UTH won't stick

[Eric Alan]

I have read many conflicting opinions about the probe being in the enclosure or not...I understand and see great arguments for each side.

It seems to make sense to have the probe on the inside so i know what the temperature is, where the snake would be, why would I want to measure the temperature of the outside. Im assuming there is issues with correct temperature measurements.

But also I just spent 300 dollars on a herpstat and now I would have to go buy another temperature probe for the inside, why not just put it on the inside originally?

I am worried if I put the probe on the outside I will not have the correct temperature on the inside, even if Im checking with the thermometer overtime.

Your probe isn't telling you what temperature your warm spot is. The only thing it's doing is making sure your UTH is providing a steady, safe temperature. It can't do this if something on the inside of the enclosure impacts its ability to relay back to the UTH reliably. There are zero great arguments for putting the probe for a thermostat controlling a UTH inside of the enclosure. The setting that you set your thermostat to is determined by the reading that you get from a surface thermometer. The infrared types are very reliable and you shouldn't have to spend more than $30-$40 (including shipping) to get a good one.

For example (with the probe on the outside):

• Set thermostat to 90. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 85. Turn thermostat up to 95. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 90. Perfect!
• Set thermostat to 100. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 98. Turn thermostat down to 92. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 90. Perfect!

For example (with the probe on the inside):

• Set thermostat to 90. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 90. Perfect! Snake buries down to get to 90 temp and moves probe off of UTH. Probe thinks temp is only 80 and tells the UTH to crank it up 10 degrees. Temp on thermostat still reads 90 or lower, but actual temp on glass is MUCH hotter because probe got moved. Burned snake!
• Set thermostat to 90. Wait 30 min to 1 hr. Infrared thermometer tells you hottest spot on glass is 90. Pefect! Snake spills water/pees on warm side, cooling it off. Probe thinks temp is only 75 and tells the UTH to crank it up 15 degrees. Temp on thermostat still reads 90 or lower, but actual temp on glass is MUCH hotter because probe got wet. Burned snake!