UTH's

[sushikam]

I'm curious...Is it safe to leave a UTH on all day, 24/7? I know they sell some sort of thing (sorry, can't think what it's called) that allows it to change the temperature throughout the day or something like that, but i was wondering if it's ok to just leave one on all day with no problems. It doesn't seem to get too hot, but I'm just always nervous about leaving those kinds of things on all day when I'm not home.

Thanks!

 

[Scott&Nikki]

I wouldn't recommend using one without a thermostat. Keep in mind that your body is 98.6 degrees F and you want the hot end to be low 90s, so it wont feel that hot to the touch. I would purchase a thermostat to ease your mind and ensure proper temps.

 

[o0 Ryan 0o]

I believe a thermostat is what you're thinking of. Also, a digital thermometer with a probe is nice to keep an eye on the floor temperatures. Temp guns are really nice too, but a little more expensive when you can pick up the digi therms for $6-10 bucks. If you don't have a thermostat hooked up to the UTH, I would recommend getting one ASAP. Those UTHs can get to 120*+ without being regulated. I don't think 120* will do any damage to your setup, but it will definitely harm your little guy if it would be that warm. You want to shoot for floor temps around 90*.

As long as you have your UTH hooked up to thermostat you should be fine letting it run 24/7. Just keep an eye on it now and again, they can become wavy and turn brown. If you see that it's time to replace it.

 

[lytlesnake]

As stated above, even the smaller UTH's go up to 100 degrees fahrenheit or more if you don't use a thermostat. I always use a thermostat now. Some of the nicer digital ones have a Night Drop feature, such as the Herpstat ND. This allows you to program when night starts and day begins, and how much cooler you want the temperature at night.