installing new ReptiTemp500R and Repti Therm UTH

I just received the items in the title. I have read that people put the probe from the Thermostat directly on the UTH and then attach it under the cage. The problem is the sensor is kinda large diameter and the UTH will not go on the tank without bending it where the sensor is. Any suggestions before I go any farther?

Sure you got the right size heat pad then? or are you talking about the probe for the thermostat?

Pics might help too....

You should have gotten little rubber riser things for your tank, with the heat pad. Use them and they should give you enough room.

The UTH will have a flex a little bit for the probe to fit properly. I know from experience that a 30-40g UTH can fit a 500r probe under it. Did you happen to get a 10-20g UTH?

You should use foil tape instead of the UTH's glue to secure it to the bottom of the enclosure. That way, it will allow the flex needed for the probe to fit.

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Originally Posted by mooingtricycle

Sure you got the right size heat pad then? or are you talking about the probe for the thermostat?

Pics might help too....

You should have gotten little rubber riser things for your tank, with the heat pad. Use them and they should give you enough room.

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The probe for the thermostat. It is about .250 inch diameter. The UTH instructions say to make sure the UTH is flat against the glass with no bubbles. If I was to place the thermostat probe between the UTH and the glass it would create a large bubble in the middle and where the wire is.

I went ahead and placed the probe inside the tank against the glass about in the middle of where the UTH is. I used heavy duty scotch box tape to tape the probe to the glass. I know I’m not supposed to use tape inside the cage but I had no way else to stick it to the glass. I don’t have a hot glue gun.

Now I have an even bigger problem as the ambient temps are way too cold. The surface - belly heat is currently 93 deg and the hot side ambient is 75 deg and the cold side is 69 deg. My house is air conditioned and I don’t' know how to get the ambient temps up. I hate to think about using that dreaded heat lamp again that loves to suck out the humidity.

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Originally Posted by mrshawt

The UTH will have a flex a little bit for the probe to fit properly. I know from experience that a 30-40g UTH can fit a 500r probe under it. Did you happen to get a 10-20g UTH?

You should use foil tape instead of the UTH's glue to secure it to the bottom of the enclosure. That way, it will allow the flex needed for the probe to fit.

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I have a 10-20g UTH.

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Originally Posted by casper

The probe for the thermostat. It is about .250 inch diameter. The UTH instructions say to make sure the UTH is flat against the glass with no bubbles. If I was to place the thermostat probe between the UTH and the glass it would create a large bubble in the middle and where the wire is.

I went ahead and placed the probe inside the tank against the glass about in the middle of where the UTH is. I used heavy duty scotch box tape to tape the probe to the glass. I know I’m not supposed to use tape inside the cage but I had no way else to stick it to the glass. I don’t have a hot glue gun.

Now I have an even bigger problem as the ambient temps are way too cold. The surface - belly heat is currently 93 deg and the hot side ambient is 75 deg and the cold side is 69 deg. My house is air conditioned and I don’t' know how to get the ambient temps up. I hate to think about using that dreaded heat lamp again that loves to suck out the humidity.

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The UTH instructions also say to not put them on plastic, but us tub users have no problems. :)

Please don't use tape, it's an accident waiting to happen. Glue guns are $5 at any Walmart or Target.

You may need a second UTH or a heat lamp to raise the ambient temp. That's why I love tubs - no such thing as ambient temps because there's no unneeded empty space. You could try to switch to tubs?

There is also is another problem as the surface of the substrate is nowhere near the temp of the glass. I'm using repti bark as substrate and it's about 1 inch thick. I was recommended to use repti bark to help with humidity.

Dial the tstat higher until the temp of the substrate is 92-94. The temp at the UTH and what the snake is on never match exactly. Hence the reason for having a thermostat to know what the temp really is.

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Originally Posted by mrshawt

Dial the tstat higher until the temp of the substrate is 92-94. The temp at the UTH and what the snake is on never match exactly. Hence the reason for having a thermostat to know what the temp really is.

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I have no way of dialing in the exact temp on the surface of the substrate.

You know of a good temp to set the UTH at to get a good temp of the substrate without the use of a temp gun or another thermometer probe? I have to make use of what I have until next week then I will have more money to spend on more equipment.

I had to plug my heat lamp back in because the ambient temps are in the lower 70's. Now I will have humidity problems again and now I wish I wouldn't have spent the $50 on that UTH and thermostat. This is getting very frustrating.

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Originally Posted by casper

I have no way of dialing in the exact temp on the surface of the substrate.

You know of a good temp to set the UTH at to get a good temp of the substrate without the use of a temp gun or another thermometer probe? I have to make use of what I have until next week then I will have more money to spend on more equipment.

I had to plug my heat lamp back in because the ambient temps are in the lower 70's. Now I will have humidity problems again and now I wish I wouldn't have spent the $50 on that UTH and thermostat. This is getting very frustrating.

