Rhp and thermostat

[Sunnieskys]

For a pvc cage, does an RHP require a thermostat! I say yes all heat sources require one. And if so how does one go about placing the probe and where?

[ckuhn003]

For a pvc cage, does an RHP require a thermostat! I say yes all heat sources require one. And if so how does one go about placing the probe and where?

It does require a thermostat as do all heat sources. There are different schools of thoughts on probe placement. Mostly on what end of the enclosure the probe is placed. I hang mine about 6 inches from the bottom; along the wall at the end of the enclosure where the RHP is mounted. Once you obtain the temperature you are looking for, you can measure the temp on the cool side to see if the gradient meets your snakes needs. I would also experiment w/ the probe on both ends to see which gives you the best results. Keep adjusting the thermostat to find the perfect balance of hot side vs cool side.

[Sunnieskys]

It does require a thermostat as do all heat sources. There are different schools of thoughts on probe placement. Mostly on what end of the enclosure the probe is placed. I hang mine about 6 inches from the bottom; along the wall at the end of the enclosure where the RHP is mounted. Once you obtain the temperature you are looking for, you can measure the temp on the cool side to see if the gradient meets your snakes needs. I would also experiment w/ the probe on both ends to see which gives you the best results. Keep adjusting the thermostat to find the perfect balance of hot side vs cool side.

Back wall or side wall? And how did you keep the probe in place? How did you get the probe in the enclosure at all? I have to do this next weekend.

[ckuhn003]

Back wall or side wall? And how did you keep the probe in place? How did you get the probe in the enclosure at all? I have to do this next weekend.

My probe comes through the back wall where I made a small hole. I’ve taped it on the back of the enclosure to control it from shifting.

Here’s a picture. You can see the white RHP on the ceiling and the probe on the back wall. Hope this helps.




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[Sunnieskys]

That totally does thanks! One more question? Does your rhp sit against the back wall mounted to the top? Or is it mounted in the middle (equal space to the front and back of the enclosure) or does it sit against the side wall? I hope I asked that right! I know it is mounted to the top.

[ckuhn003]

That totally does thanks! One more question? Does your rhp sit against the back wall mounted to the top? Or is it mounted in the middle (equal space to the front and back of the enclosure) or does it sit against the side wall? I hope I asked that right! I know it is mounted to the top.

It does not sit against the back wall because I have a row of LED lights along the back. It looks like it is centered with about 4 inches from the front and back. I ordered it from Pro Products who will recommend the proper size based on the enclosure size, etc.... And then Animal Plastics installed it (which looks pretty easy).

[XPLSV]

As mentioned, there are various thoughts on where to put the temp probe, but I think once you decide on the location, use another device to measure the temps at the other locations in the cage, so you understand what is going on when your probe is registering a certain temperature. As mentioned, if you call Bob at Pro Products, he is going to ask you about the room, the cage type, the typical temperature, and the animals...he will then recommend a proper sized panel. It is suggested that the panel be large enough such that it is not having to run at 100% power all of the time. Running at max will likely shorten the life of the panel. Additionally, a proportional thermostat is recommended, such as the Herpistat 4 I use. A proportional does not turn on and off...which would mean running at 100% or 0%, but gradually adjusts the supplied power as needed to maintain the temperature. When first setting up a cold cage, I can watch the Herpistat step up until it reaches 100%, where it stays, until the set temp is reached...then it backs off and only supplies as much power as needed to maintain the proper temp, so it might fluctuate between 62 to 67% most of the day. Your particular setup would very. When I used to keep a large number of snakes 20 years ago, we never had the stuff that is available today. While this stuff can get pricy, it does allow a great deal of control over the animal's environment.

[SVT Wylde]

My probe comes through the back wall where I made a small hole. I’ve taped it on the back of the enclosure to control it from shifting.

Here’s a picture. You can see the white RHP on the ceiling and the probe on the back wall. Hope this helps.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That is EXACTLY where my thermostat probe is placed. I tried several locations and this location got my cage dialed in perfectly.

If you can, mount your RHP in your enclosure and plug it straight into the wall for a few days before setting it up for your snakes. Mine had some funky outgassing and burn off that I really didn’t want my snake to endure.

[ckuhn003]

That is EXACTLY where my thermostat probe is placed. I tried several locations and this location got my cage dialed in perfectly.

If you can, mount your RHP in your enclosure and plug it straight into the wall for a few days before setting it up for your snakes. Mine had some funky outgassing and burn off that I really didn’t want my snake to endure.

Good to hear I'm not the only one with the thermostat in this placement. As you can see from the picture, my little Boa loves 'sunning' under the RHP on his tree formation.