Heat tape heating to 97 when set to 89 using Herpstat?

, Hey guys, I’m supposed to be getting in a ball python, as well as some geckos, to look after for a bit. To prep for them later this week, I setup some heat tape on a table along with some bins so I can start getting temp. readings. I laid the heat tape directly on the table itself. When I did this the warm spot would bump up to 94-97 according to my temp. gun, Herpstat was set to 89.5 as I’m trying to see if I can get the right temp reading in the enclosure. Because of that I scrapped the foam and just put the tape directly on the table in hopes of it fixing the issue. Does this happen to anyone else or is this issue just something on my end?

Other information:
Thermostat probe is directly taped to the heat tape
Using clear Sterilite bins
Hide is from Reptile Basics along with the assembled heat tape

Hey guys, I’m supposed to be getting in a ball python, as well as some geckos, to look after for a bit. To prep for them later this week, I setup some heat tape on a table along with some bins so I can start getting temp. readings. I laid the heat tape directly on the table itself. When I did this the warm spot would bump up to 94-97 according to my temp. gun, Herpstat was set to 89.5 as I’m trying to see if I can get the right temp reading in the enclosure. Because of that I scrapped the foam and just put the tape directly on the table in hopes of it fixing the issue. Does this happen to anyone else or is this issue just something on my end?


Other information:
Thermostat probe is directly taped to the heat tape
Using clear Sterilite bins
Hide is from Reptile Basics along with the assembled heat tape

Where is the thermostat probe, between the heat tape and the table, or between the heat tape and the bin?

Heat tape can have warmer and cooler spots, so moving the probe around on the heat tape can give different results.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by bcr229

Where is the thermostat probe, between the heat tape and the table, or between the heat tape and the bin?

Heat tape can have warmer and cooler spots, so moving the probe around on the heat tape can give different results.

---

Appreciate the quick reply. It’s just sitting on top of the heat tape, not underneath the bin or underneath the tape should it be going underneath one or the other?

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...cement-for-UTH

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by antinoud

Appreciate the quick reply. It’s just sitting on top of the heat tape, not underneath the bin or underneath the tape should it be going underneath one or the other?

---

Put the t-stat probe between the heat tape and the bin. If the t-stat probe is just sitting on the heat tape on one side, and exposed to open air on the other, then the side facing the air is constantly getting cooled off. If it's between the heat tape and the bin then the bin will trap heat around the t-stat probe and give a more accurate reading.

Another thing that happens too is the thermostat probes will take a bit longer to warm or read temp as well. Like how a thermometer under your tongue takes a bit to give you the final temp.

So while the probe is catching up to the temp of the heat tape there will be that bit of variance. As said above, being placed between the tub and the tape will vary the measurements as well. It keeps them a bit more even with what you are hoping for as it will stay a more even temp than in open air.

It's okay that the heat tape gives small spurts of higher temps as long as it doesn't seem to be damaged or damaging something else. This is why you can't just set and forget. You do need to check your enclosure temps regularly as well.

I actually purchased a rack system from someone recently where everything was fine except for the very last foot of heat tape.... Which burned a hole in the tub. Thankfully the animal wasn't injured. The owner had a digital temp sensor attached that would give him temp updates, but the sensor was for the ambient air and not the heat tape itself.