Animal Plastics Owners...Please Help!

Just got my T3 on Saturday. Got it all set up and it looks great. I have the belly heat option but i do not have it on yet. Right now I only have the radiant heat panel on and I'm trying to raise the ambient and cool side temps. The RHP is on and I feel heat from it. However, I have the probe for it on the other side of the cage so that once I turn on the belly heat I have a nice gradient and nice ambients as well. However, I was wondering, how long does it typically take a cage this size (36x24x12) to heat up to the appropriate temps. Seems like a very slow process so far. Its been going about an hour and the temp on the t-stat and accurite has only raised maybe 3 degrees.

Can any one give me any ideas?

Thanks.

What are the temps like in the room with the T3?

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Originally Posted by Python-77

What are the temps like in the room with the T3?

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72-74.

The temps will not go up past a certain amount. I have the T3 with Belly Heat and a PH-102 Radiant Heat Panel by Pro Products. I have 3 probes. 1 for the Accurite and 2 for the Herpstat 2. The Radiant Heat Panel is installed on the same side as the Belly Heat at the top of the cage. 2 probes (1 is the Accurite, the other from the Herpstat 2) are placed on the inside of the cage on the cage floor directly above the belly heat and beneath the RHP. The Accurite itself and the 2nd Herpstat probe are located on the cool end. They are attached to the back of the cage about 2 inches from the floor of the cage.

Heat panels & heat cable have limited abilities to heat the overall ambient temp inside a cage, especially if the room in which the cage is set up runs at lower temps overall. Basking sources will add a bit of ambient heat (in addition to providing a basking spot) if the room temperature is closer to the range that you're trying to achieve.

Even the people at AP will tell you that because they have a heavy duty, high grade plastic, it takes longer to get the tank up to temp. The nice thing is tho, once it is up where it should be, it will retain heat much longer as well. You hafta also realize that the belly heat will help the ambient temp as well. Let us know how it goes.

i'd put the panel probe down low on the hot side, like one inch from the botom. also put the belly heat probe one inch from bottom on hot side. these are the herpstat probes and run both the panel and heat rope. give a couple hours and see. the accurite are good for basic temp checks, they can vary a couple of deg. the herpstat has a accuracy of .9 deg i'd rely on that more than the accurite on checking temps. do you have any vents open? is the top all solid?


vaughn

If I understood the last PM I got from Bryce correctly, he currently has the probes taped over and buried under the subtrate.

I think that is the real problem.

Let us know how it works out dude!

-adam

Thanks everyone for your comments and help! Matt and Adam are the BOMB!

I removed the RHP and relocated to the cool side along with changing its orientation from vertical to horizontal. I removed the electric tape I had covering the probes and just taped the wire portion so that the probe was free. I then set the belly heat temp on the t-stat to 95 and the rhp temp on the t-stat to 84. I didn't put the substrate or anything back in just the plain plastic cage until I could see the temps stablize. I completed this at about 12:40 AM or so. It is now 2:18 and I went to check it before going the bed....

NIRVANA!

Cool side (RHP) temp on the t-stat: 83.7
Warm side (Belly Heat) temp on the t-stat: 93.7
Cool Side (RHP) via Accurite: 84.2
I broke the wire on the probe on the Accurite so I'm going to get another one tomorrow :(
Cool Side (RHP) temps via PE2 Temp Gun: variable temps in the 80s
Warm Side (Belly Heat) temps via PE2 Temp Gun: variable temps in the 90s. (A few areas if you took the temp directly on the heat cable were in the low 100s. Nothing over 100.7 that I could find. AP says that's normal when Jamie asked on the Faunaclassfieds forum.
Humidity (with nothing at all in the cage): 47%

So it looks alot better. I may have a few adjustments when I add the substrate and the hides and everything back in but for now all looks good...I think.

What do you guys think?

I have the thermostat probe taped to the actual cable hanging out of the rear of the cage, on the outside. Seemed to do the trick!

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

I have the thermostat probe taped to the actual cable hanging out of the rear of the cage, on the outside. Seemed to do the trick!

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My cage has a slot for the probe on the bottom of the T3 next to the heat cable, but, the probe is too big to fit in it. So, I have mine taped to the bottom of the cage right over the heat cable in about the same place as the proble slot. The T-stat temp reads 93.7. But I do get some hotter and cooler areas with my temp gun on the warm side. On the acutal heating cable (you can see the imprint of it from inside the cage) in the low 100s, and in other places high 80s (88-89, like in the corners of the cage). On faunaclassifieds Mark Meten the owner of AP said these things:

1. We don't recommend that you put the probe right on the heat source. Many times it will confuse the thermostats you are using. For example, if you had a stove and the the thermostat probe for the stove was set directly on the heating element your items would never heat because the element heats and cools so quickly it will not warm the oven.

2. Our cable S curves in the belly heat with about 4" in between the cable loops. Yes, your raytech will read different readings between the loops in the belly heat area, our cable is designed to produce an "overall" warm area or hot spot for you reptile. Believe it or not, once you have your bedding or newspaper down your reptiles will not recognize the variations between the loops, they will be absorbing the average temperatures.

Does this sound factual? What does everyone think? Matt and Adam...I'm all ears!

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Originally Posted by bg1906

Does this sound factual? What does everyone think? Matt and Adam...I'm all ears!

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I have no idea ... I've never used "heat rope" or an Animal Plastics "cage".

I think some of the other AP owners would be able to help out a lot better than me.

