Keeping crestie cool

[acpart]

I got my first crestie at the end of last summer so I didn't have to deal with this last year. How do I keep him cool enough in the summer? I don't have air conditioning and I don't plan to get it. He's in a 12"x18" exoterra tank. So far I have thought of 3 things to do:

--spray the tank with cold water and/or put an ice cube in the water dish each morning

--replace the incandescent light (for the plants) with florescent to reduct heat

--get a small fan and put it on top of the cage to help circulate air.

Any other ideas?

Aliza

 

[Ianx]

Thats a great question because im gonna have the same problem here soon. i dont have air conditioning either.

 

[acpart]

I'm still wondering about this. Any ideas? What do you think of installing a fogger which may provide cool humidity? Do you think that on a hot day it's just going to make hot fog?

Aliza

 

[GoGo]

Im going to have the same problem but with me i can move the tank into my room which has ac, and the room its in right now has a ceiling fan which mgiht work, and we have a ac we might put in here this summer.

 

[Mel&Keith]

Window unit air conditioner?

 

[Scott&Nikki]

Fog machine might make it worse... very warm and humid, I would think. Many fans actually just blow warm air downward and really only work for circulation. I would chance the bulbs, and that is really all I can think of...

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

Keep sunlight out of the room by puting a shade on the window. This too will knock the temp down a couple degrees.

 

[Ianx]

i heard about a icy cube in the water bowl? and the fans wont dry up the tank too much for a crested?

i was thinkin about 2 little computer fans to make a air circulation but im scared its gonna dry it up too much.

 

[Jennie]

I was asking the same Q on one of my other threads. I was thinking on the ice cube thing in the water too; seems like that would work alright. Im sure if you keep it misted in the tank it shouldnt dry up too fast with fans on it as well. I guess the only way to find out is to just try it, but keep a good eye on it to make sure things are working out smoothly.

 

[Kristy]

I recently had this discussion with someone who had a great idea.

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category/775/Thermoelectric_Coolers.html

It was also asked how to wire it

If you get just the wafer, most come prewired. You need a DC transformer ($5) to match the specs of the unit. One side gets hot and the other side gets cold, like an air conditioner, so you want to add some kind of heat sinc and a small computer fan. You can do it different ways, but you pretty much just hardwore the transformer to the wires that are connected to the unit. You can get one that runs at 12v and splice the 12v fan wires right to the transformer along with the thermo unit, then plug the transformer into the Ranco. These can't be used with proportional thermostats.

Edit, I would probably put it on the top. If your enclosure in wood or plastic you can drill vents in the side or back and mount it that way, too.

You would also need a Ranco thermostat since to regulate it. Which can be picked up at reptilebasics.com
I was told this works rather well for cooling tanks.

 

[Jennie]

Coolness!

 

[acpart]

I will think about the cooler idea. I actually already have a ranco that I don't know what to do with. Meanwhile, in addition to the ice and fan ideas, I'm considering setting up an alternative day cage in the basement so on really hot days, he'll be able to sleep down there. That's where I have my incubator for the same reason.

Aliza

 

[Haroldo]

I recently had this discussion with someone who had a great idea.

http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category/775/Thermoelectric_Coolers.html

It was also asked how to wire it

If you get just the wafer, most come prewired. You need a DC transformer ($5) to match the specs of the unit. One side gets hot and the other side gets cold, like an air conditioner, so you want to add some kind of heat sinc and a small computer fan. You can do it different ways, but you pretty much just hardwore the transformer to the wires that are connected to the unit. You can get one that runs at 12v and splice the 12v fan wires right to the transformer along with the thermo unit, then plug the transformer into the Ranco. These can't be used with proportional thermostats.

Edit, I would probably put it on the top. If your enclosure in wood or plastic you can drill vents in the side or back and mount it that way, too.

You would also need a Ranco thermostat since to regulate it. Which can be picked up at reptilebasics.com
I was told this works rather well for cooling tanks.

I used to do custom cooling solutions for processing systems a few years back. Peltiers only work like "air conditioners" (vapor phase change closed loop systems) in the loose sense that heat is transferred out of the system. Though peltiers work on lower voltage (12v) than house current, the amperage is enough to be dangerous since only 20mA is enough to send the heart into arrest. What becomes even more complicated is how to implement such a cooling solution into a system that does not have a closed loop of liquid. The heatsink and fan has to be chosen correctly as peltiers not only stop working when the heat load can't be displaced, but both sides will begin to warm until fire is a risk. Honestly, unless one has sufficient experience in electronics fabrication and wiring principles in general, I'd stay far away from these things...

 

[Kristy]

I used to do custom cooling solutions for processing systems a few years back. Peltiers only work like "air conditioners" (vapor phase change closed loop systems) in the loose sense that heat is transferred out of the system. Though peltiers work on lower voltage (12v) than house current, the amperage is enough to be dangerous since only 20mA is enough to send the heart into arrest. What becomes even more complicated is how to implement such a cooling solution into a system that does not have a closed loop of liquid. The heatsink and fan has to be chosen correctly as peltiers not only stop working when the heat load can't be displaced, but both sides will begin to warm until fire is a risk. Honestly, unless one has sufficient experience in electronics fabrication and wiring principles in general, I'd stay far away from these things...

Glad to have some insight on this. I don't know anything about this kind of stuff. The explaination in my post came directly from him.


So I am not sure if you would know if this would work or not,

My idea was to use a Ranco thermostat, and get some Mini fans hooked up to it blowing over some cool water. I'd still have to change the water out to keep it cool but do you think it would burn the motor out on the fans? Or cause a fire risk?

Thanks for explaining that above. I don't have any experience with it so I had no idea it was that much of a risk.
Kristy

 

[Haroldo]

Glad to have some insight on this. I don't know anything about this kind of stuff. The explaination in my post came directly from him.


