Radiant heat panel for a 6 ft cage..

[robert7107]

Just my opinion but Pro Products is a superior RHP - Good luck either way.

I'll wait till i hear back from pro products before ordering..

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[enginee837]

I have some experience with the RBI 120 watt radiant heat panels so I will weigh in. About a year ago I built a total of 6 48" longx20" deep x12" tall melamine enclosures with glass sliding doors. I spoke to the tech guy at reptile basics who said the 80w would probbably suffice but I went with the 120's due to the fact that my house stays 73-74 year round. I put all 6 on a 've 300 thermostat. I was also concerned that te total wattage of the 6 120's the may exceed the ve300 total watt ability. I was told that the way the panels work there would be no issue.
Fast forward to now what I have learned is this. The distance the heat panel is from the hot spot is primarily what determines its effectivenss more so than the length (wattage) of the panel. The larger panel just creates a longer hot spot. My next 6 enclosures will probably be the same height and depth but be closer to 72" long. I will probably order some 80's and swap them into my 48's and move the 120's to the 72's.
As far a the pvc outer shell. I do not see this as a concern. They seem sturdy as they are built.

[Sauzo]

Well i agree that the ABS body probably will be fine but when i used RHPs, i went Pro Products as the aluminum body is better and considering you will be using this thing for probably 10+ years, i would rather get the best now and not have to mess with it later. I have never heard of a failure issue with the Pro Products ones, i have heard a few issues with the RBI ones.

And the length of the RHP is determined by the cage length. Like i said before, you generally want 1/4- 1/3 of the cage with the RHP. So putting a 120 watt RHP in a 48" cage is way overkill as that will take up half the cage and not give a very good gradient. With my 4x2 cages, i was using PH3 65 watt RHPs from Pro Products which were 22x12 if i remember correctly. I just mounted it so it was 12" wide and 22" deep in the cage. But i dont use any RHPs anymore as i just use flexwatt for all my T8s, T10s and T25s.

[robert7107]

I actually got a reply from pro products and I believe Bobby was his name he recommended the PH-12, 300 BTU/h, 88 watt, 12" x 24" x 1":cens0r:radiant panel.:cens0r::cens0r:
My biggest issue is that I don't see the products on their website RBI I can see the panels and read the description and to me that's just better business I'm going to go ahead and get the RBI 120 Watt panel the 80 wants is too small for 6 ft cage and winter temperatures in my room can occasionally drop down to 72/73 degrees for 8 hour period...

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[dkatz4]

i spoke to Bob just the other day regarding a 4 to 6 foot enclosure (still deciding on a build), i was guessing based on your post he'd reccomend the PH12, thats what I'm going to get as it will work well for 6' and i can dim it down for a 4'. He gave me a whole impressive spiel about how much better PP panels were than RBI (i own 2 RBIs), but i had already heard that all over the forums, so he wasn't convincing me as much as just explaining why. But here's the thing; the RBI 120, with economy shipping, comes to about $100, the PH12 with shipping comes to about $135. $35 difference between good enough and top-of-the-line; its your setup and i'm not going to wag my finger at you, but to me it felt penny-wise to skimp on heating quality for the price of a dinner at Applebee's.

[robert7107]

i spoke to Bob just the other day regarding a 4 to 6 foot enclosure (still deciding on a build), i was guessing based on your post he'd reccomend the PH12, thats what I'm going to get as it will work well for 6' and i can dim it down for a 4'. He gave me a whole impressive spiel about how much better PP panels were than RBI (i own 2 RBIs), but i had already heard that all over the forums, so he wasn't convincing me as much as just explaining why. But here's the thing; the RBI 120, with economy shipping, comes to about $100, the PH12 with shipping comes to about $135. $35 difference between good enough and top-of-the-line; its your setup and i'm not going to wag my finger at you, but to me it felt penny-wise to skimp on heating quality for the price of a dinner at Applebee's.

Well I'll call him then I don't how a 88 watt will be efficient enough to heat a 6-foot cage when temps at night can an have gotten down too 73 for 8 hrs or so. Rather have more then less an I plan too use a ve200 thermostat for the panel alone..

I make a effort too speak too the man an Express my concerns..

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[dkatz4]

I was surprised by the wattage too, buts its not how many watts, its what you do with them that counts, my room gets to high 60's over night in the winter, but i have complete confidence. And if you decide to go with PP, tell him Dave persuaded you, maybe I'll get a commission, LOL

[robert7107]

I was surprised by the wattage too, buts its not how many watts, its what you do with them that counts, my room gets to high 60's over night in the winter, but i have complete confidence. And if you decide to go with PP, tell him Dave persuaded you, maybe I'll get a commission, LOL

What size cage are you using and what type of snake?
And what is your cage made of ?
Your hot spots and ambient temperature?

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[dkatz4]

when i spoke to Bob we were talking about 3/4" melamine 18" tall and 4x2 to 6x2. Animal in question is a burm, looking for a gradient from about 80 on the coolest end to a basking spot of about 93 with most of the ambient staying in the low/mid 80's

[CALM Pythons]

Well I'll call him then I don't how a 88 watt will be efficient enough to heat a 6-foot cage when temps at night can an have gotten down too 73 for 8 hrs or so. Rather have more then less an I plan too use a ve200 thermostat for the panel alone..

I make a effort too speak too the man an Express my concerns..

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I run all P12's and a 88 watt Pro Panels quality blows any RBI away. I understand you want a website with cool pics of what your buying but Bob at Pro Products doesn't need that. He is the Leader in the industry & works with Zoo's ect... The small panels we all buy are only 1/8th of his business. Trust what experienced people tell you on here. This is a great Forum of people that share the best of info to help each other with a common interest.
PS- my house is 66 all summer with the AC and during the winter its 60 at night and 70 during the day.
The only problem ive had is the panels heating the enclosures above to much so ive added insulation board between them.
Enclosures.
2 4x2x2
1 7x2x2

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