What's your Ranco set at?

I just set my flex and t-stat up a couple hours ago. I went with the Ranco probe taped to the bottom of the glass then the flex-watt and on top of that i insulated it with a piece of reflectix. My current temp above the substrate surface on the hot side is 85.8. The Ranco is set high at 120! I have about 1 inch of Cypress mulch. The t-stat keeps shutting on and off but I have it set for a 3 degree diff. so it's reaching 120 but not inside the viv. Should I just wait and see what happens overnight and let the temps settle? BTW cool side is currently 75. I have my overhead black light bulb over the cool side but it's plugged into the powerstrip with the t-stat and keeps shutting down when temp is reached on the flex on the hot side. Is 120 wicked high??

i would set the dif to 1 deg. instead of 3. flexwatt should have a little room to "air out" not be sealed on both sides tightly. 120 is too hot for comfort. would it be possible to see some pics? i've had good luck with rancos with my probes inside the cage. these were arboreal setups with overhead heat though.

vaughn

If I set it for 1 degree it's going to be constantly off and on?

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Originally Posted by Damian7

If I set it for 1 degree it's going to be constantly off and on?

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That's what on/off t-stats do.

-adam

the flexwatt is sealed with reflectix on all sides. Lemme see if I can get a pic of the bottom of the tank.

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

That's what on/off t-stats do.

-adam

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yes but what good is that if it's not reaching the temp I need it to be inside the tank?

you need to figure out where the temp is being lost at. What is the temp on the bottom of the aquarium under the mulch?

What size is the flexwatt and enclosure?

on the ranco t-stat there is a setting for HI and CI or H1 and C1 what are those?

H is for heating and C is for cooling. these stats are used maily in hvac for walk in coolers,fridges,cases, controlling room temps, and hight temp safety control.


vaughn

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

you need to figure out where the temp is being lost at. What is the temp on the bottom of the aquarium under the mulch?

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It shouldn't be lost anywhere. The flex is insulated with reflectix very well underneath the tank.

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

What size is the flexwatt and enclosure

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12"x11" on a 20L. Plenty bigger than my zoo med uth which kept temps pretty consistant for all the flack they get. Am I just freaking out and should I just wait and see what happens when the fresh cypress mulch dries out a bit and heats up? Or do I have reason for concern right now. The ranco is set at 127!!:confused: but substrate temp in warm side hide reads 84.

Unde the tank shot



https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...Picture114.jpg

not a great pic. I should have taken them as I did it. I'm probably going to try again tomorrow if the temps don't go up overnight. The ranco is set to high for it to only be 84/85 on the warm side:confused:

here's what i would try, cover most of the top of the tank like 90%. leave the gap at the cool end. find a way to get a 1/8-1/4" gap between either the flex and the tank bottom or the flex and the insulation. this airspace will let the flex heat more evenly. tape the probe on the inside bottom of the tank centered over the flexwatt. use a good foil tape and smooth it out cleanly with a credit card or similiar object. don't use duct tape or scotch tape or masking tape. use only about a half inch of substrate. set the stat to 95 and wait a few hours, if not hot enough go up in temps. don't go above 100 on setpoint! if you have to set it above 100, something is wrong with the setup and this is unsafe for your snake. you might also want to try paper as a substrate, this will let more heat through and you should be able to use lower setpoints. try this and see! just curious what are the room temps the tank is in?


vaughn

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Originally Posted by Damian7

It shouldn't be lost anywhere. The flex is insulated with reflectix very well underneath the tank.

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Temps are lost through each medium it passes through. I was not talking about temp loss to the air. What is the temp on the glass underneath the mulch?

What are you using to record temps and where and how are you recording them?

There actually is a bit of a gap between the flex and the bottom of the tank. I honsetly think my problem might be that it's just too much cypress mulch. It's 8 qts in a 20L.

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Originally Posted by daniel1983

What are you using to record temps and where and how are you recording them?

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I'm using an acu-rite digi therm. I do plan on investing in a temp gun. Know where I can get one and how much I'd be looking to spend?

I also put 1 sheet of newspaper down before adding my mulch. I was under the impression this would conduct the heat more evenly.

I'm so frustrated thinking that I got everything right. I just fed Damian last nite and i don't want to disturb him again today by taking everything back out of th ecage including the mulch. And then flip the tank over and disect my problem, But i'm goinng to have to because just to achieve 90 on the hot side above the cypress surface the Ranco is set at 127!!

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Originally Posted by Damian7

should I just wait and see what happens when the fresh cypress mulch dries out a bit and heats up?

