Hot spot reading Higher than uth setting

[RebelCue]

Ok so here is my question. I just moved my Mojave bp Dexter to a 30 gallon tank. Keeping humidity up fine and etc. He's been eating well. But I noticed he's been in his cool side more often then he did in his other tank. The uth was set to 93. Thermostat is in between uth and glass. I figured with the couple degree loss it'd be at about 90. I used my temp gun, lifted the hide and it was at 94 on the ground. I turned the thermostat down to 91. check again today when I saw him leave it. Still in the 93+ range.

Now I do have a 75w CHE on a dimmer switch on that side of the tank also for ambient air temp. Is the air just warming the top of the substrate up? Or it it really too hot?

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[Toad37]

You could try cleaning the probe for the thermostat and see if that helps. My thermostat on one of my racks was set at 92 and the hot side of the tubs read 95. I cleaned the probe with an alcohol wipe and now it's perfect.

[Bogertophis]

I suspect it's too hot...I'd take the hint since he's staying in the cool side. It doesn't much matter what the thermostat is "set to"...what actually matters is exactly
what the temperature is on the glass above the UTH, where the snake will make contact & can be injured when it's much over 90*.

Keep a couple things in mind: depending on the kind & depth of substrate, it's going to "insulate" the UTH, causing the heat to build up on the surface where the
snake will be hanging out...and even more so when it's also covered by a hide that helps keep the warmth from rising so easily. It's like if you're in a room with a
window open but running a heater, you're going to feel the heat, even though some does go out the window. You also want to be careful to make sure the UTH
was installed with a little "breathing room" so that the substrate (ie. "insulation") combined with a higher setting doesn't cause it to overheat & malfunction. If the
UTH doesn't provide adequate warmth in the enclosure when controlled to a level that is safe for the snake, then you might need to add an additional heat source,
or use a larger UTH (or maybe a second one for colder seasons, but always leaving at least a third of the floor unheated for safety.)

While you probably need to use a lower setting for the CHE also, I'd guess that your UTH is still TOO HOT, since you measured it by lifting the hide. I'd turn both
heat sources down....if you're using a CHE, set the UTH to 87-88* & see if that works better. You're lucky to have a BP that rejects the heated hide when it's too
warm, but don't rely on that...and anyway, you want him to be able to use the warmth he needs to function best...not linger in the cool hide if he needs to digest.

[RebelCue]

Well I think I just found the problem. The adhesive to the uth has failed and it's laying underneath the tank and not sticking to it.

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[RedRabbit]

Well I think I just found the problem. The adhesive to the uth has failed and it's laying underneath the tank and not sticking to it.

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I'm glad you caught that. Unfortunately, the strength of the adhesives for most of the stick-on UTHs can be pretty variable, so I don't rely on them to stay on their own, even when installing them brand new. I'd recommend securing all your UTHs with a strong, heat-safe tape, such as foil tape.

[ballpythonsrock2]

I'm glad you caught that. Unfortunately, the strength of the adhesives for most of the stick-on UTHs can be pretty variable, so I don't rely on them to stay on their own, even when installing them brand new. I'd recommend securing all your UTHs with a strong, heat-safe tape, such as foil tape.

And to add to that I would make sure the probe is flush and up against the uth with tape. You don't have to necessarily cover the probe tip with tape but on the bottom of the probe and the wire. In other words you want the probe up against the uth.

(Asking for other posters thinking ) Would it work to tape the probe tip to the bottom (outside of course) of the tank instead of against the heater pad. It needs to be one or the other right? Which way is better posters? I don't have a ton of UTH experience.

[Luvyna]

Well I think I just found the problem. The adhesive to the uth has failed and it's laying underneath the tank and not sticking to it.

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I experienced this problem early on when first setting up my enclosure. In my case, half of the UTH was still attached while the half that was supposed to be against the probe (which was taped to the bottom of the outside of the tub) had sagged down. This was pretty dangerous as it could have led to excessive heating if not discovered quickly. It's a really annoying problem because some heating pads, like the Zoo Med ones, require ventilation space underneath the UTH which creates the possibility for this to happen.

I'm now using aluminum foil to tape the UTH to the bottom of the tub, which is nice because I can remove the heating pad every time I want to deep clean the tub. However, even the foil tape adhesive will eventually wear out and weaken so it needs to be re-taped every so often and checked routinely.

I think taping the thermostat probe to the UTH is better because of my experience above. That way, even if your UTH adhesive gives away, the probe is still in contact with the UTH, so there is no risk of your snake being burned by excessive heating if part of it is still attached. Also, on the note of taping probes, DO NOT put tape on the probe itself (the metal or plastic part that detects the temperature) because foil tape cools the probe and will result in inaccurate temps. Always tape the wire, not the probe.

[hollyslatestwhim]

I am dealing with the same problem. The UTH is stuck to the bottom of the tank, the thermostat probe is taped to the UTH with foil tape. It's only been a couple days and I checked the taped probe and it's already coming off!! I used masking tape temporarily until I got the foil tape and it was holding better! I feel like I must be doing something wrong. Luckily I've got a thermometer probe on the glass inside the tank under the substrate and hide so I can keep an eye on the actual temp that way too. Really getting frustrated with the probe not staying taped properly. Only 3 weeks new to this and really want to get it right so Molly has a safe and comfortable home. Any suggestions for the taping? I don't want to put anything under the tank to hold it in place as I thought it needs ventilation.

[Zincubus]

I am dealing with the same problem. The UTH is stuck to the bottom of the tank, the thermostat probe is taped to the UTH with foil tape. It's only been a couple days and I checked the taped probe and it's already coming off!! I used masking tape temporarily until I got the foil tape and it was holding better! I feel like I must be doing something wrong. Luckily I've got a thermometer probe on the glass inside the tank under the substrate and hide so I can keep an eye on the actual temp that way too. Really getting frustrated with the probe not staying taped properly. Only 3 weeks new to this and really want to get it right so Molly has a safe and comfortable home. Any suggestions for the taping? I don't want to put anything under the tank to hold it in place as I thought it needs ventilation.

I simply use hot glue gun for anything like that .. it’s very strong and durable BUT it can be pulled or cut off when required.


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[Midwest]

I have two different thermostats and one is spot on and the other is about 4 degrees off. I trust my temp gun not my thermostat read out. It does seem odd to me that if your UTH fell further away from the tank that it would cause it to heat up hotter then what the thermostat is set at....