RHP Setup Questions (In a T8)

[Dev_DeCoste]

Yeah the temp in my apartment is pretty unpredictable since I have no control over the heat thermostat. Sometimes the room the snakes are in is warm, sometimes it gets chilly. I just want to get this T8 set up fully once and for all. Also with a proportional thermostat I don't think it would be wasting power to use both since it doesn't feed power to a heat source once the desired temp is reached, no? I also need to figure out the right size screw to screw in the thermometer probe to the T8 floor since both my snakes knock it off of the sticky thing within a week of setting it up, so I really don't get accurate readings of surface temp, I tend to rely on my thermostat for that (set up a few degrees hotter than what I want surface temp to be)...

[erebus45]

sooooooo is it NOT ok to just lay the probe on the surface of the bedding directly under the rhp???? i have a 80watt rhp hooked into a ve-200 for my t8

[Sauzo]

sooooooo is it NOT ok to just lay the probe on the surface of the bedding directly under the rhp???? i have a 80watt rhp hooked into a ve-200 for my t8

No you shouldn't do that. The snake can lay on it, poop on it, pee on it, push it under the substrate or push it or drag it off. All of which will change the reading. I put my probes on the cool end and hang them down about 1-2 inches off the substrate depending how tall the snake is. That way he can hit it but it will just fall back to the original spot. And obviously you will want to set what you want the cool side to be at. Then just put a hide under the RHP and make sure there is a gap of at least 6" between the top of the hide and the RHP.

[erebus45]

No you shouldn't do that. The snake can lay on it, poop on it, pee on it, push it under the substrate or push it or drag it off. All of which will change the reading. I put my probes on the cool end and hang them down about 1-2 inches off the substrate depending how tall the snake is. That way he can hit it but it will just fall back to the original spot. And obviously you will want to set what you want the cool side to be at. Then just put a hide under the RHP and make sure there is a gap of at least 6" between the top of the hide and the RHP.

what should i hang it with? when i put the probe in i drilled a small hole in the back of the cage on the warm side i guess ill just run it all the way across the cage and hang it. is their anyway you could post a pic so i have a visual on what i need to do please...i want to get this fixed asap i guess i wasent thinking clearly when i just laid it their ... thank you

[Sauzo]

Well if you are using an AP cage, then you can just drill a hole on the cool side top of the back wall and slide it through and secure it on the outside with a piece of aluminum foil tape or any other highly sticky tape. This picture isn't my AP cages as I use flexwatt on all those but here is what I do in my Pro Line cage. The slits in the back already but vent holes but they fit the probe perfect.

[erebus45]

Just got done moving it....thank you for all your help and the pic

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[Sauzo]

No problem.

[treaux]

I use either cable holder clips or a little dab of hot glue to glue the probe wire to the edge of the RHP so it hangs down just below the RHP. This allows me to control the temp of the RHP more carefully, since the further away the probe is, the more other factors will influence it (like outside temps).

So far, I haven't had luck using just two 40 watt RHPs in a divided T8. Even with them offset to one side (I have both of mine towards the middle), it does not create enough of a gradient in each compartment. Most I can get out of it is a 3-5 degree spread (so if I set the RHP to 90, the cool side would only be 86 or so). In a full T8 with an 80 watt RHP, this method works perfectly. I put the RHP on one side and set it to 90 and the other side falls in right around 80. I think with the smaller 2x2 compartments, the heat just fills the whole thing too easily. So I think I will set my 40 watt RHPs down to the ambient temp and use a UTH under the middle to create a hot spot.

Hope that makes sense.

[Stearns84]

I would leave a few inches between the light and rhp, the further you away you can get it the better, I have my lights about 3-4 inches from rhp.

What I was saying is since your going to be using rhp you no longer need to use uth. If you put the rhp on the left side or right side of the ceiling and set the thermostat until the ground temp is 88-90 under the rhp the heat will also radiat over to cool side making it around 80 giving you a perfect heat gradient without using the uth and wasting power. Using a uth with a rhp is wasting the benefits of a rhp IMO, unless of course the rhp can't get the hot side to temp and in that case it would be ok but would be better to get a stronger rhp then. My house is 60-65 24/7 365 days a year and I have no problem using a 40w rhp to maintain temperature and I don't use any other heating device with them.

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This is right here answers an on going questions I have. I recently moved into a new apartment and our heat (apartment) seems to be either all or nothing, so ambient temps are in the 65* range or its 85* when the heat is on. I have a rack set up (41qt), and the ambient on the cool side got way to low, so i currently have the entire rack insulated and a space heater. If I went to a T8 and put an RHP, that will actually heat the air to keep the ambient up? Reptile Basics customer support said it will no do anything for ambient temps inside of a T8. That it is just a basking spot, and I will continue to have the same problems i'm having with a rack set up.

Thanks,
Steve

[chrid16371]

This is right here answers an on going questions I have. I recently moved into a new apartment and our heat (apartment) seems to be either all or nothing, so ambient temps are in the 65* range or its 85* when the heat is on. I have a rack set up (41qt), and the ambient on the cool side got way to low, so i currently have the entire rack insulated and a space heater. If I went to a T8 and put an RHP, that will actually heat the air to keep the ambient up? Reptile Basics customer support said it will no do anything for ambient temps inside of a T8. That it is just a basking spot, and I will continue to have the same problems i'm having with a rack set up.

Thanks,
Steve

That's both right and wrong what they said. Rhp heat objects like the ground, hides, decor, cage walls, your snake, etc which then the heat coming off the objects heats the air some. I have a perfect gradient in my 60-65 degree house in all my enclosures. Like I said before having your rhp set for 88-90 on the ground under it will make the cool side around 80. I use reptile basic 40w for half a T8 or 80w for full T8. 40w also works well in my 28x24x12. I also really like pro-products 88w rhp for full T8 and T10, they seem to heat better with less power consumption than reptile basics but I also use reptile basics and they are a great product.

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