RBI Ultratherm question

[sekaiNdobes]

Quick Question!

I just got my Ultratherm UTH from RBI today. Instructions say to put polystyrene underneath it to reflect and insulate. I went to our hardware store and all they had was the blue polystyrene (it's blue... sometimes it's pink... that stuff).

Will this work? On the blue polystyrene it says "Combustible - protect from from high heat sources". Arrrgh, does this mean I can't use it?

Thanks in advance!

[dsirkle]

Ultratherm makes the claim that you can "often" use it without a thermostat and that it is designed to operate at 95 degrees. I have ran it unregulated under thin plastic cages and it reached about 105 degrees. Regulated or not, that's not hot enough to start a fire. But it is too hot for your animals to run without a thermostat.

[sekaiNdobes]

Oh, it'll be used with a thermostat - I'm just trying to follow the directions provided. I'm just confused about the insulation part of the instructions, as it's telling me to use something that is apparently combustible (or so it says on the polystyrene sheeting) to insulate. I just don't want to come home to a fire, or to melted polystyrene all over.

[Mochelem]

105 degrees is not a high heat source, somthing that is hot enough to set that stuff on fire would melt your enclosure and cook your snake... If 105 degrees would set that on fire you wouldnt be able to keep it in your car on sunny day because it would go up in flames....

[edie]

I just have mine all taped with foil tape to the bottom of my RBI cages - they are being run with a Helix, I haven't put anything underneath them and mine have all been working perfectly.

[starmom]

You can always call or email Rich and ask him

[sekaiNdobes]

Thanks Mochelem - that's what I was thinking, but I wanted to ask the experts. My brain was telling me that it was safe, but my heart (a.k.a the organ in charge of senseless worrying) was telling me to seek other opinions.

I'm going to set it up - without the snake - and run it for a few hours under close supervision. But I think it should be fine.

Thanks again!