Sorry To Be A Bother.

[Axel28]

What sort of thermometer are you using incidentally ??


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Zoo Med Thermometer and Humidity Gauge. (Digital)

[Zincubus]

Zoo Med Thermometer and Humidity Gauge. (Digital)

Ah ... One with a wired probe ??


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[Axel28]

Ah ... One with a wired probe ??


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Yes.


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[AbsoluteApril]

are you simply trying to ensure the heating elements are working? I don't think you have a snake in there yet, correct?
If yes to both - turn up higher, to 89 or something, then temp test to see what you are getting. That would ensure the heating elements are triggered to turn on.
You have it set to 80 and it's already 82, so there's no reason for anything to heat up because it's already above your desired temp.

[Monty44]

your body runs at ~98° F, so anything cooler than that won't register to your skin.

Do you have a source for this? Because I'm pretty sure I don't need a sweater in 80*F weather to stay warm.

[tttaylorrr]

Do you have a source for this? Because I'm pretty sure I don't need a sweater in 80*F weather to stay warm.

a source for what, exactly?
to clarify my statement that you quoted: anything lower than 98° F won't feel hot on your body right away since the body is warmer than 80° F.

[Monty44]

Yes. The claim that anything lower than body temperature wouldn't feel warm. It's very warm outside today in my city but it isn't near body temperature.

Sorry if this is coming off as snarky. That's not how I intend this to sound.

[tttaylorrr]

Yes. The claim that anything lower than body temperature wouldn't feel warm. It's very warm outside today in my city but it isn't near body temperature.

Sorry if this is coming off as snarky. That's not how I intend this to sound.

it is a little bit but i understand; no hard feelings.

we're talking about touching something, not ambient temps surrounding your entire body. your body likes the air surrounding it to be ~70° F so it can maintain the desired 98° F that it takes to operate (source). one part of your body touching something cooler than 98° F won't exactly feel warm as soon as you touch it; you need to keep your hand on it to feel the heat build up as that part of the body starts to rise in temperature.

there's no source i can provide. i mean, just go touch something that's 80° and tell me if your hand feels instantly hot.

[Monty44]

it is a little bit but i understand; no hard feelings.

we're talking about touching something, not ambient temps surrounding your entire body. your body likes the air surrounding it to be ~70° F so it can maintain the desired 98° F that it takes to operate (source). one part of your body touching something cooler than 98° F won't exactly feel warm as soon as you touch it; you need to keep your hand on it to feel the heat build up as that part of the body starts to rise in temperature.

That 98°F is your core body temperature. Your extremities, however, aren't that hot.

we're talking about touching something, not ambient temps surrounding your entire body

That doesn't mean you can't sense temperature unless it's surrounding you. The same principal applies. You have nerves (and more importantly the proteins on those nerves) in your hands that act as "temperature sensors."

your body likes the air surrounding it to be ~70° F so it can maintain the desired 98° F

Anything over that ~70°F would register as warm then. (Remember that not everything warm is the same temperature. It can be slightly warm to very warm)

touching something cooler than 98° F won't exactly feel warm as soon as you touch it; you need to keep your hand on it to feel the heat build up as that part of the body starts to rise in temperature.

Heat transfer doesn't happen instantly but it still happens very fast. Your body is always releasing heat so if you keep your hand on anything long enough it'll feel warm.

there's no source i can provide. i mean, just go touch something that's 80° and tell me if your hand feels instantly hot.

It wouldn't be hot, but it would still register as [slightly] warm, depending on the person (Some people are anemic or have other medical conditions, large body size, ect). Your fingers, on average, are about 80°F and they have their own nerves/temperature sensors. With that said, they still give off heat as well. Try holding your fingers together and they'll start to feel warmer.


I'm not saying people should forgo the use of a temp gun. I always recommend confirming with that. But telling people "don't worry if it doesn't feel warm, it is warm but you just can't feel it!" is, in my opinion, irresponsible, and could suggest a faulty piece of equipment is working correctly when it isn't. My Helix was set to 93°F and my heat tape didn't feel warm, so I ordered a temp gun. When I confirmed it with my temp gun it was only reading at ~73°F. Now my Helix is set to 110°F (max temp on this model) and my heat tape is reading at 90°F (and does feel warm now btw.) I'm currently in the process of getting another temp probe to have this replaced.


TL;DR: You can feel warmth from stuff under body temp, but use a heat gun to be sure.


Sorry for the late response, just got home from work.

[Monty44]

Zues, it might help to know how your thermostat works. Here's something I copied from another post, it definitely helped me:

Traditional On/Off (Non-Proportional) Thermostats
Before we talk about proportional thermostats, you need to have a basic understanding of how a regular thermostat works.
In a nutshell, a typical thermotat will monitor the temperature using a thermocouple or probe attached by a wire. When the probe tells the thermostat that the temperature has reached one degree (or whatever the case may be) above the desired temperature, the thermostat will cut power to the heating device, turning it off. When the temperature drops back down below the desired temperature, the thermostat will turn power back on to the heating device. It's a very simple idea - if the temperature needs to go up, power to the heating device is turned on. Once the desired temperature is met or exceeded, it is turned back off. That being the case, the heating device is either getting full power or no power at all. This type of thermostat is best suited for heating devices that work in a strictly on/off fashion.
Proportional Thermostats
Similar to a traditional thermostat, a proportional thermostat has a probe that tells it when heat needs to be applied or turned off. Unlike a traditional thermostat, a proportional thermostat works like a dimmer in that it can adjust the amount of voltage being applied to the heating device. But it's better than a dimmer because it can measure the temperature and it knows exactly how much power needs to be applied to the heating device to maintain the desired temperature.
As a general rule of thumb, if a heating device works in a strictly on-or-off fashion, it will not run without a set amount of voltage. As such, proportional thermostats cannot operate things like the furnace in your home, or even a space heater, because those devices need full power from the wall outlet in order to function. However, heating devices that we commonly use in the reptile hobby, like heat pads, heat panels, heat rope/cable, heat tape, ceramic heat emitters and even incandescent light bulbs, can be operated by a proportional thermostat. With these types of heating devices, a proportional thermostat may be your best option.
Pros...
Gentle Warmth
By applying just enough voltage to the heating device, you're providing a more uniform, gentle warmth. This is because the heating element (tape, pad, cable, etc.) is constantly running right at the desired temperature, rather than bouncing back and forth between full power and no power.
Longer Lived Heating Devices
With an on/off thermostat, the constant on/off action causes more wear and tear on devices meant to be run on dimmers like heat pads, heat tape, heat cables and especially light bulbs.

Cons...
Proportional thermostats will not run a furnace, space heater, etc.
The only downside to pr oportional thermostats is that because they work by applying varying amounts of electricity to the device they're controlling, they generally will not run certain types of heating devices.
*Remember, I said MOST...
Spyder Robotics makes an entire line of proportional thermostats that also have a "Non-Proportional" setting which allows them to be used as a standard "on/off" thermostat. These units are quickly becoming my thermostat of choice for python enclosures...industry leading technology and still competitively priced. Apples to apples, these things are a steal.