Winter Heating in Large Enclosures - Page 2

KORBIN5895 · 09-25-13, 03:23 PM

I would just use insulation board and screw it to the outside panel. I would also recommend a 50w-75w che. All you would need is a drill, some screws and a socket. If it is as cold as you are claiming you could run the bulb without a t-stat and just keep you rhp on one for now as a 75w is no where near big enough to heat your cage.

bigsnakegirl785 · 11-03-13, 11:38 PM

So a question about the CHE's. Will a 75W be enough to heat the cages to 90F at a 3ft height, or should I get a 100W? If not, how low should I place them? I am planning on lowering their hot ends to a 75-80F cool end and switching their hot ends to the other side if the CHE's are up to the job. It should be easier to maintain since it's farther away from the windows. There's a few black CHE bulbs at the local Petsmart, I believe Zoo Med brand, which I've heard a lot of good things about. I really only want to use the black ones since they don't produce any light, which means I can run them 24/7. Also, is there a specific dome/lamp I need to use with them, or would any lamp able to run their wattage work?

ErikBush97 · 11-04-13, 01:45 AM

If insulation is too much of a hassle, you could do what I do. I plug a space heater into a thermostat and put the probes next to my enclosures.

I bought a used herpstat from my friend because I felt like the on/off thermos would ruin the heater or something.

KORBIN5895 · 11-04-13, 03:56 AM

You really should get a ceramic fixture capable of handling your Che wattage. All Che are lightless.

Brently · 11-04-13, 08:53 AM

What is the floor of the enclosure made of? If it is wood it is probably around 3/4 thick. I would venture to guess that a UTH wouldn't heat the inside that well and even if it did I wouldn't think that it would be very efficient. You could just put it directly in the enclosure and put your temp probe right on it. Then cover it with substrate. If you do this all you really need to do it just drill a small hole for the cord. Or I guess since it is just temporary you could just run the cord through the door and do it that way. Just my 2 cents.

KORBIN5895 · 11-04-13, 08:56 AM

If the heating pad gets wet it could get damaged.

bigsnakegirl785 · 11-04-13, 09:32 AM

Does just the part where you screw the light bulb in need to be ceramic, or a lamp that specifically states it can be used for CHE?

The wood is 1/2in thick. I've been trying the UTH outside the enclosure, but you're right. The heat doesn't even get through the wood, let alone the bedding to heat the enclosure. Even on a thermostat, I can barely feel the heat touching it directly after over an hour, so I may have gotten a defective pad or it's too low of a wattage. It's 15 watts I believe, and it's about a foot long by 8in or so (I'll need to re-measure). It's the only size that fits between the supports on the bottom of the cage. But, if the CHE's are as effective as I've been reading I would rather use them since it will also bring up the ambient temperatures.

I do have a medium-space heater, but I have to pretty much run it 24/7 now. It rose the electric bill by about $20 last month and I only used it once or twice in 5-10 minute intervals. I don't want to imagine how much more it will be this month, unless my other family members have been using a lot of electricity as well.

My father had insisted that insulation would insufficient for keeping the cages heated to the temperatures I need, but I didn't believe him so I talked with an insulation company to see what kind of insulation they would recommend. They also agreed that insulation would not be able to keep the cages at 90F with temperatures that I was predicting, with just the RHP. They advised a heater and a ceramic emitter, and I figured plastic over the windows would also be a smart move since they're right next to them. I have tried putting 2 layers of plastic over my windows to cut down on the amount of cold air blowing in, but it's no longer working with how cold it's getting at night. I've also tried using my overhead fan on the lowest setting to help circulate and keep the hot air from escaping into the attic as fast, but it's become ineffective with how much cold air leaks in.

My windows are maybe 1/16th of an inch thick and they don't sit right so there's a lot of incoming air. Not to mention the storm windows are a joke. There's two storm windows each for both of my windows, but they barely fit the frame and are maybe just a little thicker than my actual windows. They sit crooked and fall repeatedly, which is why my grandfather told him it would probably be best install better windows. I don't see it happening any time soon. One time when I was trying to let them down I nearly broke my finger because they both came falling down at the same time. It just broke my fingernail, luckily. My grandfather has also told us that my room isn't very well-insulated and tried to convince my dad to put me in my brother's room or the part of the house my dad sleeps in because of the snakes, but he said I was fine where I was. Which is a cool move on his part.

KORBIN5895 · 11-04-13, 10:37 AM

As long as the lamp can handle the wattage.

bigsnakegirl785 · 11-07-13, 10:28 PM

So, I've got the CHE's and the lamps, and the thermostat arrived today (I got a Herpstat 2) and I talked to my father about installing them since he's the one with the tools. At first I was just asking him to help me mount the lamps and thread the wires through the top, and then put a wire mesh cage around it to keep the snakes away from the surfaces. That didn't sound good to him, so he's insisting on cutting a big hole on the top and making a wire dip where the lamps can sit (there's no room in between the cages or between Bud's cage and the ceiling to just have them sit there) slightly inside the cage. I want to put it inside with the cage, so that there will be a much smaller hole for the heat escape from, but is his idea good, too?

Lankyrob · 11-08-13, 04:24 AM

If the light sits under a large hole then a lot of the heat will leave through the top. With my CHEs i thread the cable throu the vent nearest wherre you want the bulb.

Terranaut · 11-08-13, 05:09 AM

If you have cut a hole in the top (not 100% sure I got what you mean) and add heat , convection will steal heat and humidity from the enclosure. This is why I like RHPs. 2 screws and 1 small hole = done.

bigsnakegirl785 · 11-08-13, 06:47 AM

He wants to cut a hole in the top of the enclosure so he can put screen there. He wants to bend the screen so it's kind of dipping down in to the cage so that there will be room for it to fit on top of the enclosures. Then, the lamps will sit on top of that dipped-in screen kind of like with a glass tank, but only in a small area.

I figured it would let out a lot of heat and humidity, and I told him so. But, he just said, "The lamp will cover it so it won't escape." I don't know why he keeps trying to make this harder than he needs to. I wanted it to be put inside, so that the only holes will be for the thermostat's probe and the CHE's wire. Then, surround it with a mesh cage so he can't get to it. Then he said, "Putting it inside the cage will allow them to get to it. They'll try their hardest to get to it and get burned." No matter how I explain to him the cage will be designed to be a barrier to keep the snakes from the bulb and lamp, he doesn't understand the concept. Not only will there be less area for the heat and humidity to escape from if we put it inside, it's going to be a lot easier to just drill a few holes than try to cut a shape out of the roof....

Mikoh4792 · 11-08-13, 06:56 AM

Maybe he just wants to do things his way and doesn't care for efficacy. As you said, you tried to explain and he wouldn't listen. What are you going to do?

bigsnakegirl785 · 11-08-13, 06:59 AM

That would be exactly like him. Usually I can get him convinced to go my way, but not without a child-like fit. If he doesn't agree to do it by Sunday, I'll just have to do it myself I guess. I know where the tools are, but I don't exactly know how to use them. He'll probably let me use them, and pout for the next few days. I just hope I wouldn't ruin the cages. That's why I wanted him to help me.

Mikoh4792 · 11-08-13, 07:03 AM

Well there's always a first time for everything!

Although if you have "extra" screen, wood...etc i'd recommend practicing on that before working on your actual cage...so you know what to do.

Also there should be videos on youtube and even forums to help you with the use of tools.

On the bright side, at least he's letting you do it your way as long as you're the one working on the cage.