Heating Issues

[Kevinjareczek]

Hello all. I have finally finished setting up my 4x2x2 wooden viv, and all is well besides the heating. I currently have a 90W halogen flood bulb (on top of the ceiling over metal mesh), and I'm having some temp trouble. The basking spot gets hot enough without any problem at all, but the temperature change in the rest of the viv seems nonexistent (stays at 74F at the very highest on the hot end, around 69 on the cool end). Could this be because I'm using a deep dome 5.5 inch fixture? Or should I see what happens when I get a ceramic heat emitter? I have to get one anyways for night time, but maybe I can just leave one on 24/7? Any help is appreciated!

 

[Kevinjareczek]

Bump

 

[Kevinjareczek]

Bump, could use some advice

 

[anastasia6988]

An idea would be to get a higher wattage basking bulb, but then lower the basking spot so it still remains at a good ideal temps that you need. Also, how are you getting your temps? I've heard the little stick on thermometers can be off and temps should be taken with a temp gun.

Hope this helps. I'm no expert but I've read many discussions on this site and I'm just mimicking what I've heard.

 

[Kevinjareczek]

I actually am getting my temps by using an IR temp gun. Do you think the problem could be the fixture itself? Do you think I should try another halogen flood (higher wattage of course)? I just don't want my basking area to be super far from the UVB :/

 

[anastasia6988]

That's understandable about the uvb. It makes sense that a narrow dome will limit heat to a specific spot. I'd say it would be worth a try with a diff fixture.
I use the 8 inch or so wide fixture and my temps are good with that. I have a 150 watt halogen bulb, but my fixture has a dimmer which is nice.

Maybe someone else will have some ideas for you too.

 

[Kevinjareczek]

Does that 150 halogen bulb do the job for the whole viv? I also have a dimmer I can utilize

 

[anastasia6988]

Oh yes. I don't ever have to turn it all the way up. If I didn't have the dimmer it would be way too strong. I have a 40 breeder tank. And cool side stays between 75-80 warm side 90. With a nice basking around 105

 

[diamc]

Hi, if the 90 watt flood bulb in the deep dome is giving you the basking temp that you want but doesn't disperse the heat to cover a very big are, try an 8 1/2" deep dome. Because the flood bulbs are longer, you really need to use a deep dome otherwise the bulb will hang lower than the bottom of the dome. Then using the 5 1/2" dome you already have, put a lower wattage household bulb on the cool side, maybe a 60 watt. When you use your temp gun, make sure you hold it about 2" from the area you're checking.

Let us know how you make out.

 

[Kevinjareczek]

I'll try that asap, thanks! Would you recommend hanging the 60w inside, or just on top? Maybe try both?

 

[diamc]

If you hang it inside, you have to make sure your beardie can't come in direct contact with it though. Setting it on the screen may give you a cool side of 78 to 82 so you will have to see. I have been regulating beardie tanks for over 15 yrs so I have been through a lot of temperature adjustments. :mrgreen:

 

[Kevinjareczek]

Thanks a ton diamc! I'll be trying this out first thing in the morning!

One more question, and anyone can answer this one: I recently bought a Zilla programmable timer power strip. It's the one with two day time outlets, two night time outlets (one will be used for a CHE at night during the winter), and four outlets that are non programmable. Since I'll now have three bulbs that I need on during the day (UVB, basking, and the extra heat bulb) and only two day time programmable outlets, I'm going to need a separate timer for the extra heat bulb. Are there any single outlet timers anyone would recommend that are capable of being on 12 hours and off 12 hours? I'm unfamiliar with how the analog outlet timers work since I'm using a programmable strip (do those analog ones have to be set daily?)

While I'm at it: I could use a recommendation on how many watts my CHE should be. I will of course get a dimmer for proper adjustments. My room drops to around 62 at night during the winter, and I'd rather not let the viv get much lower than 70..

 

[Kevinjareczek]

Update: I got a 60W incandescent bulb, and it successfully got the cool side to about 82. The only issue is that this is in a particular area and not the entire cool side. I tried switching the bulbs, and that worked out better. The very center of the circle under the 90W Halogen is about 88, and tapers off to about 78. There are still some cool spots in the lower 70s however. Is this okay? Is it also okay to have the 60W incandescent bulb be the basking bulb, or is it not bright enough to stop the UVB from hurting a beardies eyes?

 

[Kevinjareczek]

Disregard that last reply completely. Switched bulbs back to normal (90W on warm side, 60W on cool side) because I realized I wouldn't get the gradient temp set up I need. Quick question, does the basking area have to be close enough to the UVB bulb? I can get the temps in the viv a lot better if I have the basking spot about 15-16 inches away from my UVB (Reptisun 10.0). Kind of ironic. I have the cool side temps set up just fine, but I'm now struggling to get the warm side temps. Basking area is way hotter than I though it was (too hot) unless I dim the 90W to the point to where there's almost no light, and the rest of the "warm" side is cooler than the actual cool side.. I'm assuming a solution to this would just be get a lower watt halogen bulb?

 

[diamc]

Aren't adjusting temps fun? NOT :lol:

Sounds like you will need a lower wattage halogen bulb. But, before I recommend that, we need to know if the Repti-Sun 10.0 is a T8 or T5 (high output bulb). The T5 has further distance requirements than the T8 so that would be the deciding factor, as 15 to 16 inches would definitely be too far away if you are using a T8 unless you are able to hang it inside the tank.