CHE doesn't bother humidity

frankadank · 04-08-17, 03:00 PM

so i've been running some test to get my humidity right and thought it would be interesting to share that using a ceramic bulb doesn't bother humidity. you think it would but after a week of running it and not running it i still had to spray as much and believe it or not my humidity dropped more rapidly the week i WASNT using it. weird? i'm also running a 75 watt red night bulb due to my room being in the basement and is 60-65°. thinking about getting plexiglass to cover the top. already have towel and cardboard wrapped in foil tape with moss also on both hot/cold side. still running 35-60%.

LISA127 · 04-09-17, 06:52 AM

Ceramic heat does not dry out the air like incandescent do so that makes sense. And your humidity was higher with it on because water plus heat creates humidity. I keep chelonians in my basement and always cover with plexiglass or plastic to hold in heat and humidity. It's chilly down there!

TRD · 04-09-17, 09:31 AM

Warm air holds more water than cold air. CHE is mainly infrared, for some reason doesn't heat up the air that much as visible light (not 100% sure about the science around it).

In other words, the humidity doesn't change one bit...

Example;

With a water vapor density of 14 gram water per m3 of air the relative humidity at 73 F is 68% while at 86 F it would be 46%. The air itself contains just as much water, though your humidity meter would suggest otherwise. For this same reason your humidity meter shows you different numbers under the heat source as on the cold side, while being in the same space (terrarium).

Incandescent light bulbs don't dry up the air more than CHE, they only heat up the air much more than CHE and as such humidity appears to drop.

frankadank · 04-09-17, 11:44 AM

woah some cool science going on here lol. but yah i've been looking around for plexiglass and such. just thought the CHE is messing wit humidity but nope!

GyGbeetle · 04-11-17, 11:33 AM

This is good to know because we just made the decision to try out CHE instead of RHP in our new enclosures, and so far the humidity has stayed fairly consistent. Good to hear there are more experienced keepers with better information about their use of these things, to know we're also on the right path.

dannybgoode · 04-11-17, 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GyGbeetle

This is good to know because we just made the decision to try out CHE instead of RHP in our new enclosures, and so far the humidity has stayed fairly consistent. Good to hear there are more experienced keepers with better information about their use of these things, to know we're also on the right path.

There should be little difference between an rhp and che as they are essentially the same thing.

Rhp's give a better spread of heat and are possibly better for large enclosures and I think I'll be using them on my big vivs. I'll stick with che's for the smaller ones and incandescent bulbs for dinural basking species.

GyGbeetle · 04-11-17, 01:34 PM

Excellent. Great thread! I'm using an RHP on my 6' boaphile, but just started using CHE on the smaller ones (4-5'), seeing how it goes.

trailblazer295 · 04-11-17, 09:12 PM

I've used both and can't say I noticed a big difference humidity wise. They were PVC vs glass with covered tops in the same environment. I like RHP for PVC just because they are low profile and they don't get hot enough to burn a snake. CHE covers aren't available here, apparently Canadian snakes don't burn :/ strong like bull. I have a very talented co worker looking into making me one.

GyGbeetle · 04-12-17, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trailblazer295

I've used both and can't say I noticed a big difference humidity wise. They were PVC vs glass with covered tops in the same environment. I like RHP for PVC just because they are low profile and they don't get hot enough to burn a snake. CHE covers aren't available here, apparently Canadian snakes don't burn :/ strong like bull. I have a very talented co worker looking into making me one.

hahaha! strong like bull! Canadian snakes may just be more robust because, you know, they're Canadian.

akane · 04-12-17, 08:04 PM

Yep very useful effect for bioactive bug cleanup cultures. If you just block some of the ventilation so the water can't fully escape some rains back down to constantly dampen the top without having to mist, worry about drainage, over watering, or pay as much attention to the containers. I actually check for a musty smell to see if it has enough moisture left. The heat lamp bulbs will do the same thing but they cause too much loss so unless you have enough moisture for a constant effect it eventually fails to hold the desired humidity. Not impossible to correct for by any means and you can even use them to keep the humidity higher but more difficult to adjust for. If I didn't blow bulbs up constantly I might buy CHE but that could get expensive and I can't pick up many sizes locally so until I rewire the house to make it worth tracking down any other increased light bulb failure reasons it's not enough when I can just adjust the moisture held by materials in the tank.

akane · 04-13-17, 12:56 AM

All light bulbs and a new light bulb we tried to swap out (eliminating my backup bulb) just failed with no warning or sign on one power strip. I have the important one running by extension cord to the other line in the room but that takes up where my daylight bulb plugs in now. I have a pack of cheap bulbs around here to test the thing with and my laptop and water heater for tea on the strip still work normal. Mystery. I think my other expensive power strip was completely destroyed randomly possibly following trying to restart my lights after a power outage a few weeks ago.