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That all depends on your own situation, your house temp, weather, etc. There's no way of guessing unless you have the proper equipment to test it out.

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Originally Posted by casper

I have no way of dialing in the exact temp on the surface of the substrate.

You know of a good temp to set the UTH at to get a good temp of the substrate without the use of a temp gun or another thermometer probe? I have to make use of what I have until next week then I will have more money to spend on more equipment.

I had to plug my heat lamp back in because the ambient temps are in the lower 70's. Now I will have humidity problems again and now I wish I wouldn't have spent the $50 on that UTH and thermostat. This is getting very frustrating.

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I have a herpstat that is attached to the bottom of a 10-20g UTH with foil tape. It is not in between the tank and the uth, but rather on the outside of the uth. Which is better I really cannot say but I get pretty consistent temps with how mine is set up now. The t-stat is set to 102 degrees and this gives me a floor temperature of about 91.5 degrees with 3 layers of paper towels. With reptibark it will be tricky because they can push the stuff around and possibly lay righ on the glass. I hate to say it but you NEED another way to measure the floor temp. I would recommend the probe method with an accurite thermometer because then you can get a temperature of the glass and once that is about 95 you should be set because then the temp on the reptibark should be a few degrees cooler. (A temp gun doesn't work well on the glass, but I use one on the paper towels to get surface readings) Make sure you have a very thin layer of reptibark as the ground could become too cold.

You will NOT be able to control the husbandry of your tank without modifications unless you are lucky enough to where the location your snake will be kept is already ideal. I live in south Texas and temps and humidity aren't too terrible yet I still have over half the top covered with vinyl. I will be upgrading to a 20g tank in a month and plan on doing a foil treatment for the top as well as covering three sides with some insulating foam. Check around the husbandry forum for some tips. I have thought about tubs vs. tanks a lot and will likely switch several years down the road but for now I prefer the tank.

And about spending money you dont need...I have only had the snake a month and could already put together two different tubs, hides and all, that could house a snake. Its those dang start up costs of not knowing what the hell you are doing that get ya lol

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Originally Posted by mrshawt

That all depends on your own situation, your house temp, weather, etc. There's no way of guessing unless you have the proper equipment to test it out.

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House temps in summer are around 72 plus minus a couple of degrees and winter it’s around 40 to 60 or so depends on how cold it gets. When the temps outside go below zero my house can get around 35 to 40 deg. No I don't have a heater. The temps inside my house never get below freezing. I’m used to it but my snake won’t be I’m sure. I need to start thinking how I’m going to keep him warm this winter.

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Originally Posted by casper

House temps in summer are around 72 plus minus a couple of degrees and winter it’s around 40 to 60 or so depends on how cold it gets. When the temps outside go below zero my house can get around 35 to 40 deg. No I don't have a heater. The temps inside my house never get below freezing. I’m used to it but my snake won’t be I’m sure. I need to start thinking how I’m going to keep him warm this winter.

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Oh my god!!! Cold for me is if a room gets to 70 lol I dont know much about keeping a house warm but hopefully someone will chime in who has a similar problem because I really dont see a ball python liking that kinda climate in the winter. The over head heat emitter would kill the humidity even more and with winter that could be some really bad news.

After plugging my heat lamp back in the ambient temps on the warm side is now 86 and the cool side is 80. But the humidity is going to be a problem yet again.

I’m probably going to have to give up my snake when winter comes. When I purchased this snake last June I wasn’t thinking about my house conditions in winter.

Ok Ok Ok.

Thermostat probe goes OUTSIDE the tank. Always. Do not put it inside the tank.

Get a thermoMETER probe and put that in the tank with the snake. Put it under the substrate in the middle of the UTH. You need to measure the hottest point your snake can reach (no higher than 94*). They can get under the substrate (move it around) if they want to and they will.

If your ambient temps are not high enough, either get another UTH with a dimmer and hook that up to the extra socket in the reptitemp. You will also need another thermometer probe. You can use the heat lamp if you want, but as you said, they suck humidity. Another option would be a space heater for the room.

If humidity is really getting to be an issue, switch to tubs. You will never have another problem with humidity.

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Originally Posted by Kaorte

Ok Ok Ok.

Thermostat probe goes OUTSIDE the tank. Always. Do not put it inside the tank.

Get a thermoMETER probe and put that in the tank with the snake. Put it under the substrate in the middle of the UTH. You need to measure the hottest point your snake can reach (no higher than 94*). They can get under the substrate (move it around) if they want to and they will.

If your ambient temps are not high enough, either get another UTH with a dimmer and hook that up to the extra socket in the reptitemp. You will also need another thermometer probe. You can use the heat lamp if you want, but as you said, they suck humidity. Another option would be a space heater for the room.

If humidity is really getting to be an issue, switch to tubs. You will never have another problem with humidity.