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There's a big part of your problem! Wet things aren't as warm as dry things... Are you getting this cypress from Home Depot or something? If it's wet cypress, I would recommend drying it out in the oven at like 350 for a few hours. Not only does it dry it out, It kills all the little buggies that could be roaming around in there. Then, only use 1/4 to 1/2 an inch on the bottom. I bet after you do that, you'll see your temps skyrocket.

I got it from Petco "Forest Floor". Yes it is damp. More damp than the old dried out cypres I took out. But I need it to be a bit moist so that humidity will stay atr the right level. I think I'm just going to remove some of the mulch. Also what about the sheet of newspaper on the bottom should that be ok? I just put it there for easy removal of teh substrate next time but I also remember seeing somewhere that it makes the heat disperse more evenly.

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Originally Posted by Damian7

I got it from Petco "Forest Floor". Yes it is damp. More damp than the old dried out cypres I took out. But I need it to be a bit moist so that humidity will stay atr the right level. I think I'm just going to remove some of the mulch. Also what about the sheet of newspaper on the bottom should that be ok? I just put it there for easy removal of teh substrate next time but I also remember seeing somewhere that it makes the heat disperse more evenly.

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I understand your concern for humidity, and i feel your pain (i too, once had a glass viv). You would be better off drying the cypress, putting less in, and putting the water dish over the heating element to help with humidity. You could even add 2 or 3 water dishes, and cover the screen top with a blanket, a piece of glass, or whatever you have on hand to help with humidity. It takes fiddling, but you too can achieve humidity bliss without damp substrate.

I just know that i wouldn't want to crawl around on wetness all day without being able to get dry, although i am unaware of any medical conditions this can cause. If someone does, please enlighten us :O)
Plus, wet cypress=wet newspaper, in which neither will conduct heat well at all.

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Originally Posted by adizziedoll

I just know that i wouldn't want to crawl around on wetness all day without being able to get dry, although i am unaware of any medical conditions this can cause. If someone does, please enlighten us :O)
Plus, wet cypress=wet newspaper, in which neither will conduct heat well at all.

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Constantly wet substrate can cause scale rot...a nasty infection in their belly scales.

It's not what I would call wet but moist. Also I have reflectix covering 75-80% of the screen top with the opening on the cool side.

Anyway yesterday I took alot of the cypress mulch out so that there is just a thin layer lining the bottom. I still could not achieve hot side temps of 92-94 with the Ranco set at 100. The surface temp measures around 82. So you'd think setting the Ranco to 110 would up the inside temp 10 degrees but that's not the case. I'm baffled at this point. When I get home today everything is coming out AGAIN and I'm going to take off the reflectix on the bottom then take the flex off and remove the probe from the bottom of the tank. I will put the probe for the t-stat INSIDE this time and probably use less reflectix and not seal it as tight around the flex. I was also thinking about putting in aspen bedding thinking that it heats better than mulch (anyone got any comments on this) it's just the mulch is real good for humidity. At this point I'm very frustrated I just wish someone had pics from the bottom of their flexwatt setup on a 20L I'm obviously doing something wrong. Hell I was having better luck with a zoo med uth.

For the first time I woke up this morning to find Damian wasn't in his hide but he had burrowed underneath his waterdish. He's never done that before. He's never even moved substrate around.

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Originally Posted by Damian7

There actually is a bit of a gap between the flex and the bottom of the tank. I honsetly think my problem might be that it's just too much cypress mulch. It's 8 qts in a 20L.

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I think this is your problem right here. Shouldn't the flex be attached to the tank?? Also, I'm wondering how much heat is being lost beneath the tank? Even with the reflextix stuff insulating it, you could be losing a lot of heat from underneath since there's no hard surface to help it "pool" so to speak. But the first thing I would do is to tape the flexwatt TO the glass and then try again.

Theres a gap because the t-stat probe is taped directly to the glass then the flex over that also because of the curl in the flex It would not make direct contact with the glass.

Heat tape directly on the glass ... 1/4 inch space under the tank for airflow ... just enough mulch to cover the bottom of the cage, not "deep" ... for an on/off t-stat like a ranco, place the probe inside the cage near the ground with a setpoint of 1 degree. Make sure your screen top is mostly covered to keep the heat inside the cage (remember, heat rises).

Attaching probes to the flexwatt works great for proportional stats, but on/off stats aren't responsive enough for that type of setup.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

1/4 inch space under the tank for airflow
-adam

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How can I achieve this? Please see post #11. Thank you Adam your post although brief has been most informative. I will switch the probe to inside the tank today when I get home. How can I get 1/4" space between the flex and reflectix though?

I've never used reflectix before, so I'll have to guess, but what I would do is attach the flexwatt to the glass and then attach the reflectix to the black base molding on the bottom of the tank, but leave a 1" - 2" gap in the reflectix on each end (long end) of the bottom of the tank.

