New Enclosure heating advice please - newbie

[Snapped]

Hi,

I recently bought a 5 foot L x 2H x 18D second hand enclosure for an adult carpet python which I'm getting next week.
The enclosure has a built in thermostat which goes to 30C.

There is 3 heat fittings (ES) with cages at one end, and an ES fitting with cage in the middle (for a light) which are both wired separately so you can turn off the light.

It had a 100w infra red globe, 75w infra red globe & 100 w heat emitter in those 3, plus a UV light (which I dropped) and won't need anyway.

Only the 100w exo terra heat globe works, and I'm setting up the enclosure today to test out temps etc. (at the moment, it's only at 22 at the hot end, 16 at the cold end running that one globe.

I have a probe thermometer/hygrometer for now, but ordering a hand held IR thermometer from Herp Shop tomorrow so I just have to point etc.

Now, question being, do I grab another 75W globe and a ceramic heat emitter for the other 2 fittings?

Do I replace all 3 with 75W IR globes, or just use 2... or something else?

There is so many conflicting stories etc, I just want to have a basking spot for my MD python (he is an adult) and a warm enclosure with a good gradient temp, but really don't have the experience to know what heat source is best/most efficient.

Im in Victoria, and the enclosure is in a non heated room.

And one last question, should I grab a dimming thermostat (plug in) as a back up?

The pic below is the enclosure (pic from advertisement when I bought it)





Thanks in advance for letting me pick your brains.

Anyone?


Maybe I'll just grab a couple of different wattage IR heat lamps from the Herp shop and test them out? They have the Aussie sun ones for $8.50.

No one?

That's disappointing, lots of views, no replies. :?

 

[Ground_Level]

If ur getting a murray then you need to have a basking spot around 30ish, I have my tank sitting at 30 all day everyday in his. Basking spot the tank is a 4 ft one I'm using a 150 watt heat emitter on a electronic thermostat which also runs his uv light as well on a timer, so something that size u might need around a 200 watt cermic heat lamp,from the picture u have shown looks like it had lizards so a lot of that's stuff is useless,

 

[rvcasa]

Umm that's sounds unusual...
Or at least doesn't match my experience.

I had a 100W CHE in my 4ft and it got so, so hot, I had to change back to 75W IRs! And I can get 40(ish) centigrades.

It could be that, if you have a thermostat always at 30C so a 150W CHE is not getting to its full capacity and perhaps a lower wattage would be enough?

So therefore a 200W CHE sounds excessive!?
(not to mention the power bill)

CHEs seem to dry up the air a lot and also don't seem to throw heat as far down to cage floor as IR.


P.S. I'm in hot hot QLD, so maybe easier to heat up a 4ft (now winter w/ 25C) than colder VIC??


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[Ground_Level]

Well im Down in canberra we are lucky to get a
top of 12 some days here and as low as -5 so i will be using
alot hotter watts then most people it just depends on what his wanting to do vic as very much same temps as we do, I run 150
Watts to keep the tank warm for those night that iit's stupid cold, otherwise
summer time it's off or changed to a 75 watt elec bill is not that high at all when I'm running themostats and that's 4 tanks too

 

[Snowman]

So the probe from your thermometer is directly under the globe?

 

[rvcasa]

12??
Brrr that's freeezing!
Now I understand it...

Currently, my cage at night doesn't get under 20C w/ everything switch off.


P.S. isn't 30C on basking spot a bit low?
Is that cause you're down south?

I was told to read temps off centre of cage, which is centre of gradient, so my basking spot is almost 40C!






@ snapped you may want to read some of these:
http://sxr.com.au/RA ARTICLE PAGE.htm


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[Snapped]

Ive been playing around with different globes last night and today, and taking temperature readings as well.
With running a 100w infrared globe and a 100w CHE for 2 hours with the thermostat at it's highest (which is 30) - temps got to 31 warm end, 21 in the middle, and 18 cool end, which isn't enough?
From what ive read they need 27-30 air temp, 32-35 at the warm end, roughly 35 basking temp?

Ill try adding another globe in the mix tomorrow, see what we get then.

Im glad I can play around getting temps right before my snake comes.

Thanks rvcasa, I've read those (what a handy resource they are!) and while very handy i guess i just wanted to know what globes/wattage/how many globes other people used.
Seems most use one or 2, but I've got 3.

From reading a stack of threads on the forum regarding heating, it seems to depend on where you live, what your enclosure is made of, size of, what heating (or lack of) is in the room where the enclosure is....all this affects what you need to use to heat it. Good old trial and error it seems.

