Heating issues

[Alpinestars199]

Hello everyone. I made a thread recently but could not figure out how to post photos but now I have! I’m having some temp issues with my new tank. I just got a kages 4x2x2 pvc enclosure. No side vents only back solid top. I am driving myself nuts with temperatures. My current heat sources are a 100 pro heat rhp and Arcadia 75watt halogen. I have my radiant heat panel mounted on the cool side to maintain cool side/ambient temps. And the halogen on the warm side to crest the basking/warm side temps. The cool side of the tank is great and I’d holding at 77 degrees. My problem is getting ambient warm side temps up in the enclosure. I was told on Reddit that maximum basking spot SURFACE temps can be 105 degrees. So with the basking surface directly under the lamp at 102 degrees I still cannot ambient warm side temps above 79 degrees. Both temps on warm and cool side are being controlled by a Herpstat. Ambient room temperature that the enclosure is in are 67 degrees. I would appreciate and help as to what I’m doing wrong here and why I can’t get the ambient temps up on the warm side of the enclosure.





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[Alpinestars199]

I am going to be housing a ball Python in here she’s currently in her 25 gallon exo terra until I figure this out

[Alpinestars199]

With the radiant heat panel maintaining a general 77 degrees shouldn’t the halogen be bringing up ambient temps on the warm side?. My original goal was radiant heat panel for ambient/cool side temps and the halogen for basking/warm side temps

[Homebody]

I would use the RHP to heat the warm side of the enclosure. Using a Pro Products 100w RHP to maintain temps at a mere 77F is a waste. It can add much more heat than that and heat is what you need. Move it to the far end of the enclosure away from the halogen. Set the thermostat to maintain a basking temp under the RHP of no higher than 90F and let it heat up. Give it time. It will take the RHP a while to heat up all that stuff (lovely stuff by the way). When a third to half of your enclosure is 90 degrees, the cool side will likely rise to 75 to 80 degrees without the assistance of the halogen. If it doesn't, I'd swap out the halogen for a ceramic heat emitter so you can leave it on at night.

[Alpinestars199]

Ok thank you I’ll give that a shot. With trying to raise ambient temps to 90 wouldn’t that mean bringing the basking temp above 90? Seeing as radiant heat panels work by heating objects which then heat the air. I am also measuring ambient temps at substrate level which is what I was instructed to do since that’s where the snake spends the majority of its time.

[Homebody]

With trying to raise ambient temps to 90 wouldn’t that mean bringing the basking temp above 90?

You should set the thermostat regulating your RHP to maintain a surface temp, as measured by a heat gun, of 90F. Your RHP is large. It will heat a large area. Once it has done that (be patient it may take a while), the ambient temps will rise. I hope the ambient on the cool side will rise to 75F+. If it doesn't, you'll add the CHE.

[Alpinestars199]

Ok I will give this a shot! I’m sure you looked through my pics and saw my thermostat probe is hanging about 5-6 inches below the panel. Do you have a better recommendation on somewhere to place it? This is how I was instructed to do it by folks on Reddit so that it’s not accessible and can’t be moved by the snake. Bob from pro heat recommends placing it on the cool side and setting the panel for the cool side temps. I apologize as there is just an absurd amount of info and ways to do things from all different forums etc.

[Homebody]

I’m sure you looked through my pics and saw my thermostat probe is hanging about 5-6 inches below the panel. Do you have a better recommendation on somewhere to place it?

No. I don't. I use an 80w VE RHP and mine is 2-3" below the panel tied to a fake flower stem. That is what the instructions on my panel said to do and it works for me. As long as yours is secure and properly regulates your temps, I'm sure there are a lot of different ways you can do it.

[Homebody]

I just got a kages 4x2x2 pvc enclosure. No side vents only back solid top...Ambient room temperature that the enclosure is in are 67 degrees.

You should also consider closing those vents. They let heat out. You have a large enclosure in a cold room, so you may have to take extra measures to maintain the tropical temps a BP requires. Don't worry. Your BP won't suffocate.

[Animallover3541]

Hello everyone. I made a thread recently but could not figure out how to post photos but now I have! I’m having some temp issues with my new tank. I just got a kages 4x2x2 pvc enclosure. No side vents only back solid top. I am driving myself nuts with temperatures. My current heat sources are a 100 pro heat rhp and Arcadia 75watt halogen. I have my radiant heat panel mounted on the cool side to maintain cool side/ambient temps. And the halogen on the warm side to crest the basking/warm side temps. The cool side of the tank is great and I’d holding at 77 degrees. My problem is getting ambient warm side temps up in the enclosure. I was told on Reddit that maximum basking spot SURFACE temps can be 105 degrees. So with the basking surface directly under the lamp at 102 degrees I still cannot ambient warm side temps above 79 degrees. Both temps on warm and cool side are being controlled by a Herpstat. Ambient room temperature that the enclosure is in are 67 degrees. I would appreciate and help as to what I’m doing wrong here and why I can’t get the ambient temps up on the warm side of the enclosure.





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Any possibility you would consider switching the halogen for a DHP...? You can keep it on at night to create a hotspot and use something like a Herpstat to create a night time temperature that is lower than the day time.