I need some help with my tub/flexwatt setup :/

[Trackstrong83]

Alright so, a little background.. I have my BP in a 41 qt tub with 2' of 11" flexwatt. Her tub has been on my counter and I have never had a problem with her temps. The reason I got 2' of flexwatt is because I plan on getting a young Dumeril's boa, and putting it in a spare 28qt tub I have, and using the same strip of flexwatt for my BP, and my Dumeril's since they use about the same temps.

My problem, I set the tubs on the floor on a large piece of cardboard because I have no more counter space, (idk why but I just don't trust it directly on the carpet) but my temps started skyrocketing! I had the thermostat set at 91 degrees, but my acu-rite was reading 97!! ( dont worry i took my snake out before i started tinkering with it) The setup looks kind of like the "pi" symbol if that helps. I put the thermostat probe directly between the two tubs, taped directly to the flexwatt. so it is setup like a little 2 tub rack.

Is the cardboard affecting the flexwatt somehow?? Or maybe is my acu-rite messing up? I can post pictures if needed.

[The Serpent Merchant]

My first suggestion would be to check the acurite... that is super easy to do and if it is the issue will save you a lot of time that you would have spent on tinkering with your heating rig.

If this started as soon as you moved the tub I would guess that the cardboard might be causing the issue (if it isn't just a bad thermometer) You could try moving your thermostat probe to see if that makes a difference.

You could use a piece of a tub to simulate the inside of your tubs by placing it on the Flexwatt and attaching the thermostat probe to the piece of tub. You then set your thermostat to the desired tub temperature and then check your BP's tubs temps with your thermometer to make sure that it is calibrated properly.

[cmack91]

If the part of flexwatt that the probe for the stat isnt covered by a tub, it will be cooler than the rest. The space under a tub holds in hot air, whereas the uncovered flexwatts heat dissipates into the air, therefor, the stat probe reads lower. Attach the stat probe under a tub and see if it fixes the problem

On a side note, its not the best idea to put a new snake that hasnt gone through quarantine right next to your other one since you wont know what kinds of parrasites or infections it may have.

[Trackstrong83]

If the part of flexwatt that the probe for the stat isnt covered by a tub, it will be cooler than the rest. The space under a tub holds in hot air, whereas the uncovered flexwatts heat dissipates into the air, therefor, the stat probe reads lower.

I can't believe I didn't realize this. This just fixed my problem. Now I don't think anything is wrong, I just had the t-stat probe on an open part of the flexwatt, and it heated THAT part to 91, but the rest to 97. Can't believe I didn't realize this haha thanks a ton.

Yeahhh I forgot about quarantine. Looks like I'll have to keep the Dumeril's on its own heat pad for a while.

[cmack91]

No problem, im glad you got it fixed.