Temp Question

[InherentResolve]

Hello,

Quick question. Say I were to have flexwatt providing a hotspot of 90 degrees on one side of my boaphile, but the cool side temps were reading 73 as well as ambient. Would it be wise to add flexwatt on the cool side set to 80? I understand ambients are important but if my snake never leaves the ground and has a gradient going from 90 hot and 80 cool on the ground, would the 73 ambient even matter at that point?


*edit* I have a male burm, about 2 months old

[ckuhn003]

I had this same question a couple weeks ago and ended up adding a 2nd UTH on the cool side to bump the surface temps up from the low 70s. I was hoping this would "help" the ambient temps because I don't have the ability to add a ceramic light because it's a pvc enclosure. I "think I've seen a slight increase in ambient temps but it's still hovering around 77-78ish. Good luck!

[InherentResolve]

I had this same question a couple weeks ago and ended up adding a 2nd UTH on the cool side to bump the surface temps up from the low 70s. I was hoping this would "help" the ambient temps because I don't have the ability to add a ceramic light because it's a pvc enclosure. I "think I've seen a slight increase in ambient temps but it's still hovering around 77-78ish. Good luck!

I am definitely going to add a second UTH, the way I figure is if the snake never leaves the ground, and as long as my air temps arent super low, he will be getting heat wherever hes laying, no matter what the air temps are. Glad to see theres someone out there who had the same issue. Thanks!

[Sallos]

I've found dual UTHs dont really bump ambient temps much in larger setups. They worked well for small tubs, but even my 17L RUB barely got a 4 degree bump with an 11" secondary flexwatt and a towel insulating the top and sides.

For a larger enclosure, a RHP has worked much better.

[ckuhn003]

I've found dual UTHs dont really bump ambient temps much in larger setups. They worked well for small tubs, but even my 17L RUB barely got a 4 degree bump with an 11" secondary flexwatt and a towel insulating the top and sides.

For a larger enclosure, a RHP has worked much better.

Pardon my ignorance but is a RHP essentially a UTH attached to the rear back of the cage? And if so, wouldn't a UTH conceptually work better w/ ambient temps since heat rises? Again, I'm a beginner and just trying to gain information.

[InherentResolve]

I've found dual UTHs dont really bump ambient temps much in larger setups. They worked well for small tubs, but even my 17L RUB barely got a 4 degree bump with an 11" secondary flexwatt and a towel insulating the top and sides.

For a larger enclosure, a RHP has worked much better.

I understand that concept. But why would ambient temps even be a concern if the snake is getting all the heat it needs by being on the ground where the temps are 90-80warm/cool? My snake doesnt climb, always on the ground. So lets say room temp is 70, but floor surface temps of cage are 90/80 respectively. why then would I care my room temp is 70?

[BPGator]

Pardon my ignorance but is a RHP essentially a UTH attached to the rear back of the cage? And if so, wouldn't a UTH conceptually work better w/ ambient temps since heat rises? Again, I'm a beginner and just trying to gain information.

An RHP is a radiant heat panel. It can get much hotter than a UTH (about 160F). It typically mounts to the top of the enclosure. It works by radiating heat; objects in the enclosure (hides, substrate, the animal, etc) absorb the heat. This is the way the sun's heat warms the planet. A UTH works by conducting heat - physical contact is made and the heat from the UTH is transferred to the animal.

And just for completeness, the third type of heat transfer is convection. This is seen a lot in incubators. Heat tape is used as a heat source. Air is blown across the surface of the heat tape with a fan and the heat is transferred to the air thereby raising the air temperature of the incubator.


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[ckuhn003]

An RHP is a radiant heat panel. It can get much hotter than a UTH (about 160F). It typically mounts to the top of the enclosure. It works by radiating heat; objects in the enclosure (hides, substrate, the animal, etc) absorb the heat. This is the way the sun's heat warms the planet. A UTH works by conducting heat - physical contact is made and the heat from the UTH is transferred to the animal.

And just for completeness, the third type of heat transfer is convection. This is seen a lot in incubators. Heat tape is used as a heat source. Air is blown across the surface of the heat tape with a fan and the heat is transferred to the air thereby raising the air temperature of the incubator.


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Interesting. So if/when my ambients get too low, would you recommend ditching my 2nd UTH and getting a RHP for the top of my PVC enclosure? Does it cover the entire length of the enclosure or just one side?

[BPGator]

Interesting. So if/when my ambients get too low, would you recommend ditching my 2nd UTH and getting a RHP for the top of my PVC enclosure? Does it cover the entire length of the enclosure or just one side?

If you have a RHP you don't need a UTH. I'd say if your air temp is in the high 70s, you don't need an RHP.

RHPs come in varying sizes (both wattage and physical dimensions); the size you need depends on several factors, including enclosure size and room temperature. You would bias the RHP to one side of the enclosure in order to create a temperature gradient.


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[ckuhn003]

If you have a RHP you don't need a UTH. I'd say if your air temp is in the high 70s, you don't need an RHP.

RHPs come in varying sizes (both wattage and physical dimensions); the size you need depends on several factors, including enclosure size and room temperature. You would bias the RHP to one side of the enclosure in order to create a temperature gradient.


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My air temps have been around 76-77. Not sure how that will change once winter comes. I'm in the south (Atlanta) and the enclosure is in a finished basement so I don't think it will get too cold down there but we'll see. The PVC enclosure came w/ a fluorescent light fixture inside the cage so adding an RHP could be a little complicated. Something to think about when I need to upgrade enclosures.