problems with temps

Snakefood · 08-24-11, 08:33 PM

I have an UTH with a riostat attached, yet still can't seem to bring the hot end temp down enough, I was wondering if it was ok to slip a towel in between the glass bottom and the UTH?

stephanbakir · 08-24-11, 09:05 PM

The animal can get under a towel, and probably will use it as a hide.

Snakefood · 08-24-11, 09:21 PM

I meant under the tank itself, I dont have the UTH stuck onto the glass, so I could get a towel in between the glass and the UTH as long as it's safe.

I may be a mute point as the temp is finally falling, hopefully enough to get into range. I'd still appreciate an answer in case it doesn't drop enough.

Gungirl · 08-25-11, 06:01 AM

I would be concerned about the chance that the Rheostat or the UTH wasn't working properly.

Snakefood · 08-25-11, 10:11 AM

Hmm, I guess that could be, although they were both brand new. (I remember in another thread lanky rob stating that riostats sometimes keep UTH's too hot, even at the lowest setting (of course this is after I bought mine!!)

I have gotten the temp down to 89, that seems to be the coolest it will hold, is this at least in the right "range" yet for a baby corn??

Gungirl · 08-25-11, 10:48 AM

I have never used a rheostat so maybe they do run to hot. I keep my baby corns viv hot side at 86. I would go out and by a thermostat sometime soon. In the mean time I think you should be ok as long as it doesn't go up at all. 89 is not hot enough to burn him so for time being you should be ok.

Snakefood · 08-25-11, 10:58 AM

yes, another member said a lamp dimmer works well (or maybe that was rob again). When you say a thermostat, are saying the ones you buy @ home depot or such?? someone else said here those wouldn't work right on such a small system, if you have one, I'd love your input!! Or where I can get one. The riostat is the ONLY reptile thermostat sold anywhere near me.

one and a half weeks now till more expendable income comes in, so this is what I have for now and need to make it work at least temporarily. hopefully it wont go up any more as the day heats up, I can't put it any lower!!

Lankyrob · 08-25-11, 11:01 AM

You can get MatStats that are designed for controlling the heat of UTH's - i have one for my cockroaches

Snakefood · 08-25-11, 11:13 AM

LOL, were your ears burning Rob?? It's like all I have to do is mention your name and poof....... there you are!!

I am not sure what a "matstat" is or where to get one, I called every pet supply store within driving distance of my house and could only find "zoo-med" riostats. The package did say it was for UTH's and heat lights. It is set at the lowest it will go and it is still reading 89f.

Like I said, I am more than willing to go get something different come payday, but this is what I am stuck with till then.

Nismo89 · 08-25-11, 11:17 AM

I recently bought a Hydrofarm MTPRTC digital thermostat for my UTH and it works great keeps the temp 85 degrees without any worry. I found it on amazon.

Gungirl · 08-25-11, 12:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snakefood

yes, another member said a lamp dimmer works well (or maybe that was rob again). When you say a thermostat, are saying the ones you buy @ home depot or such?? someone else said here those wouldn't work right on such a small system, if you have one, I'd love your input!! Or where I can get one. The riostat is the ONLY reptile thermostat sold anywhere near me.

no not a thermostat you buy at home depot.. those wont work. They do make special ones just for use with a UTH..I dont remember where i got mine but it is a NEWTEX brand. It works great and I have had no issues with temps.

Lankyrob · 08-25-11, 12:57 PM

Just to make it clear - the problem with a rheostat is that it is controlled by YOU. You set it at a level that seems ok but if the external conditions change, a heatwave, a deep freeze etc then the rheostat will not adjust the mats temps and therefore the temperature within the enclosure will be too hot or too cold.

With a Thermostat once you have it set to the right temperature within fairly wide boundaries it is irrelevant what happens to the external environment as the thermostat will adjust the power going to the mat to keep the temperatures within x% of a degree.

The pulse proportional thermostats that i use on my ceramic bulb setups are designed to keep the temperatures within 0.1degrees F.

In my opinion (MY OPINION only) i wouldnt want a heating element near one of my animals that wasnt "self adjusting" to deal with external temperatures.

Snakefood · 08-25-11, 01:29 PM

ok, so I bought the wrong device. I'll have to correct that on payday.

Don't worry Rob, I feel the same way. My little snakey is not in the viv yet as I haven't gotten the right hot end heat yet. He is in a tub with 1/3 sitting on a heating pad that's keeping @ 79-85f (as the day cools/heats) So he is no danger at all. I won't put him in the viv until it is perfect temps ALL DAY!!

The riostat is set at the lowest heat lvl possible, this morning it was holding at 89, still is now and it's 88 outside and just past noon, so I don't know what it will jump to at the high heat of the day in a few hrs.

Snakefood · 08-25-11, 02:17 PM

here's what I found and I think it will work (when I go get it that is!!)

No stores around here sell matstats or hydrofoams, when I explained what it was I wanted, they said to talk to a greenhouse supply store.

The greenhouse supply store has "crews-temp" which is what they use to keep thier seedling mats at specific temps. They input the low temp to turn the mat on and input the high temp to turn it off. It's not in any way cheap, so I want to know if this is what I want BEFORE I go buy it.

Also if this is what I am looking for, am I adding it to the reostat, or do I get to return the reostat and just use the crews-temp??

Thanks for your patience everyone, I just want his home to be perfect for him!!

Gungirl · 08-25-11, 02:39 PM

I see you keep mentioning that you have no place to shop near you.. why don't you order online and get exactly what you need/want?