Under the tank heat pad-Question!

[LeopardGeckoGirlie]

Yesterday I finally installed UTH on my 2 LG tanks. One of the tanks is kept in my husband's reptile room and the temp in that room is hotter than the rest of the house, so with the heater the temps are perfect...around 90-92 on the hot side. My other tank is kept in our living room and with the UTH, the temp is only around 80-82...but as far as I can tell..you can't increase the temp on those heat pads? I did see someone mention using a thermostat for them, is that something you buy separately?? How do they work? The heater is a Zoo med repti therm heat pad.

 

[thegeckoguy23]

you put it under the cage and plug it in. I recomend using a thermostat.

 

[acpart]

The thermostat will only decrease the amount of heat the pad is putting out (though one is recommended anyway). The only way to increase the amount of heat you're getting in the tank is to cover the bottom of the heat pad with a sheet of aluminum foil so the pad is sandwiched between the bottom of the tank and the foil. This directs the heat upward. I have had no trouble maintaining appropriate heat in my tanks with zoo-med pads even in the winter, so check the following:

--are you measuring the heat on the floor of the cage above the pad or in the air. The former is the correct thing to be measured

--is your pad putting out as many watts as the packaging says? If the UTH is defective then it will not supply enough heat (I find that sometimes. If you can get hold of a wattmeter you can check).

Aliza

 

[gothra]

As Aliza said. Just want to add, if heat is not transferred upward to the tank floor, then it must be lost in other direction. To avoid this, you can put some insulating material underneath the UTH to force all the heat to go up. I personally use 1cm thick cork mats beneath all UTH, just make sure you do have air gaps between the UTH and glass.

 

[acpart]

I actually don't have air gaps between the UTH and the glass, the air gaps are between the UTH/glass assembly and the surface that the enclosure sits on.

Aliza

 

[geckogirlxo]

UTH assembly questions!! please help

The thermostat will only decrease the amount of heat the pad is putting out (though one is recommended anyway). The only way to increase the amount of heat you're getting in the tank is to cover the bottom of the heat pad with a sheet of aluminum foil so the pad is sandwiched between the bottom of the tank and the foil. This directs the heat upward. I have had no trouble maintaining appropriate heat in my tanks with zoo-med pads even in the winter, so check the following:

--are you measuring the heat on the floor of the cage above the pad or in the air. The former is the correct thing to be measured

--is your pad putting out as many watts as the packaging says? If the UTH is defective then it will not supply enough heat (I find that sometimes. If you can get hold of a wattmeter you can check).

Aliza

If I have the UTH sticky side attached to the aluminum foil can i still sandwich the UTH with another peice of foil on the bottom? and will this help my temps reach above 82 F ? (please say yes, please say yes!)

 

[NWA_JTV]

You're not going to want foil between your pad and the tank. What's your tank subrtrate and how thick is it?

I had a similar problem with my tank in the living room, until I realized that there was an air vent positioned to blow directly onto it. I redirected the air flow and instantly fixed the problem.

 

[Dog Shrink]

I use a piece of plastic styrfoam under my uth to hold it up against the tank. We maintain a steady 93 degrees with it. The plastic styrofoam is less crumbly than regular packing styrofoam (like what kickboards are made out of) and fire resistant. I have a 6x11 7 watt cobra heat mat ona 20 long. What i like about the cobra mat is it heats at a consistant 100 degrees. Make sure your temp probe is directly on the floor over theheat mat.

 

[acpart]

If I have the UTH sticky side attached to the aluminum foil can i still sandwich the UTH with another peice of foil on the bottom? and will this help my temps reach above 82 F ? (please say yes, please say yes!)

Probably yes.

Aliza