Temperature help: New tub rack set up

[Sgt7212]

Ok so I just got a 4 tub rack system from CSerpents. It came with 3” flexwatt preinstalled and recessed towards the back of each shelf. I’m using a VE-200 to control it with the probe right on the flexwatt.

Initially, I set everything up and put the thermometer probes on the floor of the tubs right over where the flexwatt is located. At the time, I did not add any substrate, hides or water dish and definitely no snakes yet. I want to ensure stable temps first.

With the flexwatt being recessed and the tubs having a very slight lip on the bottom, there is what i estimate to be a 1/8-3/16 inch gap between the flexwatt and the bottom of the tub. I had to eventually set the VE-200 to 103 F in order to get the temperature probe from the thermometer to read between 90-91 and hold steady. I left it like that for 24 hours and constantly checked to ensure the temps were staying steady.

Once that was confirmed, I took one of the tubs (the 3rd one down from the top) and added a little reptile prime (thin layer, like 1/4 inch), hide box and water dish. Again, the thermometer probe is suction cupped to the floor of the tub directly over the flexwatt. In that one tub, and that tub only, after sitting overnight, the thermometer is reading 87.1 degrees. All of the other tubs, which are still empty except for thermometer probes, are reading between 90.1 - 91 degrees. Checking with a temp gun is coming up with similar readings (maybe 0.1-0.3 degree difference from thermometer probe reading). I have been relying more on the thermometer reading because the tubs are translucent, so when I slide the tub out a bit to shoot it with the gun, is it reading the temp from the floor of the tub or passing through to the shelf, or a combination?

Ambient temps are good (78-79) and humidity is 60-64%. It’s just the floor hot spot temps that are throwing me for a loop.

My my theory is that the temps are actually good and that maybe some small pieces of reptile prime are getting between the thermometer probe and floor of the tub which is absorbing some of the heat and throwing the reading off a little bit. I just want to be sure.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

[CALM Pythons]

Ok so I just got a 4 tub rack system from CSerpents. It came with 3” flexwatt preinstalled and recessed towards the back of each shelf. I’m using a VE-200 to control it with the probe right on the flexwatt.

Initially, I set everything up and put the thermometer probes on the floor of the tubs right over where the flexwatt is located. At the time, I did not add any substrate, hides or water dish and definitely no snakes yet. I want to ensure stable temps first.

With the flexwatt being recessed and the tubs having a very slight lip on the bottom, there is what i estimate to be a 1/8-3/16 inch gap between the flexwatt and the bottom of the tub. I had to eventually set the VE-200 to 103 F in order to get the temperature probe from the thermometer to read between 90-91 and hold steady. I left it like that for 24 hours and constantly checked to ensure the temps were staying steady.

Once that was confirmed, I took one of the tubs (the 3rd one down from the top) and added a little reptile prime (thin layer, like 1/4 inch), hide box and water dish. Again, the thermometer probe is suction cupped to the floor of the tub directly over the flexwatt. In that one tub, and that tub only, after sitting overnight, the thermometer is reading 87.1 degrees. All of the other tubs, which are still empty except for thermometer probes, are reading between 90.1 - 91 degrees. Checking with a temp gun is coming up with similar readings (maybe 0.1-0.3 degree difference from thermometer probe reading). I have been relying more on the thermometer reading because the tubs are translucent, so when I slide the tub out a bit to shoot it with the gun, is it reading the temp from the floor of the tub or passing through to the shelf, or a combination?

Ambient temps are good (78-79) and humidity is 60-64%. It’s just the floor hot spot temps that are throwing me for a loop.

My my theory is that the temps are actually good and that maybe some small pieces of reptile prime are getting between the thermometer probe and floor of the tub which is absorbing some of the heat and throwing the reading off a little bit. I just want to be sure.

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Cant give much advice about racks themselves..:: However the Lasers doesn't shoot threw objects clear or not. Once they hit a surface thats the temp you get.
The only thing I can think of from before i used RHP's and had Belly Heat is that anything i put into the enclosures above the heating source absorbed some of the heat or made the heat a few degrees less because once the Electric current is set by the Tstat anything added that would make the heat source have to work harder to maintain that temp or absorb some of the heat takes away from it some. (Does that make sense?) I wonder if all the tubs substrate were set up the same if you would then get that 87 reading in all of them? If so then you could narrow it down to this cause... I bet thats whats going on. Clear the substrate all the way around the Heat Tape area for 12-24 hrs and see if that changes the tubs temp back to match the others... Im thinking it will.


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[Sgt7212]

Cant give much advice about racks themselves..:: However the Lasers doesn't shoot threw objects clear or not. Once they hit a surface thats the temp you get.
The only thing I can think of from before i used RHP's and had Belly Heat is that anything i put into the enclosures above the heating source absorbed some of the heat or made the heat a few degrees less because once the Electric current is set by the Tstat anything added that would make the heat source have to work harder to maintain that temp or absorb some of the heat takes away from it some. (Does that make sense?) I wonder if all the tubs substrate were set up the same if you would then get that 87 reading in all of them? If so then you could narrow it down to this cause... I bet thats whats going on. Clear the substrate all the way around the Heat Tape area for 12-24 hrs and see if that changes the tubs temp back to match the others... Im thinking it will.


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Yes, what you said does make sense. I was thinking along the same lines. I will clear substrate away and see if temps come back up. I think that’s what it is also, since temps were steady before I set that tub up and the other 3 are still steady.

If that turns out to be the case, do I adjust the thermostat UP to compensate for the heat absorbed by the substrate? My concern then is if I raise the temps and snakes push the substrate out of the way (we all know that NEVER happens ) then it could be too hot.

So would I leave it as is and figure the substrate is going to cause a 2-3 degree false reading/ difference on the thermometer?

I don’t want to cook my babies.


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[CALM Pythons]

Yes, what you said does make sense. I was thinking along the same lines. I will clear substrate away and see if temps come back up. I think that’s what it is also, since temps were steady before I set that tub up and the other 3 are still steady.

If that turns out to be the case, do I adjust the thermostat UP to compensate for the heat absorbed by the substrate? My concern then is if I raise the temps and snakes push the substrate out of the way (we all know that NEVER happens ) then it could be too hot.

So would I leave it as is and figure the substrate is going to cause a 2-3 degree false reading/ difference on the thermometer?

I don’t want to cook my babies.


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What you would want to do is get your hot side temp (whatever you want it to be 88 to 91) under the substrate on the floor of the Tub because snakes will borrow if they need to absorb more heat. The substrate temp in this situation doesn't matter because we keep it thin anyways


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[Sgt7212]

What you would want to do is get your hot side temp (whatever you want it to be 88 to 91) under the substrate on the floor of the Tub because snakes Will borrow if they need to absorb more heat. The substrate temp in this situation doesn't matter because we keep it thin anyways


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Ok cool. That’s what I was thinking. And I had it there... the substrate throwing off the thermometer reading just adds a thin layer of complication to the situation.

Edit: in that case I would just need to account for the 2-3 degree variance caused by the substrate since any time they push the substrate around, temps would be perfect.


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[CALM Pythons]

Ok cool. That’s what I was thinking. And I had it there... the substrate throwing off the thermometer reading just adds a thin layer of complication to the situation.

Edit: in that case I would just need to account for the 2-3 degree variance caused by the substrate since any time they push the substrate around, temps would be perfect.


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Yep no matter what you have to set your thermostat to as long as the ttub floor under the substrate is your 88 to 90 you're good


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[Sgt7212]

Yep no matter what you have to set your thermostat to as long as the ttub floor under the substrate is your 88 to 90 you're good


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Will do! Thanks again!


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