# Monitor Heating Problem...



## MathewB (Nov 3, 2013)

Hey guys,


I'm in the process of setting up an enclosure for an Ackie and I'm using 2 100 watt globes from Reptile One and the thermometers I'm using say they're only hitting 45c at best, it might be higher on a hot day though. The 40c seems a little low for 2 100 watt globes from where I'm sitting. Anybody got any thoughts on this? 


Also what size box would be suitable for a dig box?


Cheers

This is enclosure as well


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## sd1981 (Nov 3, 2013)

Is your basking ledge that rocky outcrop on the back wall??? If so, whats it made of??? if its fibreglass or foam etc, it won't radiate the heat very well to give a hot surface temperature... I use a black slate tile under my heat lamps and achieve around 48-50c as an average surface temp. (The slate being dark, attracts the heat and also stores and radiates it very well). If you still can't get the temps high enough, bring the basking lights slightly lower, or stack some tiles a bit higher to drop the distance between the heating and the surface...


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## MathewB (Nov 3, 2013)

Yeah thats the basking ledge, I'm not quite sure what's it made out of. It's a Universal Rocks background, it's really hard but also flexible so I don't think it's fiberglass though it probably would act in the same way. 

What wattage are the globes that you use?


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## Blinky (Nov 3, 2013)

Go to bunnings and buy a 150 w flood for $2.


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## MathewB (Nov 3, 2013)

I was considering that but I was under the impression that they use a lot of energy. So that's the reason I've avoided the flood light, are they very efficient?


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## Blinky (Nov 3, 2013)

.Not that I have noticed and I run 6.


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## sd1981 (Nov 3, 2013)

I use 2 x 100w globes approximately 40cm from my slate basking rock.... Works well, my Lacie is highly active, eats very well, poops very well, and is a happy little bugger...


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## MathewB (Nov 3, 2013)

Blinky said:


> .Not that I have noticed and I run 6.



That sounds alright, what kind of temps do you get at what distance? Give or take 



sd1981 said:


> I use 2 x 100w globes approximately 40cm from my slate basking rock.... Works well, my Lacie is highly active, eats very well, poops very well, and is a happy little bugger...



These lights are only about 15-20cms away, hence my confusion at the temps. Surely they would at least get above 40c


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## Blinky (Nov 3, 2013)

glass enclosures i obviously get less heat but in a melamine enclosure with granite tiles for basing i get 65 degrees from about 20 or so cm.


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## sd1981 (Nov 3, 2013)

If the surface is not conductive, it won't absorb the heat properly... Example: if you have a plastic plate under the lamp, it may only be 33c as plastic heats up but doesn't retain the heat. If you have a black cast iron pot under same heat lamp, it may heat up to 65c as it retains heat better and is more conductive... Slate conducts heat better than sandstone, fibreglass takes heat in but it cools down quicker... Latex backgrounds don't hold heat well, so you won't get the temps that my slate will get and hold... Hope that helps....

- - - Updated - - -

The problem isn't with your lights, its with your basking surface... Basking surface won't retain the heat... If you move the lights to the other side of the tank, and stack up a few tiles, you'll get a hotter reading...


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## Demansiaphile (Nov 4, 2013)

How are you measuring the temperature? Are you measuring the surface temp or the air temperature.

From what I've found Universal rocks are very good for basking reptiles. 

I use the 100watt lights and gu10 50 Watt lights for smaller monitors. They work fine.


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## MathewB (Nov 4, 2013)

Yeah it helps, I'll have to just see what happens. I'll setup a tile stack and take some readings. I'd still be surprised that the thermometers don't get above 40c, though I may just be a bit ignorant haha


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## MathewB (Nov 4, 2013)

Demansiaphile said:


> How are you measuring the temperature? Are you measuring the surface temp or the air temperature.
> 
> From what I've found Universal rocks are very good for basking reptiles.
> 
> I use the 100watt lights and gu10 50 Watt lights for smaller monitors. They work fine.



I'm just using a couple of thermometers from the local garden shop.


