UTH & Thermostat Problem

FoxDog

FoxDog

New member
So I got my Super Giant Leopard Gecko Tuesday, I've been keeping track of the heat. I have a UTH with a thermostat (Zilla 1,000 watt) on 24/7 and a CHE on as well during the day. I use tile for the substrate. Tonight when I got home I checked the temperature of the tile and It was at 102F (the thermostat is set to 91F) It has never gotten that hot before, or at least during the day.

I have the probe laying on top of the hottest part of the tile. Maybe since the CHE is on during the say the probe gets a better reading, but I'm worried the UTH will injure my gecko at night :( Do I have the probe on the wrong spot? or should I keep the UTH on 24/7 as well? As of now I unplugged the UTH and just have the CHE on so he doesn't get hurt.

Thank you for the help! I just want my gecko to be safe
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
Just use your UTH (no CHE) and see what happens.

  • What size is your vivarium?
  • What are the dimensions of your UTH?
  • What brand probe thermometer have you?
The probe should be taped to your thermostat's probe and rest right on the tile under the warm dry hide.

If you need a different thermostat I recommend this: https://www.amazon.ca/Jump-Start-MTPRTC-ETL-certified-germination/dp/B000NZZG3S

Please continue on one thread instead of beginning a new thread each time. Your recent threads are all about getting your viv heating squared away. :)
 
FoxDog

FoxDog

New member
The vivarium is a 20 gal long and Im not sure on the demotions of the UTH, but I do know its the Zoo Med under the tank heater for 10-20 gallons. I have 2 of them hooked up side by side because one of them was making the hot spot in the tank very small. The thermostat I have is a Zilla 1,000 watt with a built in thermometer. I have the probe sitting on the hottest part of the tile, but it's not under anything. I will try to put in under the warm hide and see if that helps!

Also very sorry for the clutter of threads, I will keep everything on this one! :)
 
Zux

Zux

New member
As mentioned the issue may possibly lie with the use of the CHE and it not being controlled by the thermostat designated to the UTH thus throwing off temps.

If you wish to safely use the CHE, this too will need a thermostat of its own and you will need to spend a day or so adjusting both thermostats to get them working together safely and reliably.

Alternatively, however, it may be related to a common issue when dealing with 'probes' in that they simply do not effectively measure solid surface temperatures. It is certainly the case for me and may well be for you too, that the thermostat ought to be used to 'stabilize' the temperature and an infra-red temp gun is used to measure the temperature set by the stat.

The idea here, is that you adjust the thermostat setting, bearing in mind it wont be an accurate prediction of true surface temperatures but merely used to stabilize them, and then use your temp-gun to verify the true temp, until the temperatures are correct as per the gun at which point you can relax and ignore whatever the thermostat says regarding temperature.


Hopefully that was clear enough to be of some help, if you have more questions just let us know.
 
Elizabeth Freer

Elizabeth Freer

Well-known member
BTW, have either of your Zoo Med 10-20 gallon UTHs been used before? If so, they aren't supposed to be reused. The internal wiring could became damaged when the UTH is moved from one tank or location to another. If you go with a new UTH altogether, buy an 11 x 17 inch UTH for your 20 gallon long. Both Flukers and Ultratherm make that size.

Thanks for sharing the details again. It's really helpful to have them all together, not only for the members posting on a thread, but also for newbies to the thread. It just makes sense. :)

Place both probes under the warm dry hide. A leo often sleeps there. The Zilla probe is a bit bulky. You'll need a second thermometer to verify the thermostat's probe.

 
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A

acpart

Well-known member
I would recommend that you start by turning off the CHE and then check your temperatures. If that doesn't change anything, proceed with the advice above to turn down the thermostat gradually and keep checking the temp until it comes out right.

Aliza
 
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