Quote Originally Posted by blackcrystal22 View Post
A thermo stat will not work very well for the lamp. I don't even think it'll work at all.
What type of UTH are you using? If your not already using flexwatt then I suggest it as most pet store UTHs don't get very hot and can't work well with a thermostat because when you tell it to be 95F it can only go up to 90F etc.
Flexwatt is far more cheaper than any UTH but you'll probably have to buy foil tape for it to sit under the tank. It REQUIRES a thermostat, usually a digital one is best, but I've heard its ok to use the non-digital ones as long as your not using it for incubation.
You put the thermostat probe at the lowest place your snake could get to to get warmth. :]
So if he burrows, underneath the aspen, right above the UTH.
The commercial UTH WILL get very hot. There is no reason to abandon the UTH, especially for a 20g tank. The UTH will work just fine. Now, if it's not getting warm enough, then there may be something wrong with your UTH. Try plugging it into the outlet unregulated; it should get well over a 100º (obviously don't do this with it still attached to the tank!). If it's not then it might be defective.

You should be able to get it warm enough with just the UTH and all the insulation that you have. And a t-stat can definitely do heat lamps. If you wanted to be safe get the Herpstat II, I have the Pro and absolutely love it. I put the probe on the warm side directly on the glass under the substrate.