Can I get by with just a Radiant heat panel?

[Spookychief]

I'm not sure if I 100% agree with this statement but I'll preface it by saying this is only based on what I've researched and a couple weeks of testing out my new AP enclosure which ONLY has an RHP installed. I have my Thermostat probe hanging 2/3 down the wall on the cool side and I have it set to create the ambient temp I'm looking for. This in turn also creates a nice temp gradient where my warm side surface is the high 80s where I want it to be. It's all about giving yourself enough time to play with the Thermostat temps to get the right numbers in each area of your enclosure.

Two things which jumped out at me while reading some of the OPs posts were the RHP measuring the same size as the lid and raising the temp of the heat pad to maximize the heat that the BP will feel. If your RHP is the size of the lid, you probably won't be able to create a temperature gradient unless your only using it to control your cool side and your Thermostat is right underneath it and your using a heating pad for the hot side.

When using a heating pad (or RHP, etc...), you want the absolute bottom surface where a snake 'may' burrow to be no hotter then the range you need it to be. Don't raise the temp thinking the substrate needs to be at that level. A snake will burrow to find the heat he/she needs.

Ya, I agree with this. RHPs are great products and i personally use them in my setups but i just haven't experimented with them as sole heat sources, which is why I mentioned that it was my just my opinion . People have different methods of keeping snakes so it's always good to hear what people have to offer as advice and hear what they have had success with. There's nothing wrong with experimenting a little bit to see what is effective and what isn't. Cool to hear that RHP's are working well as sole heat sources in AP cages and I wonder how effective they are as sole heat sources in glass setups? I just picked up a normal female and shes in a temporary glass setup while i work on building an enclosure for her so maybe I'll mess around with it a bit and see how the RHP performs by itself, maybe i'll learn something new from it. I know the OP also mentioned that they would change out the large RHP for a smaller one to aid in creating that heat gradient.