ways to regulate temp

[babbaloo99]

Is there any way to reduce the temp from a UTH without buying an expensive Rheostat? My high temp registers at 93.9 now midway into the substrate (above where the UTH is). I have put paper towels at the bottom of the tank and about 3 inches of substrate to prevent my snake from burning himself. Would a thicker piece of cardboard or something else on the bottom help reduce the heat? Any suggestions/help is much appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Kel]

Hi Babbaloo. Anything you put over the mat will put it at risk of overheating and may be a fire risk. Also, Corns can burrow, so just putting more substrate down won't necessarily stop them getting to the mat.

You could try mounting the mat on a "wall" rather than the floor, so that the snake doesn't have the opportunity to sit on it for any length of time, but the only reliable way I know of keeping a safe temp is to use a thermostat. Are they really expensive in the US? In the UK, I can get a basic one for use with a heatmat for 23.74 sterling. Guess "expensive" can also be a matter of perspective - that's a lot of pocket money.

 

[babbaloo99]

Thanks Kel. Maybe I am confused. I do already have a thermostat that measures both the warm and cool sides of the tank. I do not have it connected to the UTH (pardon my ignorance) but is there a way to do that to control the heat emitted from the UTH? Otherwise, I think my other option is to purchase a Repti Therm Rheostat which is about $15 and figure out how to connect it to regulate the UTH.

I was just wondering if everyone else's UTH heats just right or if they have to fiddle with adjusting somehow. Fifteen bucks isn't much for a rheostat, but I just wanted to know how other folks manage it.

 

[ozone]

Hi babbaloo,

I think you are confusing a thermostat with a thermometer. You likely have a thermometer which only *measures* the temperatures, but can do nothing to control or regulate them. This is where the thermostat comes in...it can actively adjust the current going into any heating device (such as your heating pad) to keep the temperature at the desired level.

I am not sure what the technical differences are between a thermostat and a rheostat. I suspect very little. I believe rheostats are recommended for heat rocks, and thermostats for UTH terrarium control.

Check out this ad to learn more about how they work. I am not making any endorsement for this particular product or supplier, as there are many to choose from. It's just a link i found to help you research.

Hope this helps

 

[babbaloo99]

Thanks Ozone, I appreciate the help. I thought I was going to have to become a certified electrician or something to figure out the thermostat thang. I also did a search on this forum and found a couple ideas people use but also some thermostats that run about $99! Wow! Now that I am a bit clearer, I'll do more research online for what I need, including the ad you sent.

 

[Darin]

A rheostat controls the amount of energy getting to the heating device. So your UTH would be on all the time, but the rheostat would control how hot it was getting. A thermostat also controls the heat, but uses a sensor to decide how much is needed. An on/off thermostat will turn the UTH on or off depending on the temperature read by the sensor. A proportional thermostat is on all the time, but raises or lowers the heat depending on how much heat is needed based on the sensor reading. You can pick up an on/off thermostat for $25 or so. I personally prefer a thermostat because the reostat can't compensate if the temp in the room fluxuates.