Heating Question??

[damian0905]

I currently have a 20 gal tank with a screentop. My humidity wasn't high enough (I was using a heat lamp) so I switched to a UTH. 70% of the top is covered with a damp towel which keeps my humidity around 67%. I still have a heat lamp but it is on low using a dimmer to get good ambient temps (low 80's). My concern is that my UTH isn't hot enough for my snake. I use a thermostat and set it to 90F but when I feel the warm side it isn't that hot. Maybe I'm just being a little paranoid but what do you guys think?

[chrid16371]

Are body temp is hotter than 90 so it wouldn't feel hot until its over normal body temp. You don't have a digital thermometer with probe? You need to get one if not. Where is your thermostat probe? Between the uth and tank or inside? If between uth and tank and If your trying to hit a hot spot of 90 you are going to have to set your thermostat higher then 90. The uth has to go through the tank and substrate so your uth might be at 90 but doesn't mean the inside is.
If your thermostat probe is inside then where at? Under your substrate? If so you may need to still set it a few degrees above your target temp to go through substrate. That's why I use 2 digital thermometer with probe. One for under substrate and one for on top.

[damian0905]

Are body temp is hotter than 90 so it wouldn't feel hot until its over normal body temp. You don't have a digital thermometer with probe? You need to get one if not. Where is your thermostat probe? Between the uth and tank or inside? If between uth and tank and If your trying to hit a hot spot of 90 you are going to have to set your thermostat higher then 90. The uth has to go through the tank and substrate so your uth might be at 90 but doesn't mean the inside is.
If your thermostat probe is inside then where at? Under your substrate? If so you may need to still set it a few degrees above your target temp to go through substrate. That's why I use 2 digital thermometer with probe. One for under substrate and one for on top.

I have the thermostat probe in between the tank and uth. If my ambient air is 82, what should my snakes hotspot be?

[bcr229]

I have the thermostat probe in between the tank and uth. If my ambient air is 82, what should my snakes hotspot be?

You mean the thermoSTAT probe. A thermometer measures temperature, a thermostat regulates a heating or cooling system.

Get an IR thermometer or heat gun and measure the temperature of the glass over the UTH. Sometimes you have to set the thermostat a bit higher or lower than the temperature you want the actual hot spot.

[chrid16371]

He said thermostat? But anyways are you only measuring ambient air? You need to also measure right against the hot spot. What are you using for substrate? Like said measure the temp right on the glass inside the tank above the uth. If your using thick substrate you may need to make the thermostat like 92-95 to get the top of your substrate correct. Don't go higher then 95 under the substrate bc your snake can burrow. Higher then 95 can cause burns.