That should keep most of the heat radiating upwards, but still provide an "escape" for any heat "build up" under the tank. Basically you are creating a tunnel that lets air move between the heat tape and reflectix, but still directs the majority of the heat upwards.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

Attaching probes to the flexwatt works great for proportional stats, but on/off stats aren't responsive enough for that type of setup.

-adam

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Hmmm, seems I have some modifications of my own to make! :)

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

I've never used reflectix before, so I'll have to guess, but what I would do is attach the flexwatt to the glass and then attach the reflectix to the black base molding on the bottom of the tank, but leave a 1" - 2" gap in the reflectix on each end (long end) of the bottom of the tank.

That should keep most of the heat radiating upwards, but still provide an "escape" for any heat "build up" under the tank. Basically you are creating a tunnel that lets air move between the heat tape and reflectix, but still directs the majority of the heat upwards.

-adam

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That makes sense to attach it to the black molding. When you say a 1"-2" gap you mean to have the flexwatt "peeking" out a bit on each end?
Adam you have been very helpful.

I apologize for dragging this thread out everyone but you can understand my frustration. I went the flexwatt t-stat route becuase it's what everyone has reccomended on here and I knew just having a zoo med uth plugged right into the wall would cause problems sooner or later but I never inmagined this would be such a hassle.

Robin what kind of temps are you achieving and what is your Ranco set at?

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Originally Posted by Damian7

you mean to have the flexwatt "peeking" out a bit on each end?

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The flexwatt covers the entire bottom of the cage?? I hope not.

The tank is a rectangle ... the flexwatt should be on one side (warm side) ... my guess would be the reflectix should cover the entire bottom of the tank except for a thin strip on each side of the bottom.

For example if the tank is 20" x 10" the reflectix would be cut 18" x 10" and centered leaving a 1" gap on each "side" of the bottom.

Again, take this with a grain of salt ... I've never even heard of reflectix before ... I'm just guessing based on the idea that it's an insulator.

The good news is that once you get it "dialed in" ... your done! ... forever! ;)

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

The flexwatt covers the entire bottom of the cage?? I hope not.

-adam

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NO no. The tank is 30" x 12". The flex is 11" x 12" It is down one end but I have the reflectix covering the entire bottom and it's sealed tight with foil tape. So what your saying is adhere the flex then place the reflectix centered on the bottom of the tank? Which would be a piece roughly 28" x 12". But do not completely tape it all up leave the left and right ends open a bit for air to flow through correct?

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Originally Posted by Damian7

leave the left and right ends open a bit for air to flow through correct?

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That's the idea. That's what I would no if I have to use the reflectix.

Although, I ran tanks for years without it. Just some flexwatt and a helix. Never had any problems.

-adam

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Originally Posted by Adam_Wysocki

That's the idea. That's what I would no if I have to use the reflectix.

Although, I ran tanks for years without it. Just some flexwatt and a helix. Never had any problems.

-adam

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Did you just use newspaper for substrate?

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Originally Posted by Damian7

Did you just use newspaper for substrate?

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Newspaper, cypress mulch, aspen, paper towels ... About anything you can think of.

Don't make it too thick or it will act as an insulator and keep the heat of the flexwatt from radiating into the enclosure.

-adam

Right now it's a single sheet of newspaper and a very thin layer of cypress mulch, but I was thinking aspen might heat better any truth in this?

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Originally Posted by Damian7

Right now it's a single sheet of newspaper and a very thin layer of cypress mulch, but I was thinking aspen might heat better any truth in this?

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I don't see how it could possibly matter? ... If it were me using the mulch, I'd ditch the paper ... no reason for it, and it makes heating the cage more ineffcient.

-adam

I finally achieved correct temps. It took some time but I got it right. I placed the T-stat probe inside the tank. I flipped the flex-watt around on its other side so the curl butts up against the glass better and gave it more breathing room by loosening up the reflectix over it allowing it to breath better. On top of that I changed from cypress mulch to aspen bedding. With the Ranco set at 99 degrees I finally have 90-94 warm side and 80-84 cool side. Bad news is my humidity is back down to the low 40's but I'll work on getting that right as I plan on making another humid hide with some moss. I'll post pics lata of Damian's new and improved living quarters.
Thanks to everyone who helped me out.

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Originally Posted by Damian7

I flipped the flex-watt around on its other side so the curl butts up against the glass better

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Huh?? ... The whole thing should be taped flat against the glass. You're losing a lot of heat there.

If your Ranco is set at 99 and your tank temps are in the low 90's you are probably using too much bedding. They only need just enough to cover the glass.

-adam