UTH Understanding

[Dontcome2myhouse]

Just wanted to make sure I understand the usage of a UTH combined with a thermostat correctly.

First off, I want make sure my UTH is working correctly. I attached it to the bottom of the tank and let it run for about 5 hours (without a thermostat) I measured the glass on the inside of the tank with a handheld infrared thermometer and it was 137 F. Obviously way too hot. Normal for an unregulated UTH?

From what I was reading, it's best to place the thermostat temp sensor on the back of the pad itself rather than the glass on the inside of the tank. Thoughts? And to set the temp @ around 95 F. I have about 2 inches of substrate above the UTH and I'm worried that the surface of the warm side of the tank really won't be warm at all and only deep down will be in the 82-88 F. Should I set the UTH higher than 95 F?

 

[Karl_Mcknight]

Just wanted to make sure I understand the usage of a UTH combined with a thermostat correctly.

First off, I want make sure my UTH is working correctly. I attached it to the bottom of the tank and let it run for about 5 hours (without a thermostat) I measured the glass on the inside of the tank with a handheld infrared thermometer and it was 137 F. Obviously way too hot. Normal for an unregulated UTH?

Yes that's normal. Depending on the brand, I've heard stories of some that get even hotter than that. I have 3 of them that all hit about 120 degrees unregulated.

From what I was reading, it's best to place the thermostat temp sensor on the back of the pad itself rather than the glass on the inside of the tank. Thoughts? And to set the temp @ around 95 F.

Yes, you can attach the sensor probe directly to the pad. But I'm not going to say set it to 95 degrees. It really just depends. You need to set it at whatever temperature it takes to get the glass bottom of your tank inside at 82 to 88 degrees. Depending on the thermostat, the heat pad, the thickness of your glass, etc, you might have to set it at 90, 95, 108, whatever it takes. I can tell you I set mine at 91 degrees and the inside glass stays around 85 with about a 1 or 2 degree fluctuation up or down, That's normal and acceptable.

I have about 2 inches of substrate above the UTH and I'm worried that the surface of the warm side of the tank really won't be warm at all and only deep down will be in the 82-88 F. Should I set the UTH higher than 95 F?

"Exactly" what do you mean by the "Surface" of the warm side of the tank? If you check it with a thermometer, you will know what the temp is. Just give it a little time to heat up. If you are saying the upper surface of the substrate not being warm enough, it doesn't need to be. You want the glass bottom of the tank to be the correct temp. The snake will burrow under the substrate to the warmth he wants.