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Curious..

Nook

Nook

Oreo Goddess
I know everyone states that you need a thermostat/rheostat to control the UTH.. but, what if the UTH doesn't get any hotter/cooler then you need it? This is not a question concerning temperatures for corn snakes. Just a general question.

The reason I ask, is because I've had my UTH hooked up for the last four days, unregulated, and it has been staying at 90.4-90.5 (Fahrenheit) with a small spike to 91.3 when I checked my low/high temps on the thermometer. No higher and no lower.

The UTH is the Exo Terra HeatWave Desert (small), and the two thermometers I've been using for years are Acurite and thus far neither of them have proved faulty. UTH is on the outside bottom of the tank, wrapped in aluminum foil and secured to the bottom of the tank with electrical tape. The tank is elevated to provide ~1/4 inch of breathing space.

I've also hooked up a second thermometer on the third day to double check temperatures and to make sure the current thermometer is fine and not reading awkwardly.. but the second is reading the same.

Obviously the safest route would be to still use a thermostat/rheostat on it. Though with one that doesn't get hotter/cooler then you need it, I'm just curious if it's a possibility of not needing one. I've read that those particular UTH can get well over 100 unregulated, or as low as 85 unregulated. But staying at a near consistent temperature has me curious.

More of like an observation/thought and question type of deal. Any input or what have you would be appreciated.
 
I've placed them on tiles, and elevated the tank higher/lower to get the right temps. I never had one go up, but I've seen pics of ones that have. Is there a "manufacturers recommended usage" on the box?
 
I haven't used anything to put space between the UTH and the bottom of the tank yet, it's all touching for now. As for what's on the box, I don't see anything more than "Make sure to use the spacers.. Only use on glass tanks.. Need to use a substrate.." That's about all of the 'important' stuff.

I'm wondering since I have no substrate in the tank currently, if that will affect the temperature more?
 
I remember people over the years posting pics of cracked aquarium bottoms from them overheating...It probably is going to vary from make to make too with how well they'll maintain a steady temp...With adding substrate I'd guess it would depend on the material of the substrate; in as far as how much the temp differs from tank bottom to substrate top :shrugs:
 
Yeah, I've read quite a bit about the tanks being cracked, which is why I've got ~1/4 inch breathing between the table and bottom of the tank where the UTH is. Is it possible it could still crack the glass even if there is enough airflow?

I guess I could toss in 3-4 inches of aspen to see if that would make the temperature fluctuate any. I'm more interested in the bottom/middle temperatures rather then on the top as the little guy I'm planning on getting is a burrowing type. (Obviously if I do get him, I will grab a thermostat, I'm just fiddling and testing out stuff with the unregulated at the moment. I like messing with stuff. Lol.)
 
When I first got mine, there were no rheostats around here (I didn't think of a lamp dimmer) & I wasn't really aware of how important one is supposed to be. So my heat mat was unregulated for about 3 months. During that time I became more aware of the importance placed on them but my heat mat was maintaining at just the right temps for all of that time, so I didn't make an effort to get one. However after working great for 3 or 4 months, it started to spike & was getting up to a hundred. I had to order a rheostat for it because I couldn't get it to level back out. It was a PITA the whole week I was waiting for the rheostat to come. I was plugging in the heat mat & unplugging it every hour during the day to keep the temps about where they needed to be. It decided to go unreliable during a really bad cold snap & my room kept getting below 65 degrees or I would have just left it unplugged while waiting for the dimmer. Just my experience.
 
Nook said:
I'm wondering since I have no substrate in the tank currently, if that will affect the temperature more?
Click to expand...

Substrate will increase the temperature, as it insulates the bottom and holds in that heat. It may be sitting fine with no substrate, but that's likely only because there's nothing holding in that heat. Definitely test it out with a good layer of substrate, however much you plan to use, because it will definitely make a difference.
 
Sure thing.

I've got about 3-4 inches of aspen sitting currently, and will continue to monitor the temperatures. =)
 
Before turning in to bed at about 2am, went to check on the temperatures again.. and it hit a high of 111.6 degrees. That is quite a difference. Aspen keeps 'em nice and cozy!
 
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