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## Demansiaphile (Nov 4, 2013)

It sounds like you're measuring the air temperature. How does the surface feel? When literature says temps over 50C they mean the surface temperature. An air temperature over 40 will kill most reptiles. If you want a real good accurate reading, grab a temperature gun. Much more useful. Those thermometers you are using are awefully inaccurate. 


Also for a big box, just a tupperware container filled with a moist medium and cut out a whole via soldering iron


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## MathewB (Nov 4, 2013)

Demansiaphile said:


> It sounds like you're measuring the air temperature. How does the surface feel? When literature says temps over 50C they mean the surface temperature. An air temperature over 40 will kill most reptiles. If you want a real good accurate reading, grab a temperature gun. Much more useful. Those thermometers you are using are awefully inaccurate.
> 
> 
> Also for a big box, just a tupperware container filled with a moist medium and cut out a whole via soldering iron



Yeah I was skeptical of their accuracy being only $8. The background feels pretty hot. I'll have to pick up a temp gun and be doubly sure what's going on. Guess its eBay for me.


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## Blinky (Nov 4, 2013)

Man don't worry about going out and setting up stacks or what not, just get 150w and it will heath that surface up to 58 at least which will be fine.


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## MathewB (Nov 6, 2013)

I got my temperature gun today and its reading between about 50c-55c on the hot spot. Do you guys reckon this is alright? In the book Keeping and Breeding Australian Lizards by Mike Swan it says a temp between 40c-50c.


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## saximus (Nov 6, 2013)

MathewB said:


> I was considering that but I was under the impression that they use a lot of energy. So that's the reason I've avoided the flood light, are they very efficient?


Just to clarify this, 150W is the same power no matter how efficient the light is. So your setup of 200W is always going to use more energy than a 150W flood light. Also, don’t forget that as reptile keepers we want lights that are inefficient. The efficiency of a light globe is determined by how much light it produces compared to heat. An LED has the best efficiency of any light available but is completely useless for us since it produces virtually no heat. So as well as not being stupid and over-priced, the “inefficiency” of the flood lights is advantageous in this case.



MathewB said:


> I got my temperature gun today and its reading between about 50c-55c on the hot spot. Do you guys reckon this is alright? In the book Keeping and Breeding Australian Lizards by Mike Swan it says a temp between 40c-50c.


That temperature should be fine. Don’t get caught up over a couple of degrees here or there though. Watch the animal. Its behaviour will tell you whether it’s happy or not. If it sits under the basking spot for periods of time and eating fine then you’re all good. If it barely basks at all or doesn’t sit under the light then it’s probably too hot. If it is always sitting under the light and stops eating, it’s probably too cold.


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## MathewB (Nov 6, 2013)

saximus said:


> Just to clarify this, 150W is the same power no matter how efficient the light is. So your setup of 200W is always going to use more energy than a 150W flood light. Also, don’t forget that as reptile keepers we want lights that are inefficient. The efficiency of a light globe is determined by how much light it produces compared to heat. An LED has the best efficiency of any light available but is completely useless for us since it produces virtually no heat. So as well as not being stupid and over-priced, the “inefficiency” of the flood lights is advantageous in this case.
> 
> 
> That temperature should be fine. Don’t get caught up over a couple of degrees here or there though. Watch the animal. Its behaviour will tell you whether it’s happy or not. If it sits under the basking spot for periods of time and eating fine then you’re all good. If it barely basks at all or doesn’t sit under the light then it’s probably too hot. If it is always sitting under the light and stops eating, it’s probably too cold.




Thanks for the advice and explanations sax. If the power bill starts creeping up I might switch to a floodlight, hopefully not though. 

Now I've just got to wait for my Monitor, the hardest part!


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## Pilbarensis (Nov 6, 2013)

got most of my critters on 55-60c+, the more heat the better it seems as far as monitors go. so long as there's an appropriate thermal gradient.


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## MathewB (Nov 8, 2013)

Is this the flood light you guys were talking about? I got 2 of them and they only reached about 40c after an hour. The next size up I believe is 500watt, which is bit overkill I think haha


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