-adam

I also have the probe taped to the cable on the outside of the enclosure, thermo reads 91.8 in the enclosure and I have the T-stat set at 94* so its a little over 3* off but works out great. The main reason I did it this way was safety. Many times my snakes have dislodged and move one of my thermo probes, if they did this to a T-stat probe the heat would jump up as the probe would not get a accurate reading.

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Originally Posted by Python-77

I also have the probe taped to the cable on the outside of the enclosure, thermo reads 91.8 in the enclosure and I have the T-stat set at 94* so its a little over 3* off but works out great. The main reason I did it this way was safety. Many times my snakes have dislodged and move one of my thermo probes, if they did this to a T-stat probe the heat would jump up as the probe would not get a accurate reading.

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Have you temp gunned areas of the heat cable from inside the cage and noticed varible temps, some as high as 100? I'm just wondering even though those areas are so small (mind you other parts of the cable i measured in high 80s - low 90s), does Mark's (AP) "absorbing the average temperatures" statement seem accurate?

BTW: The probe I will move to outside the cage and attach it to the Heat Cable. Do you do it just at the end where it comes out or a bit further underneat the cage?

I tape the probe to the end of the cable, I also have all my elevated 1/4" from each other so that the heat doesnt build up and create hot spots. I use my temp gun and the highest reading I have gotten was 95* but that was awhile ago before I elevated the enclosures.

i don't have any direct knowledge with the heat cable but i have alot of hvac smarts! lol i think you're using the herpstat 2 since it's proportional you could tape it directly to the the heat cable and you won't confuse a proportional stat. whatever temp you set is the temp of the cable itself. you then have to adjust your setting to achieve the desired temp. for example if you wanted a hot side of 92-94, you might run your stat at 94-95.
i use flexwatt and proportional stats and i always tape my probes directly to the heat tape and adjust until i get the proper temps in the cage. btw the raytek guns can and will vary 2-3 deg. surface contact temps and ambient air temps are different, don't sweat it though they are precise enough to fit our needs for them.

a non-proportional stat may be confused or go on/off constantly if you taped their probes directly to the heat source.


vaughn

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Originally Posted by kavmon

i don't have any direct knowledge with the heat cable but i have alot of hvac smarts! lol i think you're using the herpstat 2 since it's proportional you could tape it directly to the the heat cable and you won't confuse a proportional stat. whatever temp you set is the temp of the cable itself. you then have to adjust your setting to achieve the desired temp. for example if you wanted a hot side of 92-94, you might run your stat at 94-95.
i use flexwatt and proportional stats and i always tape my probes directly to the heat tape and adjust until i get the proper temps in the cage. btw the raytek guns can and will vary 2-3 deg. surface contact temps and ambient air temps are different, don't sweat it though they are precise enough to fit our needs for them.

a non-proportional stat may be confused or go on/off constantly if you taped their probes directly to the heat source.


vaughn

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Thanks Vaughn. That's what I will do then.

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Originally Posted by kavmon

i don't have any direct knowledge with the heat cable but i have alot of hvac smarts! lol i think you're using the herpstat 2 since it's proportional you could tape it directly to the the heat cable and you won't confuse a proportional stat. whatever temp you set is the temp of the cable itself. you then have to adjust your setting to achieve the desired temp. for example if you wanted a hot side of 92-94, you might run your stat at 94-95.
i use flexwatt and proportional stats and i always tape my probes directly to the heat tape and adjust until i get the proper temps in the cage. btw the raytek guns can and will vary 2-3 deg. surface contact temps and ambient air temps are different, don't sweat it though they are precise enough to fit our needs for them.

a non-proportional stat may be confused or go on/off constantly if you taped their probes directly to the heat source.vaughn

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I do the same thing.. I have tried the probes in the cage over the flexwatt and the snake woudl always rip them off, pee on them or what ever and I woudl walk in and see the t-stat saying it 400 degrees and I woudl have a small seziure..lol.. I agree with Vaughn, put it directly on the rope(above probably) an you will ahve to set it slightly higher than what your actually looking for.. You da man Vaughn:)

Thanks to everyone. I put the probe on the heat cable and went to wal-mart and got a new acurite (i popped the probe cable on the other one). Wal-mart was much cheaper for the newer model. 9 bux! I paid 20 bux for the other one off of ebay! Anyways, this morning the temps were: 83.1 cool side and 92.3 on warm side. There were still areas on the warm side with the temp gun higher than 92 and some lower than 92, same thing on the cool side (some higher and some lower) but nothing that seemed drastic. The humidy with nothing in theer is 47%. The temps of 100s are gone though. So I'll add the substrate and hides in tonight. I'll also add her water bowl with water and take some flicks (pics). She comes home tomorrow! Then she gets 7-10 day quiet time to adjust! Then 1st feed! Wish the boy luck!


Thanks again all. You all are the BEST! BP.NET 4 Life! :community :cool:

i have a t11 for my ball. i use a johnsons controls thromstat with the heat cable. it is set to 92 on the hot side. the probe was sealed around the crimp with the same silicon used to seal the cage it was then taped to the botom of the hot cage about 1 inch from the cable. i have an acurite from walmart set on the cool side with the outside probe taped directly over the heat cable. the johnsons and the acurate are always within 2 degrees of each other if they very at all in the readings. hot side ranges from 90 to 93 and cool side is always 83/84 i had to install some large closeable vents (thanks home depot heat registers) becuase with cypress mulch the humidity was reaching off the scale (100% +) now the humidity is controlable by opening and closeing the vents. (50 to 70% during shed cycles) the cage is a natural setting with many silk/fake vines, plants, slate rocks flower pot hides, large water dish and a small climbing perch. i will be posting pics soon. and ginger roams all over this cage late at night.