DIY enclosure ventilation

[akane]

I'm debating how much air flow I might need to put in my sealed plywood enclosures. I know some have said sliding doors probably provide plenty on their own and others use entire pegboard walls. I am housing mostly corns, a desert king, and maybe temporarily a northern pine until I upgrade him again. I have a 1" diameter hole on both side panels of each right now since I needed somewhere to run wiring anyway.

They are going to be bioactive with top heat of probably just protected CHE and I'm not sure the exact impact that might have with no answer from the bioactive specific group yet. Otherwise it's sealed plywood with silicone edges to be completely water/air tight at every wood joint. Then sliding glass doors at least on the bottom but might end up doing hinged doors above that. 18x45" with I think I did full 2' height but about 8" of height will be solidly filled in adding everything for bioactive. Then needing space for top heat and light.

[pet_snake_78]

I would add some additional ventilation even if it's just some 1/8" holes along the top sides or a couple of 3" round vents could work. I would skip the CHE and use RHP would probably provide more gentle and less drying heat.

[akane]

RHP are not likely to happen for now but I've had no problem with CHE and humidity since I went to installing them inside the enclosures with mesh guards rather than trying to leave an area for a reflector. Part of why I'm building a new stack without the heat/light gap between levels and it all enclosed inside the top of each.

For any situation I haven't gotten switched over well enough I put together some foggers from ultrasonic misters and old aquarium canister filters. It will fog down the tubes up to 16cu ft effectively if placed on top and maintain easily 60% running a short time a day on the enclosures that still have external CHE. Avoids having to mist everything by hand a few times a week and can easily reach 80-90% if left running.

The height also gives me a top/bottom heat gradient with the left/right that affects humidity. Building the hides up in pieces of flat stone or layers of large, flat wood spaced apart ends up with basking platforms and sheltered slightly higher humidity. Even when the substrate is completely dry under them. Not as functional with the northern pines that seem to prefer to stay low and able to be half buried in substrate under their hides but particularly effective for the corns that so far all love climbing stacks of wood to rest directly under heat for awhile.