Newbie beyond frustrated with heat/humidity problems

[CobraCatcher]

Thanks everybody. What a process this is.

I was thinking maybe the substrate looks a little thick.

im keeping mine down to about 1/2 - 3/4 inch. Especially over my UTH.

I put in what the kit directions recommended, about 1.5 to 2" of bedding. Now that I know how dangerous the UTH can be to a snake, I'm glad we did that. Under the hot side hide, it's compressed down to about an 1". The temp gun is giving me readings ranging from 85 to 92 degrees on the compressed bedding surface. When the thermostat arrives, I will be thinning that area down to half to 3/4".

As said earlier in the thread, coco husk (EcoEarth) is a life saver. It really is. Even with a bulb, you should be able to maintain humidity. I use my bedding as the sole source of humidity. I wet it enough to dark it, but not enough that it becomes cold and really dark. The heat will evaporate the moisture from the bedding as it warms. Then, you just mix in more water when the humidity gets ~10% below where it should be (that's the range I use at least, and haven't had a problem).

Also, the tub is a great thing. It will only cost a fraction of the tank set up. You can get a tub the same size as that tank (maybe shorter), for $15-20, and you'll only need to make small changes to it to secure it and allow air flow. Plastic is a much better insulator than glass (which almost 0), so your temps should naturally rise. Hope this helps.

We are trying a different location for the heat lamp, over to the left side of the tank, and over the cool hide, we're hoping that it won't dry out the center so fast. The Pet store was all out of 100 watt infrared heat bulbs, so we could only grab a 75 watt one. I doubt that it will provide the needed amount of heat, but we're hoping....
I'm going to try the Eco Earth after her shed is over, that way we don't have to worry about pieces of scales laying around in the fresh bedding. That also allows me time to try out a couple of other ideas with our existing set up.
What are the chances of over wetting the Eco Earth and causing scale/belly problems to the snake?

My son would really like to make the tank work, as he likes the looks of the tank, and allows him to watch her as she moves about. But, I won't rule out a tub if I run out of ideas.