Temperature problems

[pbyeerts]

I'm still having temperature problems in Oliver's tank. I purchased one of those infrared thermometers that you can spot check temps all around the tank. Thank God, because I almost had a heart attack when the probe thermometer in the tank on hot side read 100F. When I used the infrared thermometer, I got a reading of 81 on the bottom of the tank and 90 on the top of his rock under the basking lamp. Aargh!!!!!


The hot probe is anchored in the tank above the UTH under Oliver's large stone hide. The cold side is reading in the 70s/80s, which I believe is fine. Those temps check out with the infrared thermometer. Should I move the hot probe to another location in the tank?




I'm desperately confused..... Could the probe thermometer be broken?


Thanks,
P.

[Physician&Snakes]

Possibly, when in doubt I trust my temp gun. Hot side sounds good, for the cool side just keep it above 73F and you should be good. Some people will recomend covering part of the screen with aluminum foil to help trap heat.

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

Wow,weird....usually ppl have problems with humidity not temps. I'm confused with all your posts, to be honest. I don't get what your problem is. Just cover a majority of the top if the tank with a a few thick wett rags( if your using aspen) or tin foil is your using cypress,coco husk,Eco earth and wet the subsurface etc...mess around with where you set your water bowl,get a large water bowl, buy a few diff watt bulbs and mess around..I think your driving your own self crazy here

if you post a pic of your set up it would be easier to help.

[pbyeerts]

Many thanks :-)

Yep, I've got 2/3 of the top covered with foil, and a hand towel on top of the foil as well.

[PitOnTheProwl]

No contacts are not too accurate in reflective surfaces.
If you are temping off of a glass bottom that could give you an off reading.

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

Many thanks :-)

Yep, I've got 2/3 of the top covered with foil, and a hand towel on top of the foil as well.

Why do you have a rag on top of the foil??? Is it a wett rag? If so the wet rag should be on top the screen to help create humidity,cause on top of the foil,it's not doing much of anything. What substrate are you using? You have me very confused,lol..I just don't get it.

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

No contacts are not too accurate in reflective surfaces.
If you are temping off of a glass bottom that could give you an off reading.

Why is that?

[pbyeerts]

You're not as confused as I am, lol. I pulled out the probe thermometer and will use the temp gun instead :-)

The towel is on top of the foil just for extra weight to hold the foil down securely.....another layer of insulation.... P.

[NYHC4LIFE8899]

You're not as confused as I am, lol. I pulled out the probe thermometer and will use the temp gun instead :-)

The towel is on top of the foil just for extra weight to hold the foil down securely.....another layer of insulation.... P.

Oh ok,lol,I gotcha.good thinking
I keep my probe thermometer in the tank right above the center of the UTH to make sure my heat mat is working properly. I very rarely use my temp gun..I also have a hydrofarm thermostat regulating the UTH

[martin82531]

Why is that?

What is emissivity, and how is it related to infrared temperature measurements?

Emissivity is defined as the ratio of the energy radiated by an object at a given temperature to the energy emitted by a perfect radiator, or blackbody, at the same temperature. The emissivity of a blackbody is 1.0. All values of emissivity fall between 0.0 and 1.0. Most infrared thermometers have the ability to compensate for different emissivity values, for different materials. In general, the higher the emissivity of an object, the easier it is to obtain an accurate temperature measurement using infrared. Objects with very low emissivities (below 0.2) can be difficult applications. Some polished, shiny metallic surfaces, such as aluminum, are so reflective in the infrared that accurate temperature measurements are not always possible.

http://www.omega.com/prodinfo/infraredthermometer.html