Thermostat causing heat cycling

[Crunchewy]

We put on a UTH and are using a UTH thermostat. It went up to 90 (which is where I set it), but then turns off and drops down to about 87.8 before turning back on. Is this cycling of the temperature going to be ok? I've since changed it to 91, but I presume it will still cycle like that.

Also I was thinking that it was going to act as a dimmer, not just powering on/off. Should I also be using a dimmer to prevent it from getting too hot on the surface, or was the issue there just that (without a thermostat) it would heat and heat until it was to hot?

 

[acpart]

With no thermostat or dimmer, it will probably get too hot and stay too hot.
With an on/off thermostat, there will be that range of getting to a certain temp, turning off, getting to a lower temp and turning back on. I don't think it's anything to worry about. In nature, the temp isn't always rock steady
With a rheostat, you'll encounter the same situation as with no thermostat, except you're controlling the maximum that the UTH can heat up to.
If you want more rock steady temps (which I don't think are necessary), you'd need to invest in a proportional thermostat which costs roughly $100 US.

ALiza

 

[Crunchewy]

If our gecko will be happy even with it cycling like that then we'll just stick with this thermostat. Thanks for the input!

I'm thinking of turning it up to 92, so the lowest will be just under 90.

 

[acpart]

92 would be better. Heat fluctuations for geckos is not a big deal.

Aliza

 

[Crunchewy]

According to the thermostat it's topping at 92 (I put it up to that), but when I measure the temp at the cool end it's not even up to 70! Isn't that too cool?

I'm just using the thermometer that came with the kit, which was supposed to be put on the side, but I laid it on the floor, so I'm wondering if it's not accurately reading the surface temp when placed on the tank floor?

 

[Russellm0704]

It should be 90-92 on hot side and room temp on cool side. 70 is ok for cool side

 

[OnlineGeckos]

Are you using a stick on thermometer to measure the floor temperature? If so they won't work, you'll need a digital thermometer with a probe, or a temperature gun to accurately measure the floor temperature.

 

[Crunchewy]

Yes, it's one that was supposed to stick to the side with suction cups.

I had read that an aluminum backed fish tank thermometer would work. Is that true?

Also the thermometer that we do have measuring air temp, and which is on the warm side, I just noticed is only reading 72. Is that ok even on the warm side? Does air temp matter at all?

To be clear, the temp prob from the thermostat, which is reading the temp in the warm hide, and touching the floor in there, does get to 92 (and cycles down to about 90). I guess I'm wondering if it's inaccurate given that air temp.

Is it ok to run a red heat lamp 24/7 to warm up the air (and for night viewing)?

 

[Russellm0704]

Air temp and surface temp are two completely different things.

 

[Crunchewy]

I was just unclear if that air temp is ok. Is it, particularly on the warm side? I had thought that the heat mat would warm up the air some, but it doesn't seem to be, which made me wonder if it was working properly.

Is it ok, then, to not use a heat lamp to warm the air? Is it unnecessary?

Since installing the UTH our gecko seems to like to lay flat on the floor. I wasn't sure if this was a sign that he was comfortable now, or cold.

Lastly, should I bump the UTH temp up to 93, which would mean it would never cycle below about 90.8, or just leave it at 92, which cycles down to 89.7, about?

 

[OnlineGeckos]

Their ideal floor temperature is 90-95, so sure you can bump it up to 93. The way they warm up and digest food is by laying flat on the floor to absorb belly heat. So it's normal to see them do that.

The ambient temperature shouldn't affect them too much as long as you have the floors heated properly. Also it helps to use hides that can trap warm air, with small openings where they can fit through. This will provide a warmer hide for them to lay in. But if your ambient temperature gets consistently into the 60's and below, then you may want to look into a ceramic heat emitter. Ceramic heat lamps will emit heat without light, which is ideal for leopard geckos for supplementing heat purposes.

You do want a temperature probe or temperature gun to be able to test the floor temperature properly though.

 

[Crunchewy]

Could you recommend a good, preferably not too expensive, temp probe or gun?

 

[OnlineGeckos]

This temperature gun is quite popular, from amazon.

As for digital thermometer with probe, they all look & cost about the same. You can find them in local pet stores or online stores. They should be under $10.

 

[Crunchewy]

Found this digital temp probe on amazon for only $7.01, so I ordered it:

http://www.amazon.com/Zoo-Med-Digital-Terrarium-Thermometer/dp/B000MD3MFA/ref=cm_cr_pr_sims_t

 

[Crunchewy]

I got the digital temp probe and put it inside the warm hide, pretty close to the thermostat probe. What I'm finding is the temperature reading varies pretty wildly depending on how much I press it into the paper towel flooring, as well as where I place it. I see too low temps if I let it prop up off the surface slightly and too high if I press it firmly down (not touching the end). Other times it will seem to read about the same as the thermostat.

Is the temp probe supposed to be firmly pressed onto the surface, or lightly? I presume it's not supposed to be up off the surface at all, correct?

It's hard to get the thermostat probe to be pressed down. I think it sticks up off the surface very slightly. Is that ok? I have the cable running under the warm hide edge, and the probe as close to the inside edge of the hide as I could get it. It still tips up very slightly.

With the varying temps the digital temp probe shows (not the thermostat), I don't know what to trust and have absolutely no idea if the thermostat is letting it get warm enough or not.

EDIT: by turning the thermostat temp probe I was able to get it to lay flat on the surface. The thermostat seems to read a more consistent temp, so I'm hoping it's more accurate.