Probe Thermostat Heat Lamp

[naterowley]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new owner of a probe thermostat for my basking branch and all that fun jazz that dims the bulb when the temp isn't at the desired range mine is set to 85. It seems to be working great but I just realized something that happens which may be completely fine but I figured I'd at least bring up my observation. So when Grif is basking his body obviously covers up the probe, in turn making the probe not get hit by the light and lowering it's reading by a 3-5 degrees I've noticed. Any one else experience this and make an adjustment in anyway? I was thinking of lowering my temp to 82ish and then it should give leeway to not overheat him.

Thoughts?

REPTIZOO Reptile Light Fixture

Link above ^

 

[Steve A]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new owner of a probe thermostat for my basking branch and all that fun jazz that dims the bulb when the temp isn't at the desired range mine is set to 85. It seems to be working great but I just realized something that happens which may be completely fine but I figured I'd at least bring up my observation. So when Grif is basking his body obviously covers up the probe, in turn making the probe not get hit by the light and lowering it's reading by a 3-5 degrees I've noticed. Any one else experience this and make an adjustment in anyway? I was thinking of lowering my temp to 82ish and then it should give leeway to not overheat him.

Thoughts?

REPTIZOO Reptile Light Fixture

Link above ^

I use the same thing, but Spike doesn't bask directly under it. I put it in one of the corners of the enclosure so that he can always go to it if he needs it. Very rarely does he bask directly under it though. He's usually off to the side.

Considering your situation I think you should answer your own question. Monitor the temp. See if it changes at all once he's on top of it. It might not really change much. But I would say monitor it and make adjustments accordingly. Spike still isn't an adult but I have his set at only 80f.

 

[elizaann2]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new owner of a probe thermostat for my basking branch and all that fun jazz that dims the bulb when the temp isn't at the desired range mine is set to 85. It seems to be working great but I just realized something that happens which may be completely fine but I figured I'd at least bring up my observation. So when Grif is basking his body obviously covers up the probe, in turn making the probe not get hit by the light and lowering it's reading by a 3-5 degrees I've noticed. Any one else experience this and make an adjustment in anyway? I was thinking of lowering my temp to 82ish and then it should give leeway to not overheat him.

Thoughts?

REPTIZOO Reptile Light Fixture

Link above ^

Oh smart! I actually have mine where I think my babies cover the probe as well. I do have a Govee sensor close to my basking branch too to ensure temps don't get too high or too low.

 

[Steve A]

Oh smart! I actually have mine where I think my babies cover the probe as well. I do have a Govee sensor close to my basking branch too to ensure temps don't get too high or too low.

ahhhhhh now that you say that I also have another sensor very close to my basking probe so that I can track the temps and make sure it's accurate.

 

[Beman]

Hi everyone!

I'm a new owner of a probe thermostat for my basking branch and all that fun jazz that dims the bulb when the temp isn't at the desired range mine is set to 85. It seems to be working great but I just realized something that happens which may be completely fine but I figured I'd at least bring up my observation. So when Grif is basking his body obviously covers up the probe, in turn making the probe not get hit by the light and lowering it's reading by a 3-5 degrees I've noticed. Any one else experience this and make an adjustment in anyway? I was thinking of lowering my temp to 82ish and then it should give leeway to not overheat him.

Thoughts?

REPTIZOO Reptile Light Fixture

Link above ^

So the probe will pick up temps at the branch. This is why you want to lower it to like 80-82 depending on the age of your cham. Max heat exposure for adult males is 85. So where they rise up will always be hotter. I use something different then you so my probe is extremely sensitive even if Beman covers it.

I have seen people put a branch close to the basking branch and have the probe there. That way it will not be covered that is unless the cham prefers that branch lol.

 

[naterowley]

I have my Govee sensor approximately at the same height (I'm not sure what part of the sensor reads the data, it's hanging at the same height but if the bottom reads it's technically lower by about 2inches) and about 4 inches away and the temps dont seem to match a ton, having the probe directly under the light he honestly seems to be basking more as if the dimming and setting has reduced the heat put out, it's been a bit cooler here in Ohio too since I've had that so I'm monitoring to see if it will trend up again. I also have a 75 wall heat bulb coming as opposed to the 65watt one in there now to see if that makes a difference just because im curious, if the thermostat is working fine it should act the same but im not sure if the 10watts of extra intensity will "warm" him up more, this probe being attached to a deep dome as opposed to the one I had before being wider and having the bulb closer to the screen, I'm curious if that's it too. I'll post a screenshot of my temps soon and maybe we can figure it out if there is any correlation

 

[Beman]