 

[caliherp]

Ive been playing around with different globes last night and today, and taking temperature readings as well.
With running a 100w infrared globe and a 100w CHE for 2 hours with the thermostat at it's highest (which is 30) - temps got to 31 warm end, 21 in the middle, and 18 cool end, which isn't enough?
From what ive read they need 27-30 air temp, 32-35 at the warm end, roughly 35 basking temp?

Ill try adding another globe in the mix tomorrow, see what we get then.

Im glad I can play around getting temps right before my snake comes.

Thanks rvcasa, I've read those (what a handy resource they are!) and while very handy i guess i just wanted to know what globes/wattage/how many globes other people used.
Seems most use one or 2, but I've got 3.

From reading a stack of threads on the forum regarding heating, it seems to depend on where you live, what your enclosure is made of, size of, what heating (or lack of) is in the room where the enclosure is....all this affects what you need to use to heat it. Good old trial and error it seems.

I commend you for takeing the time to setup and enclosure the right way. Id say the most easy thing to do is get a thermostat or a reostat. Thay way you dont have to go through all the trial and eror.

 

[Snapped]

I commend you for takeing the time to setup and enclosure the right way. Id say the most easy thing to do is get a thermostat or a reostat. Thay way you dont have to go through all the trial and eror.

Thanks, the enclosure already has an IMIT thermostat, but it only goes to 30c, with running both globes (100w IR & 100w CHE) for 3 hours yesterday it never turned off and didn't reach 30 ambient temp.

 

[caliherp]

Thanks, the enclosure already has an IMIT thermostat, but it only goes to 30c, with running both globes (100w IR & 100w CHE) for 3 hours yesterday it never turned off and didn't reach 30 ambient temp.

Maby try a ceramic heat emitter. Or a radiant heat panel along with the red bulb and see if that helps. I dident go through all the posts but how much vents do you have and how big?

 

[Rob]

Maby try a ceramic heat emitter.

She is. CHE = Ceramic Heat Emitter

Thanks, the enclosure already has an IMIT thermostat, but it only goes to 30c, with running both globes (100w IR & 100w CHE) for 3 hours yesterday it never turned off and didn't reach 30 ambient temp.

I can only go by what I can see in the pic, but it looks to me like the thermostat is in the cool end, so you don't want it to reach 30 down there anyhow. Check the temps on the floor under the basking spot. I can only imagine with you pumping out 200w of heat it has to be at least 30.

Ideally, you'd have your thermostat (given it's position) set at around 26, but of course, you'd have to monitor the basking site temps and adjust accordingly.

 

[caliherp]

She is.

I shoul go through the whoule thread before I try to give advice. I just have to leeve for work soon and I wanted to help before I have to go.

 

[Snapped]

She is. CHE = Ceramic Heat Emitter



I can only go by what I can see in the pic, but it looks to me like the thermostat is in the cool end, so you don't want it to reach 30 down there anyhow. Check the temps on the floor under the basking spot. I can only imagine with you pumping out 200w of heat it has to be at least 30.

Ideally, you'd have your thermostat (given it's position) set at around 26, but of course, you'd have to monitor the basking site temps and adjust accordingly.

Yep, the thermostat is 12" away from the wall at the cool end, and about 6" off the floor.

The temps on the floor at the warm end were 31, about 34 basking height. But middle of the enclosure (and taken in the middle do the wall) was only 21.
Is that warm enough?


(and thanks Caliherp for trying to help)

 

[caliherp]

Yep, the thermostat is 12" away from the wall at the cool end, and about 6" off the floor.

The temps on the floor at the warm end were 31, about 34 basking height. But middle of the enclosure (and taken in the middle do the wall) was only 21.
Is that warm enough?


(and thanks Caliherp for trying to help)

I may have misread this post, but the thermostat probe has to close to the basking site or it defeats the purpose. Snapped I'm more then happy to help.

 

[Snowman]

The temps on the floor at the warm end were 31, about 34 basking height. But middle of the enclosure (and taken in the middle do the wall) was only 21.
Is that warm enough?

Yeah that's plenty warm for winter. The only temp you need to care about is the basking height where the python can sit and bask. If that is 34 then that is heaps!

The python will move between the basking spot and the cool end and regulate its own body temp in this way.

.

 

[Rob]

I may have misread this post, but the thermostat probe has to close to the basking site or it defeats the purpose. Snapped I'm more then happy to help.

It's a wall thermostat, so no probe, hence the reason you don't want it hitting 30c where it is anyhow.

Snowman has answered the question sufficiently, IMO.

 

[Snapped]

Yeah that's plenty warm for winter. The only temp you need to care about is the basking height where the python can sit and bask. If that is 34 then that is heaps!

The python will move between the basking spot and the cool end and regulate its own body temp in this way.

.

Awesome, thanks so much, that's exactly what I wanted to know.

Now I can relax.