people all over do it... Crazy.

---

What gets me about it is that most of them will argue till kingdom day that its "ok", because the petstore doesn't sell thermostats..sigh.

Its sad how often you see BP's with burned bellies. Its a shame, actually. Perhaps they SHOULD sell real thermostats in pet stores or at the least advise people that they need to use them. As a matter of fact, it should say that on the UTH packaging and in the instructions. Thermostat needed !

Why doesn't it ???

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zina10

I bet you had some words for your room mate !!! 120 degrees! I'm so glad your boa was fine, that is so scary.

From now on I will check even more often then before !

Btw, saw your GTP on the other thread, what a BEAUTY !! :)

---

Seriously! I actually ended up just asking her to tell me before she wants to move my stuff. I didn't tell her why, because she wouldn't have wanted to listen anyway. Ugh.

And thank you!! I love her a lot!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zina10

What gets me about it is that most of them will argue till kingdom day that its "ok", because the petstore doesn't sell thermostats..sigh.

---

I've been wondering why too, is it because t-stats are costly to buy in bulk? I wouldn't think so, but who knows. At least the $20~$30 ones should be sold at all pet stores.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by zina10

UPDATE!

So this is what I ended up doing.

First of all I dusted and cleaned all levels ;)

Then I drilled a hole in the back at the middle level on the left side (side the heat tape runs up on)
I then routed the probe through the new hole and stuck it between the heat tape and the wall. It sits very snugly and has great contact with the heat tape. I taped the cable of the probe against the wall, just to make sure it won't get pulled out accidentally. I also taped the side of the heat tape to the wall to create a tighter fit, although that wasn't strictly necessary. That probe is going nowhere and I didn't need to use glue or tape or anything on the probe itself ;)

I also decided to use my new thermostat on the Rack. I had a "Helix" on it and it didn't give me trouble, but since I bought the Herpstat 2, I decided to use that one instead. I've heard the "dimming" setting is better for Racks anyway. I planned on using the Herpstat on a free standing tub and on my incubator, But I can use the Helix on the Incubator or get another Herpstat. Who knows, maybe the follicles (if there were any) got cooked and I won't need the incubator this year. :(
But as long as my snakes are fine, I'm happy.

Here are a couple of pictures that show the new setup. The last picture shows that there is plenty of clearance between the side of the tub and the probe placement. No chance of the tub sliding in and out causing issues.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...arge%2F1_6.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...arge%2F2_5.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...arge%2F3_7.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...29224921_n.jpg


I want to thank everybody once again. For your well wishes for my snakes, and for your thoughts and tips. It is what ultimately led me to figure out what to do. You all are the BEST!! :)

---

that's great to hear! see, just a lil aluminum tape does it! :)

:)

And I'm happy to report that everything is still running ship shape and the snakes look fine, thank god !!

I think it's a good lesson for anyone to check Temps daily and routinely check probe (make sure they are still secure) and check heat tape as well for wear and tear.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Deborah

I think it's a good lesson for anyone to check Temps daily and routinely check probe (make sure they are still secure) and check heat tape as well for wear and tear.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk

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Absolutely !!!

I would have been devastated if I had lost my snakes.

The area I moved the probe to is easily visible now, even without moving the tub. Like it far better.
But I still double check temps, even with the probe attached, other things can go wrong. After having my hands in those tubs pretty much daily for over 6 years I could feel the difference right away, but I could have been to late..