UTH Questions

[PitOnTheProwl]

IMO in the tank, on the glass, in the middle.of the pad is best, being this is the surface temp you are trying to control. You need a non contact thermometer to check the entire surface to see where the hottest part of the surface is, some arent all that even, and you don't want a small spot hot enough to burn despite most of the pad being a safe lower temp. If the probe gets detatched it can overheat the glass, taping it down is very dangerous to the snake, even a loop of wire can be trouble, so I encase the probe and wire in hot glue directly to the glass.

This is a bad idea.
You NEVER want the thermostat probe to be in a position to be altered.
Everyone tried to over complicate this and I cannot figure out why...............................
Heat pat(UTH) covered in aluminum tape (sticky side to sticky side), probe between pad and bottom of enclosure. Use foil tape on edges to secure pad to bottom of enclosure. Set temperature on thermostat to 90 (this is my starting point) and after an hour or so of run time check the inside temperature with a no contact gun. Adjust till you get the temp you are shooting for. Make note of your actual settings. FYI I have a couple racks running 102 degrees to have a 93 degree inside the tub temp.

Now back to why a probe inside the enclosure is almost as bad as not using a thermostat at all........
Have you ever had your snake tip, dump or over flow the water bowl?
Does your snake pee and poop in their enclosure?
If none these have never happened and you want to gamble that they never will then your probe inside the tank is safe.

I however have seen and know that any of these fluids can alter the probes reading and cause it to read lower than actual temps. This will cause the thermostat to fire up and more than likely run the mat hotter than you planned until the probe is at the set temperature it thinks it should be at.
Wiring and cables inside an enclosure can also add to other potential problems. Why give the opportunity to happen?
Not only this but I like to be able to clean my tubs and tanks.