I have my Govee sensor approximately at the same height (I'm not sure what part of the sensor reads the data, it's hanging at the same height but if the bottom reads it's technically lower by about 2inches) and about 4 inches away and the temps dont seem to match a ton, having the probe directly under the light he honestly seems to be basking more as if the dimming and setting has reduced the heat put out, it's been a bit cooler here in Ohio too since I've had that so I'm monitoring to see if it will trend up again. I also have a 75 wall heat bulb coming as opposed to the 65watt one in there now to see if that makes a difference just because im curious, if the thermostat is working fine it should act the same but im not sure if the 10watts of extra intensity will "warm" him up more, this probe being attached to a deep dome as opposed to the one I had before being wider and having the bulb closer to the screen, I'm curious if that's it too. I'll post a screenshot of my temps soon and maybe we can figure it out if there is any correlation

So I run a higher watt bulb but I also have 9 inches to the screen and my fixture raised off the top 4 inches. I do not have a thermal burn risk doing this. But I run the higher watt because it warms it up faster in the morning when it kicks off.

Your thing with wattage is going to depend on your distances just like it would without the thermostat. Govee is going to pick up your ambient temps. Note do not put this in a path of water or you will kill the device. It will not be as accurate as the probe especially since it is farther away from the direct light path of the heat bulb.

 

[Flick boy]

Hi so I haven't read all the comments so I apologies if it's been said , like you I use a thermostat but my thermostat probe is offset on another branch and a general probe in the basking area ,which I noticed there is roughly a 2.5 c difference so I took that and also the height of the cham in to account and set from there

 

[BryanP]

You can see in this picture I also have the reptizoo thermostat.

In the image, right by his tail...The black probe is from that and the white box is my govee.

That probe, while possibly to cover, would not be the ideal spot for him to bask but is the highest spot available closest to the bulb (except for the ledge of rhe background where I do find him frequently)

If he covers it it may raise the temp but it will still control once that probe reaches my setpoint of 83.

 

[Flick boy]

O and I seen a comment about if the cham prefers the branch where the the offset is , I don’t have my basking light flush on the screen but angled with an exoterra light bracket and clamp so should not be a problem

 

[regal81455]

I, too, have my probe offset some from where he tends to bask but I wanna make one mention from my observations and use..

IMHO I think the lower wattage bulb is better in this case because if you have a high watt bulb it's going to cycle a lot more than a lower wattage bulb since it will reach temp faster. I prefer the lower wattage bulb because the "light' emitted from it stays brighter longer, the heat is steadier, and I've noticed my guy will get up and leave when it goes too dim from reaching temp and falling off. When I had a higher wattage bulb this happened much more frequently. I don't mind a little fluctuation ( like clouds rolling through ) but in general like to see it stay "lit". Hope that makes sense!

 

[Flick boy]

I, too, have my probe offset some from where he tends to bask but I wanna make one mention from my observations and use..

IMHO I think the lower wattage bulb is better in this case because if you have a high watt bulb it's going to cycle a lot more than a lower wattage bulb since it will reach temp faster. I prefer the lower wattage bulb because the "light' emitted from it stays brighter longer, the heat is steadier, and I've noticed my guy will get up and leave when it goes too dim from reaching temp and falling off. When I had a higher wattage bulb this happened much more frequently. I don't mind a little fluctuation ( like clouds rolling through ) but in general like to see it stay "lit". Hope that makes sense!

Yes correct, anyone using a thermostat should be using a bulb that runs at as close to 100 % possible achieving the set temp otherwise using a higher bulb the light wil be l fluctuating too often

 

[naterowley]

Great ideas and I’ll do that, he basked a ton today saying that his bulb isn’t going what it was doing without the thermostat, I’ll move it over, Thank You! Great points about the different wattages! It’ll be a good backup if it doesn’t work OR I may need to swap bulbs for seasons which won’t be too bad to do either

 

[BryanP]

The point about being at 100% vs lower is Moot with a PID thermostat.

The PID will control close to the setpoint and dim/brighten the bulb.

in reality you want to be at some value (lets say 67% of the max) for optimal control. If you're maxing your bulb then you are not truly in good control of the temp because when it under shoots and needs to correct it will take too long to reach the heat setpoint again.

You should not be relying on basking bulb for any real light output in my opinion.

 

[naterowley]

I’m just using the basking bulb for heat, I moved the probe over to the left, it was against the branch that’s smaller running vertically? Lol directions are hard

 

[elizaann2]

I’m just using the basking bulb for heat, I moved the probe over to the left, it was against the branch that’s smaller running vertically? Lol directions are hard

That looks great to me!

 

[ChamelaChameleon]

I use 2 probes because baby Bolt enjoyed screen climbing. 1 on the top directly under the heat lamp and one on the side, 1 inch above the basking branch. However Bolt never uses his actual basking branch. He basks on a branch that's 3 inches higher than his basking branch and off to the side of the heat lamp. No direct heat. This helps prevent burns when he decides to screen climb. My highest Temp at the top is 83, basking branch 81. Off set branch is 83.

