RHP question :confused:

[nick654377]

So the other night i took my dums out to show a friend. she is on the bottom tank and was hiding in her hot hide. so i had to move the log that the t stat probe was glued to and forgot to move it back. my fault and i woke up in the morning and ambient temp was reading 87* so i know the hot spot had to be close to 100 if not over.
so i took the t stat probe off the log and taped a piece of wire to it so it stiffened up the wire. not on the probe just the wire. and pulled it threw the side of my tank. so now the t stat probe is suspended basicly sticking out the side of the tank about 6 inches off the wall. the whole probe is under the RHP but only on the one side. it used to sit in the middle of the RHP.
here is the thing now. my ambients are around 79-81 instead of a constant 80. my hot spot on the top tank for my bcc is reading 94 with the t stat set at 84 and my bottom tank is reading the same thing.
Are RHP hotter on the middle then the sides? i am planning on putting substate back in the tanks in 2 weeks so it shuld keep the hot spot a hair cooler than the pvc tank bottom i am thinking.

[KORBIN5895]

Use your temp gun on it.....

[nick654377]

i am using a temp gun, sorry forgot to add that in there. but it is only in the center of the floor on the hot side if i go 2-3 inches away it reads 89-90

[KORBIN5895]

Use it on the rhp.

[jarich]

I think the problem might be that you have the probe up in the air rather than on the substrate like before. RHPs heat by infrared waves remember, so it doesnt heat the air, it heats an object. When you had it on the substrate it was measuring the temperature of the substrate. Now that you have it up in the air, the only thing it is measuring is the increase temperature of the casing of the probe, which is different than the ambient air around it, so it is not likely to be as consistent.

[Pirarucu]

Jarich nailed it.

[nick654377]

so with larger snakes where do you guys place the t stat probe? if you have nothing but substrate in the tank. if you place it on the bottom on top of the substrate what do you do when the snake lays on it?

I will be using reptibark again and the substrate will be about ~2 inches thick. i just worry that that will be too thick to place it on the bottom of the tank under the substrate.

[TeaNinja]

i spot check with t-stat but i dont leave it in 24/7

[nick654377]

So your rhp runs all day zak?

[nick654377]

Im just going to put it back to how i used to have it. They are small enough and it worked.

[Terranaut]

So what do you mean you spot check?
I set my thermostat based on the temps I get with my temp gun. This way thermostat mean very little and probe placement less important. Mine is hanging about 1/2 way down the inside of my carpet enclosure. The thermostat is set at 80° but this gives me a basking spot of 96° and the bottom of the tank in the other side is 79° So what I set it to meant nothing. Actual temps are what is important.

[nick654377]

Yea i spot check daily. I use a temp gun and have two acurites in the tank. I wasnt happy with it hanging where it was so i put it back on the log and temps are back to normal.

[Theweinz]

So what do you mean you spot check?
I set my thermostat based on the temps I get with my temp gun. This way thermostat mean very little and probe placement less important. Mine is hanging about 1/2 way down the inside of my carpet enclosure. The thermostat is set at 80° but this gives me a basking spot of 96° and the bottom of the tank in the other side is 79° So what I set it to meant nothing. Actual temps are what is important.

This is exactly what I do as well. The probe never is moved or dislodged this way.