I have porcelain tile in my tank. It heats up pretty good. My thermostat is set to 94.5 and it shuts down when it reaches that, but the tile still heats up to 96 and then it starts drooping. The mat can't heat up fast enough so it drops to 93 and then rises again. Is 93-96 good enough on the hot side? I've read on a couple of places that 90-96 is a good zone, it doesn't necessarily have to be 90. Is that true? Will my Leo burn? My cool side is 76-80 to allow them to cool down. Thanks!
Herpstat 1 and Tile Temperatures
- Thread starter GeckoDan.
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indyana
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They won't burn, but with a good thermostat like a HerpStat, you should be able to keep the temperature a lot more constant than that.
Is the probe directly on your heating element outside the tank? If it is separated from the heating element by the tile, that could explain why the temperature swings so broadly.
Is the probe directly on your heating element outside the tank? If it is separated from the heating element by the tile, that could explain why the temperature swings so broadly.
I have the UTH under the glass, then my tiles on top of the glass, and then my probe on top of the tile. I think it's just because the tiles are good at absorbing heat.... Any other possible reasons why?
indyana
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Not that I can think of.
You could always experiment with moving the temperature probe to the UTH. It would have to be taped to the bottom of the UTH with a tape that does not contain metal (painter's tape, Gorilla tape, etc.). If you do try that, keep in mind that you may have to set the HerpStat temperature higher to get the top of the tiles to be around 90 F, but give it a few hours to stabilize after each adjustment before taking a reading. Also, make sure the HerpStat is set to use dimming proportional (vs. the pulse proportional some models have).
You could always experiment with moving the temperature probe to the UTH. It would have to be taped to the bottom of the UTH with a tape that does not contain metal (painter's tape, Gorilla tape, etc.). If you do try that, keep in mind that you may have to set the HerpStat temperature higher to get the top of the tiles to be around 90 F, but give it a few hours to stabilize after each adjustment before taking a reading. Also, make sure the HerpStat is set to use dimming proportional (vs. the pulse proportional some models have).
What would be the difference
between dimming and pulse? I tried both and they seem to do the exact same thing. I can't see what's the difference. Is dimming a more gentle warmth?
indyana
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Dimming is smoother than pulse and is the default mode for heating. It will provide 0-100% power and ramp the power level up and down as needed. Pulse proportional was added because using dimming on a metal rack could create a humming noise; using pulses of 100% power at varying intervals helps eliminate the noise.
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