 

[regal81455]

The point about being at 100% vs lower is Moot with a PID thermostat.

The PID will control close to the setpoint and dim/brighten the bulb.

in reality you want to be at some value (lets say 67% of the max) for optimal control. If you're maxing your bulb then you are not truly in good control of the temp because when it under shoots and needs to correct it will take too long to reach the heat setpoint again.

You should not be relying on basking bulb for any real light output in my opinion.

We'll just agree to disagree on some points.

Ideally you would have a nice steady heat being provided by a nice steady light. The PID will do a good job holding setpoint regardless of wattage of bulb BUT I've watched my cham daily through remote cams for the last 3 months with this unit and can without a doubt tell you he knows when it's on vs when it's not based on the light he sees not the heat he feels. With a high enough wattage bulb the setpoint would be reached and the light would be too dim or even out for a length of time that isn't acceptable while it drops down to a point it's calling for heat again. It's not about the providing any visible light per se other than faking the sun light so that the cham comes under the heat. If the light is off or constantly dim mine doesn't bother. I actually started with a 75w bulb but ended up with a 40w and I'm in IL so it's definitely cold here right now. YMMV and your situation might require a different wattage bulb BUT I'd personally start at the low end of the scale and provide the source that provides me the optimal amount of steady heat at the desired setpoint and at the brightest light possible. You're going to get some fluctuation, just the nature of the animal, but you absolutely can tailor it so it doesn't do it much based on the wattage of the bulb.

So in some ways we're saying the same thing but my opinion is I'd rather the bulb be maintaining as much light as possible while maintaining said temp.

Again, was and is my opinion and I stand by it based on my observations.

 

[Beman]

I’m just using the basking bulb for heat, I moved the probe over to the left, it was against the branch that’s smaller running vertically? Lol directions are hard

See how it works there for you. Note the bamboo branches can splinter and be very slick to hold onto.

 

[Beman]

The point about being at 100% vs lower is Moot with a PID thermostat.

The PID will control close to the setpoint and dim/brighten the bulb.

in reality you want to be at some value (lets say 67% of the max) for optimal control. If you're maxing your bulb then you are not truly in good control of the temp because when it under shoots and needs to correct it will take too long to reach the heat setpoint again.

You should not be relying on basking bulb for any real light output in my opinion.

We'll just agree to disagree on some points.

Ideally you would have a nice steady heat being provided by a nice steady light. The PID will do a good job holding setpoint regardless of wattage of bulb BUT I've watched my cham daily through remote cams for the last 3 months with this unit and can without a doubt tell you he knows when it's on vs when it's not based on the light he sees not the heat he feels. With a high enough wattage bulb the setpoint would be reached and the light would be too dim or even out for a length of time that isn't acceptable while it drops down to a point it's calling for heat again. It's not about the providing any visible light per se other than faking the sun light so that the cham comes under the heat. If the light is off or constantly dim mine doesn't bother. I actually started with a 75w bulb but ended up with a 40w and I'm in IL so it's definitely cold here right now. YMMV and your situation might require a different wattage bulb BUT I'd personally start at the low end of the scale and provide the source that provides me the optimal amount of steady heat at the desired setpoint and at the brightest light possible. You're going to get some fluctuation, just the nature of the animal, but you absolutely can tailor it so it doesn't do it much based on the wattage of the bulb.

So in some ways we're saying the same thing but my opinion is I'd rather the bulb be maintaining as much light as possible while maintaining said temp.

Again, was and is my opinion and I stand by it based on my observations.

I honestly think your wattage is going to depend a lot on your distances. For those of you that have a bulb directly on screen. Using a higher wattage bulb can be dangerous because when the unit kicks on it will run at full power until it starts getting close to the set temp and starts dimming down. Say your running a 75 watt with a 5 inch distance. This can pose a thermal burn risk. Also bulb type matters you take a focused heat bulb for example with a flat bottom. I have seen so many thermal burns due to these bulbs vs a regular round incandescent bulb.

I have used both higher wattage of 100 and lower of 60. Due to my 12 inch distance to basking branch from the bottom of the fixture the 100 watt regular incandescent white round bulb works better for me. It gets warmer faster and I get less dimming down and up than with a 60 watt of the same type.

Also we have not even touched on ambient house conditions impacting these... I keep my house cooler some may keep theirs hotter. Heat rises and that is where most of us have our cages sitting up high in the room.
And then there is cage type. I found that hybrid vs screen made a huge difference in my herpstat and how often it would dim up or down or just maintain a steady light.

I think you find what is safe that works for your set up and go from there. This is another one of those there are multiple right answers that can be applied to the same situation. You both make very valid points. Thank you for sharing this was great thinking about what yall have found helpful for your set ups vs what I do for mine. One of the things I love about this forum.