Claudiusx":1tjvr7wm said:Any distance that is safe, which means the dragon can not touch the bulb under any circumstances, and the surface temp of the spot is far enough away that it isn't too hot. EG a surface temp of 120 would be too high, you'd need to lower it.
-Brandon
KarrieRee":3okn5u89 said:Basking bulbs should not be closer than 6" I believe BUT it depends on the wattage your using -- they are trial and error - so maybe start w/ a 100 watt but if your tank is 24" high and on top of the screen then your probably going to end up w/ a 150 watt but like I said its going to be trial and error - make sure your getting temps w/ a digital probe thermometer --
FlapJack16":grpsjbza said:Claudiusx":grpsjbza said:Any distance that is safe, which means the dragon can not touch the bulb under any circumstances, and the surface temp of the spot is far enough away that it isn't too hot. EG a surface temp of 120 would be too high, you'd need to lower it.
-Brandon
Hmmmmm..
Any specific suggestions on a structure height?
Claudiusx":1juwk7y7 said:FlapJack16":1juwk7y7 said:Claudiusx":1juwk7y7 said:Any distance that is safe, which means the dragon can not touch the bulb under any circumstances, and the surface temp of the spot is far enough away that it isn't too hot. EG a surface temp of 120 would be too high, you'd need to lower it.
-Brandon
Hmmmmm..
Any specific suggestions on a structure height?
All kind of just depends on your setup, lighting etc.
You can always make a rough model out of cardboard and hot glue or something to see how it would work in your setup.
In regards to measuring temperatures, I only recommend digital with probe ends. IR guns rely on measuring only a specific type of material(s) (usually materials with an E-Value around .95). Unless you have an IR gun with an adjustable emissivity setting (which would allow you to accurately measure your specific surface material)
-Brandon
I'm actually working on an article for this site in regards to thermometers, and IR guns.FlapJack16":y8sueytp said:As far as E-values and emissivity, ya lost me- (i sure sound like a genius, what between this and poster sizing)
Emissivity is the term used for how an object emits energy as thermal radiation. And like mentioned, different objects have different emissivity values. This is what causes one of our major problems with this type of thermometer. Most IR temp guns come calibrated to a set emissivity value (from here on referred to as Evalue), usually 0.9-0.95. These values cover a wide range of materials, but as you might imagine, they also leave out a lot of materials. For instance, asphalt has an Evalue of 0.93. So the average IR gun would read asphalts surface temperature fairly reliably. But sand has an Evalue of 0.76, sandstone 0.59. And granite has an Evalue of 0.45. This would mean your IR temp gun would be useless on those materials, as the Evalue is much out of range, your readings will be off too. So, the only way to get around this is 1 of two options. You only use items in your tank that fit the Evalue of your IR temp gun, or you buy an IR temp gun with an adjustable Evalue setting. You will have to make sure when you buy one that it states it has adjustable emissivity levels. If this is the case, then you need to make sure you know what the surfaces are you are measuring, and look them up on an emissivity chart. From there you can adjust your thermometer and you should be getting very accurate readings.
So in conclusion, IR temp guns can be very accurate, but only if they are used properly. And unfortunately, that is what makes them not user friendly in my opinion
Claudiusx":1tf7lifn said:I'm actually working on an article for this site in regards to thermometers, and IR guns.FlapJack16":1tf7lifn said:As far as E-values and emissivity, ya lost me- (i sure sound like a genius, what between this and poster sizing)
Here is a copy and paste from part of it that hopefully helps you understand (you can be my beta tester to tell me if what I'm saying makes sense lol!)
Emissivity is the term used for how an object emits energy as thermal radiation. And like mentioned, different objects have different emissivity values. This is what causes one of our major problems with this type of thermometer. Most IR temp guns come calibrated to a set emissivity value (from here on referred to as Evalue), usually 0.9-0.95. These values cover a wide range of materials, but as you might imagine, they also leave out a lot of materials. For instance, asphalt has an Evalue of 0.93. So the average IR gun would read asphalts surface temperature fairly reliably. But sand has an Evalue of 0.76, sandstone 0.59. And granite has an Evalue of 0.45. This would mean your IR temp gun would be useless on those materials, as the Evalue is much out of range, your readings will be off too. So, the only way to get around this is 1 of two options. You only use items in your tank that fit the Evalue of your IR temp gun, or you buy an IR temp gun with an adjustable Evalue setting. You will have to make sure when you buy one that it states it has adjustable emissivity levels. If this is the case, then you need to make sure you know what the surfaces are you are measuring, and look them up on an emissivity chart. From there you can adjust your thermometer and you should be getting very accurate readings.
So in conclusion, IR temp guns can be very accurate, but only if they are used properly. And unfortunately, that is what makes them not user friendly in my opinion
-Brandon
CooperDragon":1gmq8f0a said:If you have the budget for both, I say go for it. I use digital probes (one on the basking surface, one on the cool side floor) to monitor the temps all the time. I also have a temp gun to double check temps all over the enclosure and also to check temps around the house and under the portable basking lights etc. It's handy to have both.
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