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See post #4

Yes. It says you have it on the inside. It has to go on the outside. If it can't go between, just tape it to the outside of the UTH.

Putting the probe inside the tank presents the risk of heat spikes if the snake messes with the probe or pees on it.

This is becoming a nightmare. Every time I do something some else says NO YOU CAN'T DO THAT! And I keep spending more and more money. I have to make do of what I have right now. I have no more money to spend. I wish I can start all over and do it right the first time but us newbie’s don't know any better. I’m back to using the heat lamp. At least the temps are where they are supposed to be. I just have to mist inside around 5 times a day.


I already have an acurite thermometer with a probe stuck to the bottom of the cage.

Here is what I did that worked for me. Get a sheet of polystyrene insulation and cut a piece to fit the bottom of the tank. Once you have the UTH in place, use a pen, pencil, screwdriver, etc to create a dent in the insulation for the warm end. Next, I taped the insulation to the bottom of the tank, then I slid the Thermostat probe into the dent you made, which puts it between the insulation and UTH. I then taped the probe lead to the tank to keep it from sliding out. I would start by setting the t-stat to about 92-93 deg. This will be your glass temp. If the surface temp of your substrate is still too cool then try only using a 1/2 inch or so. Snakes will often shift the substrate around so you don't want the glass temp to high. Plus, since the insulation is there most of the heat radiates up which should make it easier to control and may help with the ambient temps as well.
If you have a screen top, and haven't already done so, you need to fill it in as well. I took some cardboard and cut it into strips the same width as the screen and about 4 inches wide. Wrap each panel in foil and place them on the screen. This will allow you to add or subtract panels as necessary to help adjust temps and humidity. Here is a link to some pics I posted a while back that shows some of it. It worked for me and I hope it helps...

Rob

http://http://www.repticzone.com/for...hon/2/88/main/

Simple Soloution.... Dont fret if temps are not 100%.

I keep my animals at 85-88 hot side ( right against the side of the tub is at 90 ) And the cool side ranges depending on the temperature in the room and the season. 75-78 generally though, but never 100% ( And i dont care ) I cant remember the last time i checked humidity....

They do not fret if things are not EXACT. You just may have to mist more if you are trying to keep your humidity up while reaching the ambient temps you want with the lamp. Not much of a big deal.... So long as the humidity remains within the 50-55% area, youre pretty golden. and you may, or may not need to adjust that during shed times. Really not difficult.


Dont take everything everyone says as HOW things should be done EXACTLY. everyone has an opinion, and everyone does it differently.

Get a digital thermometer/hydrometer and if you can later, get a temp gun. I dont use Thermometers or gauges. How? Because you dont really need them if you know how to pay attention. ( I have a temp gun, but i use it maybe once every two months?)

Just some food for thought. It really should not be as stressful as you are making it out to be. There is no reason you have to give your animal up come winter. You may have to invest in a proper heat source/better enclosure towards winter ( Oil filed electric radiators are pretty good at boosting room temps if things get chilly) but really.... just get the proper tools that will help you gauge the temps and proper humidity if you cannot "Feel" them, and go from there.

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Originally Posted by Vypyrz

Here is what I did that worked for me. Get a sheet of polystyrene insulation and cut a piece to fit the bottom of the tank. Once you have the UTH in place, use a pen, pencil, screwdriver, etc to create a dent in the insulation for the warm end. Next, I taped the insulation to the bottom of the tank, then I slid the Thermostat probe into the dent you made, which puts it between the insulation and UTH. I then taped the probe lead to the tank to keep it from sliding out. I would start by setting the t-stat to about 92-93 deg. This will be your glass temp. If the surface temp of your substrate is still too cool then try only using a 1/2 inch or so. Snakes will often shift the substrate around so you don't want the glass temp to high. Plus, since the insulation is there most of the heat radiates up which should make it easier to control and may help with the ambient temps as well.
If you have a screen top, and haven't already done so, you need to fill it in as well. I took some cardboard and cut it into strips the same width as the screen and about 4 inches wide. Wrap each panel in foil and place them on the screen. This will allow you to add or subtract panels as necessary to help adjust temps and humidity. Here is a link to some pics I posted a while back that shows some of it. It worked for me and I hope it helps...

Rob

http://http://www.repticzone.com/for...hon/2/88/main/

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Thanks for the tips. I don't have any money to buy polystyrene insulation but I did have a sheet of 1/4 inch styrofoam I cut it to the size of the tank and used that. I went with your idea and Kaorte of putting the tstat probe in between the styrofoam and the bottom of the tank to get it out from inside the tank.

Hopefully the styrofoam will work out for you. Let me know. Styrofoam may be a cheaper alternative and just as effective. When I bought my polystyrene I got something like a 8' X 10' sheet for under $20. I'm using it on only 2 tanks and I still have at least half of it left over. I'm thinking about cutting some panels out of it and wrapping them in foil and using it to cover my screen tops just to use it up...


Rob