So I am not sure if you would know if this would work or not,

My idea was to use a Ranco thermostat, and get some Mini fans hooked up to it blowing over some cool water. I'd still have to change the water out to keep it cool but do you think it would burn the motor out on the fans? Or cause a fire risk?

Thanks for explaining that above. I don't have any experience with it so I had no idea it was that much of a risk.
Kristy

Kristy, the only way I think this can work is like this:

You would need a closed loop liquid system that would circulate water through the cage under the substrate layer. At some point in the loop you'd need to install a heater core [or some other heat exchanger] with the 'cool-side" of the peltier attached to it. Appropriate sized fan would be installed over the heat sink on the "hot side" to help displace the heat. Basically, you'd be watercooling the tank. No need for the thermostat necessarily, but it'd be a nice addition as it would make sure the "system" wasn't on when it didn't need to be. It can be done, but for a cost. This is the only way I can think of cooling this cage, but it is somewhat pricey for such a project. (To give you an idea, you could probably buy an air conditioner for much cheaper or at least equal.) I can try and dig up some old pics of one of my water cooling rigs so you can get an idea of how this would be set up...Just let me know if you want any help, as I'd rather you [and the animal] be safe, then keeping my little knowledge and experience to myself...

 

[Gecko]

Cresteds actually have been heat tolerant for me. Mine have survived daily trips into upper 80's-90 degrees (adults, juvies, hatchlings, etc) very briefly during the hottest part of summer. I don't fry them though. The room temperture gradually rises and then drops back down to 70's at night. I go out of my way to drop it though with open windows at night, etc. If indoor temps are going to stay warm and not just a brief max, I bust out the window AC.

Your Crested won't die if it hits 83 F. I actually keep my cages somewhat dry to although I spray a little on those hot days.

 

[Kristy]

Kristy, the only way I think this can work is like this:

You would need a closed loop liquid system that would circulate water through the cage under the substrate layer. At some point in the loop you'd need to install a heater core [or some other heat exchanger] with the 'cool-side" of the peltier attached to it. Appropriate sized fan would be installed over the heat sink on the "hot side" to help displace the heat. Basically, you'd be watercooling the tank. No need for the thermostat necessarily, but it'd be a nice addition as it would make sure the "system" wasn't on when it didn't need to be. It can be done, but for a cost. This is the only way I can think of cooling this cage, but it is somewhat pricey for such a project. (To give you an idea, you could probably buy an air conditioner for much cheaper or at least equal.) I can try and dig up some old pics of one of my water cooling rigs so you can get an idea of how this would be set up...Just let me know if you want any help, as I'd rather you [and the animal] be safe, then keeping my little knowledge and experience to myself...

Thanks Harold, We played it safe and invested in some window ac units. Its easier on me too. I over heat myself and almost require ac. So we went that route.
That sounds pretty complicated though, they guy that told me about it didn't mention anything about watercooling the tank just that he had those hooked up to fans and thermostats and made it sound pretty easy.
Thanks again,
Kristy

 

[WftRight]

I would absolutely change the incandescent bulb to a fluorescent in order to reduce the heat being generated by you lighting. That's the one change that is safe, easy, and guaranteed to be a change in the right direction.

Beyond that change, I think you have some difficult challenges.

I don't see any advantage to putting an ice cube in the water dish. Do geckos really cool themselves by drinking cold water? Are they really designed to drink enough water to keep themselves cool if the temperature in their cage is too high? The ice cube sitting in the water dish is not going to keep the entire cage cool, so unless you know drinking the cool water will work, I wouldn't rely on that plan.

Blowing a fan against the cage only has value if evaporation can occur. The reason that a breeze feels cool to us is that we have moisture on our skin. When a breeze blows, the moving air causes that moisture to evaporate because the humidity of the air is usually less than the humidity just above our skin. The evaporation draws heat from our bodies so that we become cooler. If the insides of the cage are not covered in moisture and the air is not dry enough to cause evaporation, there will be no evaporation and no cooling.

Spraying the cage with cool water might work, but I don't know how much cooling value the water will have. The cool water might cool things immediately, but unless you are drowning the cage, I am skeptical of whether the cage will remain cool for very long. Crested geckos like humidity, but they don't like too much humidity. If you have to mist the cage too much, that practice will create its own problems.

I think your best idea is moving her to the basement during the summer. In the basement, you won't be relying on anything that could fail. All of the other ideas involve equipment that could fail or just not work as expected.

Another thought would be to make a foam enclosure to go around the cage and then put freeze packs in the enclosure every day. You could get the reusable freeze packs that you'd put in the freezer every night. You'd have to do some experimentation to get the right number of packs to keep the temperature where you wanted it.


Bill

 

[acpart]

Thanks for your information. I just got one of the new Exo-terra hoods for the Exo-terra tank that takes a flourescent bulb and have that set up. I wasn't planning to put the ice cube in the water dish for him to drink, but to see if it would cool the cage. I'm still considering putting some crushed ice on the floor of the (planted) tank since he spends most of his days in his hide on the bottom. At this point I have the window open in the room and the fan on. I will seriously consider putting him down in the basement just for the days the next 2 days since it will be in the high 90's.

Aliza

 

[acpart]

Spencer is now installed in a comfy 10 gallon in my basement with a ceramic floor, half log hide, water and fake tree. He seemed comfortable there and I think it's about 70 degrees. If it cools off tonight I'll probably bring him up for the night to his planted tank and feed him there.

One question: someone in an earlier post mentioned that cresties don't need that much humidity. I've mislaid my crestie books so I can't check right now. I mist every day and humidity is generally about 80%. Is this too much?

Aliza