BP baby is overly active?

[Coluber42]

Have you used a RHP in a tub?

I haven't, but I used to know some people who did. I should also say, they used it in a relatively high tub where it sat well over a foot above the floor - it wasn't sitting six inches overhead. They put a piece of plywood on top of the lid and screwed the panel through the lid into the plywood. I don't remember what kind of tub it was, but it was one with a reasonably flat lid.

I have used it myself only in a tank and in PVC. But for what it's worth, those plastic tubs are typically made of low-density polyethylene, which has a melting point well above 200° F. The benefit of a RHP is that it does not get anywhere near that hot. If you're concerned, you can always use another piece of material such as PVC sheet on the inside of the lid as well to space the panel out from the lid itself.

[KMG]

I haven't, but I used to know some people who did. I should also say, they used it in a relatively high tub where it sat well over a foot above the floor - it wasn't sitting six inches overhead. They put a piece of plywood on top of the lid and screwed the panel through the lid into the plywood. I don't remember what kind of tub it was, but it was one with a reasonably flat lid.

I have used it myself only in a tank and in PVC. But for what it's worth, those plastic tubs are typically made of low-density polyethylene, which has a melting point well above 200° F. The benefit of a RHP is that it does not get anywhere near that hot. If you're concerned, you can always use another piece of material such as PVC sheet on the inside of the lid as well to space the panel out from the lid itself.

Im not concerned with using a RHP in a tub. Its just that I see it as ironic that many times a person that is using a tub instead of a PVC cage is doing so because they are not financially able to buy a nicer cage yet. So a person using a cheap tub but then heating it with higher priced heat equipment strikes me a little funny.

I don't doubt that it can work its just not a suggestion I would make to a person with limited keeping experience on a budget that has not allowed them to buy a nice thermostat yet. If a person can not afford or just does not have a nice tstat at that time I like to give them other options that I see as safer than using improper gear or a cheap tstat. I think a RHP needs a good tstat. A out of control uth is dangerous but a out of control rhp is even more so. Depending on the size of the rhp it is capable of creating a dangerous hotspot as well as unsafe ambient temps. With that it is not a device I would ever pair to an el cheap tstat, not that I suggest using el cheapo tstats.

[Coluber42]

No, it certainly should not be used without a thermostat. But thermostats are a must regardless (and you can combine a cheap one with a lamp dimmer for better safety), and you have to have some method of heating regardless, and you pay by the watt for anything you plug in; and all of that is true regardless of how much you spend on a cheap tub or an expensive vivarium. When you add up the power bill and the fixtures and the replacement bulbs and so forth, the RHP really isn't so bad.

A heating system that requires twice the wattage to heat the same enclosure still costs more to run, whether it's a cheap enclosure or an expensive one. If anything, I would think that someone who doesn't want to spend the money on a more expensive cage should be more concerned about the efficiency, not less. Not to mention that if they do spring for a different cage down the line, they can keep using the same panel very easily.

Basically, I know a RHP is an expensive single item, but it's one and done instead of buying this bulb and then that bulb and then changing the lamp fixture, let alone maybe raising the heat in the house or running a space heater. And it really does pay for itself pretty quickly if it means a significant reduction in the total wattage required to maintain correct temperatures. You just don't notice the savings because electric bills are not itemized with things like "$10 - cost to heat snake cage this month".

[KMG]

No, it certainly should not be used without a thermostat. But thermostats are a must regardless (and you can combine a cheap one with a lamp dimmer for better safety), and you have to have some method of heating regardless, and you pay by the watt for anything you plug in; and all of that is true regardless of how much you spend on a cheap tub or an expensive vivarium. When you add up the power bill and the fixtures and the replacement bulbs and so forth, the RHP really isn't so bad.

A heating system that requires twice the wattage to heat the same enclosure still costs more to run, whether it's a cheap enclosure or an expensive one. If anything, I would think that someone who doesn't want to spend the money on a more expensive cage should be more concerned about the efficiency, not less. Not to mention that if they do spring for a different cage down the line, they can keep using the same panel very easily.

Basically, I know a RHP is an expensive single item, but it's one and done instead of buying this bulb and then that bulb and then changing the lamp fixture, let alone maybe raising the heat in the house or running a space heater. And it really does pay for itself pretty quickly if it means a significant reduction in the total wattage required to maintain correct temperatures. You just don't notice the savings because electric bills are not itemized with things like "$10 - cost to heat snake cage this month".

We are on the same page here. I agree completely. But not all people think the way you do. Then even some that might think that way are not able to just drop the money for whatever they want.

Plenty if not most people get into this hobby without doing all their homework so they are behind the curve from the start. It takes them some time to correct the issues and get the right stuff as not everyone can but the best option. I sure wish they could as I hate seeing anybody use a cheap tstat. I bought one early on as a temporary setup as recommended by so many here and it quickly failed before it hit two months of use. It failed on and was running up the juice when I found it. From that day on I stopped suggesting and el cheapo tstats. I can still agree they are better than nothing but I would rather a person use a lamp with a dimmer while the save up for better equipment.

[Coluber42]

Yeah, it's one of those unfortunate situations where sometimes the cheap solution costs more than the expensive solution. :/