If you have your thermostat set to 97 degrees and the hot side is only 80 degrees there is definitely a problem somewhere. Where do you have the probe? You should have the probe taped (with electrical tape) directly to the Flexwatt on the middle rack. As far as the cool side temperatures, I always keep my snake room 77 - 79 degrees to ensure that the cool sides of my tubs don't go below 75 degrees. The Flexwatt isn't going to do anything to raise the temperature on your cool sides. Just to be sure, you know the Flexwatt and the thermostat are only for the surface temperature and not the ambient temperature, right? Are you using a digital infrared thermometer to take surface temperatures?