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  1. #1
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    Post Help! UTH On None-Glass Enclosures?

    Hello all!

    I recently moved my girl into a custom terrarium that has a slate bottom. It's made from a hollowed out dresser, and it wasn't until I got it home that I realized I couldn't get an under-tank heater on it because of the wooden bottom.

    Would I be safe putting the heat pad directly on the slate, putting some kind of reptile carpet overtop of it, and then putting the substrate ontop? Or would that cause problems / be an electricity risk?

    Any advice would be super appreciated!
    Last edited by LavenderFields; 09-17-2018 at 12:18 AM.

  2. #2
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    How thick is the slate?

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    I think you're way better off using a radiant heat panel on the top instead. Using a UTH to heat through thick material is really inefficient at best. Another alternative would be a ceramic heat emitter, but you would have to cut a hole in the top and cover it with screen in order to put a fixture above it. A radiant heat panel will be efficient and effective and easy to install.

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    There are a very few types of heat pads that are designed to go into the enclosure. Big Apple Herp sells one under the IntelliTemp brand. I have several and they work ok as long as you don't have a super-active snake like a retic that destroys everything in its enclosure. For a larger super-active snake you would want a Kane heat mat that is designed to hold up to abuse from livestock.

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    Re: Help! UTH On None-Glass Enclosures?

    Not very, probably less than half an inch.

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    Re: Help! UTH On None-Glass Enclosures?

    I have some from Valentine supply from many years ago...they used to supply them to zoos...they are designed to be buried in dirt etc for natural looking displays,
    but I think they stopped making them (long ago) & I'm out of touch with anything Valentine, whether or not they're even still in business? The ones I got from them
    (& they still work, they're pretty indestructible) have thick insulated cords into a hard (ceramic?) 8" flat square that's about 1/4" thick. Low wattage but get very hot.

    The only things that are similar that I know of are designed for farm use (aka "pig blankets") & dog-breeding (whelping quarters can get wet!) use so they're larger...
    but again, designed to be safe with moisture. (as bcr229 suggested also)

    I've seen ppl talk about using UTH under wood cabinets...it's very inefficient, & probably unsafe over time. While slate doesn't catch fire, I still don't think
    UTH belongs under it...I just wouldn't do that. The RHP sounds like a good solution, other than a UTH that's designed for use with wetness.
    Last edited by Bogertophis; 09-17-2018 at 11:08 AM.

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    Re: Help! UTH On None-Glass Enclosures?

    Quote Originally Posted by LavenderFields View Post
    Not very, probably less than half an inch.
    Ok, I'm not sure if I'm visualizing this properly, but would it be possible to cut a rectangular section out of the wood big enough to get the UTH on the bottom of the slate?

    I'm not sure if I'm way off cause I'm not seeing it right in my head. But I think you could put a UTH Andre the slate. As long as you have it regulated by a thermostat it should be fine. Assuming the slate is under a half inch I think the heat would get through it just fine.

    But, again I may be wrong....
    I hope I'm helping

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