Ongoing Experiment: Unregulated ZooMed UTH, Heat yield and transfer

[The Serpent Merchant]

since the product in question is suggested for use on the side of an enclosure and its secondary application is an UTH.

The product in question is called the Zoo Med ReptiTherm U.T.H.

It IS designed and marketed as a UTH not a side of tank heater...side mounting is only "preferred" if there is not adequate ventilation, which the OP provided with spacers under the tank.

Substrate can be very easily moved around so what happens when the snake touches the bottom of a tank that is 130 degrees?

I too know a thing or two about heat transfer (taken thermodynamics 1 & 2 as well as Physics with Calc 1, 2, & 3 as a part of my Electrical Engineering Major). Sure it is possible to do the math and rig a UTH so that a thermostat isn't needed (assuming that the room temperature remains fairly constant) but that is not something that the average user is capable of.

Do you really think that a piece of ReptiCarpet is going to lower the temperature by 30 plus degrees? (which would be following Zoo-Meds directions to the letter)

A thermostat is 100% necessary in 99.99% of UTH installations... I don't understand how anybody could think otherwise especially if they actually know a thing or two about heat transfer...