Tile temp reaching anywhere between 95 to 110 degrees

[missf410]

Oooooohhh! Ow ow ow.:yikes: The hot side is way to hot. Any ideas how to lower the temps? Can I put something between the UTH and the tile? I've seen it mentioned on here about sand. I have an old bag of calci-sand from almost 10 years ago now. Can I use that? Someone I know suggested aquatic gravel. I'm not sure how it would be heated up though. Any other ideas?

Thanks! :biggrin:

 

[acpart]

Don't use the calci sand. Get a reptile thermostat from the pet store or get a lamp dimmer from Home Depot or equivalent. Plug the heat mat into the thermostat or dimmer and plug the thermostat/dimmer into the wall. If you use the thermostat, set it for 90. If you use the dimmer, put it at half power and keep adjusting and checking the temperature until it's correct. You will also need a digital thermometer with a probe to check the temperatures. You can get this for not that much from the reptile store as well.

Aliza

 

[missf410]

Thank you! That will solve the problem of the up and air temps in the room as well.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Hi missf410 ~

Just checking in to make sure. Did you place your UTH underneath your leo's enclosure?

 

[missf410]

Yes, I did. That was in the instructions, so thankfully that was something I didn't mess up. :blushing:

 

[lbanta]

I love the way my thermostat works. You plug your UTH into the thermostat. You program the thermostat with the temperature you want the tank to be on the warm side. There is a probe you can place under your warm hide. When the temp gets to the appropriate set temp the thermostat turns the UTH off so it won't get hotter than that. When the temp falls below the chosen number it turns back on. This in my tank flucuates from 88 to 92. I notice the temp reading going up and down all day as it adjusts within this range.

 

[missf410]

Any suggestions on plugging the gaps between the wall and the tile? When cut it was just a tiny bit to small. I am not to worried about the gecko, but I don't want any prey animals squeezing down there. :?

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Yes, I did. That was in the instructions, so thankfully that was something I didn't mess up. :blushing:

Good for you. Some members have (and do) place their UTHs inside the enclosure. As you read with a glass enclosure, UTHs are designed to go underneath.

Any suggestions on plugging the gaps between the wall and the tile? When cut it was just a tiny bit to small. I am not to worried about the gecko, but I don't want any prey animals squeezing down there. :?

A small amount of clean washed sand can plug the gaps between the wall and the tile.

Another detail: Does your tile have small ridges on the back side? Many tiles do. In that case those areas can cause "hot spots" on the tile. To even out UTH heat just place a fine layer of washed sand underneath the tiles.

 

[missf410]

Yes there are ridges on the back. I didn't think about how those ridges, which are closer to the glass, would be be affecting the temperature. Thank you for the advice everyone.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Yes there are ridges on the back. I didn't think about how those ridges, which are closer to the glass, would be be affecting the temperature. Thank you for the advice everyone.

The spaces between those ridges create air pockets which might account for differences in ground temperatures on the surface of the tiles.