Cheap Thrrmometer?

[KaaismyBaby]

When getting my BP, I'm housing her in a Zoo Med 20 gallon snake kit. This kit came with a thermometer, and it usually reads about 100° during the day. She has no problems, and eats just fine. Is it really that hot? Or do I just have a cheap thermometer?

[Alexio]

Where is the thermometer placed?

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[chrid16371]

Is it an analog thermometer? If so they are usually really inaccurate. If it is a zoo med digital probe thermometer I have had ones 5-15 digress off. A good thermometer/hygrometer is the acurite 00891. Also what are you using as heat source and are you using a thermostat? Where do you have the thermometer placed?

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[KaaismyBaby]

Where is the thermometer placed?

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I have the thermometer placed at ground level.

[KaaismyBaby]

Is it an analog thermometer? If so they are usually really inaccurate. If it is a zoo med digital probe thermometer I have had ones 5-15 digress off. A good thermometer/hygrometer is the acurite 00891. Also what are you using as heat source and are you using a thermostat? Where do you have the thermometer placed?

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Yes I am using an analog thermometer. As a heat source, I am using the heat lamp that came with the kit. No thermostat came with the kit that I bought.

[chrid16371]

Yes I am using an analog thermometer. As a heat source, I am using the heat lamp that came with the kit. No thermostat came with the kit that I bought.

Ok I would get the acurite 00891, they can be found at some walmarts for $12 or on amazon for $12. You put the probe on the hot side and the rest of the unit on cool side and it gives you hot temp, cool temp, and humidity all from one thermometer. Also you will need either a DIMMING thermostat or a lamp dimmer for your heat lamp BC once you have the correct thermometer you will see it is probably to hot. You want your hot side around 88-90, you can either use one of the 2 devices I mentioned above to get temps correct or you can raise the dome off the screen until you get the correct temp. If you decide to get a thermostat make sure is a dimming style, pulse and on/off are not good for heat sources that emit light. If you ever use a under tank heater make sure you regulate with a thermostat or something or it will burn your snake, any heat source needs regulated.

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[BPGator]

What does the hygrometer read on the dial? It's quite possible you have a high wattage bulb and it really is heating things up a lot. It would also be drying things out. I don't like using over a 50W bulb because it starts to make things too hot - especially when the snake is awake and trying to push on the top of the enclosure.

[dkatz4]

I also recommend the Accurite. I couldn't figure out why 3x a day misting and condensation pooling on the walls only constitutes 50% humidity. I ditched the cheapie analog dial for the A'rite and guess what, humidity was 96%. Oops.

[Hankw]

Granted, most any entry-level analog device will not be as accurate as its digital counterpart. As to how a heat lamp works, it does not appreciably heat any air, it radiates its energy to objects that absorb the heat and that object warms the air. The heat "rays" may indeed be absorbed by the sensor and an in-accurate reading will be the result. If you were to place a small "shield" cardboard or the like in between the lamp and sensor you would find that the indicated temperature would be lower, maybe not by much but it would be lower.. For the most accurate reading from ANY thermometer to measure ambient air temperature, it should not directly "see" the heat source/lamp...

[Hankw]

One additional mention about this temperature stuff.... Design Engineer by trade, but a BP virgin

I have heard/read that UTH's can be more harmful than they may be worth. To that end, I have set up my 40B tank which has additional fake plants etc. for a newbie "Regular Ball", to only use a black flat bulb type ceramic heater (150W) and a 25W incandescant bulb for a bit more light. Each has it's own 6 buck light dimmer wired to a cheap extension cord for light/heat control. I'll try to add pix - NOT. Anyway, by using an IR temperature gun (~20 bucks anywhere), I have set the dimmer to control the ceramic heater, right side reflector, so that when I measure the top of the right log hide, it reads ~90 degrees +-. (set to whatever you may want/need). I figure that if Mr. Ball wants to rest on top of the right hide, Yes, he loves it ! , he will receive approximately the same quantity of heat as what the top of the log reads.... I believe this to be an accurate analogy for the ceramic heater setting. The dimmer for the regular light bulb - whatever wattage you may use, is set to the lighting level you may want. I told myself to get all this habitat temperature shoot worked out first and then I was ready to get my Ball. I think that the main ADVANTAGE to a dimmer type control is that it is a CONSTANT SETTING without the issue of a thermostats temperature control "swing" (hysteresis), (that could be as many as 2,3,5 degrees or more between turn on and turn off. My rooms ambient temperature stays fairly constant +- couple of degrees and does not present any problems with a "constant dimmer setting". Certainly in the winter months I may have to tweak the heater dimmer a bit, but no problem. Just make sure to make any dimmer adjustment in small increments and check the temps with you new IR gun.... Anyway, that is my story and I'm sticking to it...

Hank (how post pix???) anyway, just imagine my pix.... I'll figure it out later...