Problems with temperature

[masters02]

Hello All,

I am having some problems getting an accurate reading for my basking spot. I originally bought a digital Exo Terra temp gauge, but today i also bought a more expensive humidity/temp meter (http://www.tester.co.uk/tsth1-tempe...th-dew-point?gclid=CNfpyqqo6rwCFU_KtAodSRMAdQ)

I have placed both sensors (seen in the first pic) 8 inches from the basking light (100W), and they are reading 15F difference, obviously this is a bit concerning as i have no idea what my basking temps really are. I don't want to burn/freeze the little thing!

The bulb manufacturer state that this bulb should produce 93F at 8inches. So i believe the Exo Terra may be REALLY out…

Is anyone able to shed any light or opinions please? I do have a 65W bulb on standby should the 100W be too much.

Thanks in advance
Steve

 

[masters02]

Sorry i forgot to add that this 15F difference is present at all placements in the enclosure

 

[BigBoyLuLz]

Sounds like not all thermometers are created equal... Either the newest one is over sensitive or buggy or the exo terra is the culprit. You might want to try to get a cheaper third thermometer as a tie breaker. Whatever temperature is closest on your digital compared to the cheap one I would stick with that digital.

 

[symphonica]

The old school, glass thermometers for aquariums with the red liquid inside is always fairly accurate. It may be worth using that as a standard, to see which one of your thermometers is more accurate.

It's funny, all these gadgets that are supposed to be technologically advanced to make our lives easier mean more room for error and we ultimately end up having to go back to old-school methods, which are usually more accurate and reliable.

 

[broderp]

Just my two cents worth (thats all my noob knowledge is really worth lol )

But i would be more concerned with the temp at your chams basking spot, not a specific 8" away from the bulb. Unless of course you are attempting to match the rated bulb spec to where his basking spot is.

There are easier ways (less headaches) to do this, such as a lamp dimmer. I just place the 72W bulb I use (I also don't use reptile specific bulbs for heat as they are overly expensive compared to the run of the mill incadecent lamp) where it needs to be, run it through a dimmer circuit (available at lowes or home depot for about $7) and allow the tempt to settle for several minutes. Take a reading and adjust the dimmer down a little and repeat as nessisary until my thermometer reads between 88 to 93F.

Try a old school thermometer as mentioned above as a tie breaker.

 

[masters02]

The temp at his basking spot is anywhere between 95F and 82F depending on which temp gague i am using. I will get a analog 3rd thermometer as a tie breaker.

I have a 100W basking light right now, but also have a 75W and a 25W i can switch too. What is usually recommended for use with a Reptibreeze? The basking spot is currently 8-10" from the light.

 

[deerharvester]

Get a temp gun and you'll never have to worry about temps again. You can get a good one for around 30. It's well worth it. You can get temps from anywhere in the cage instantly.

Scott

 

[xcrystalx]

The temp at his basking spot is anywhere between 95F and 82F depending on which temp gague i am using. I will get a analog 3rd thermometer as a tie breaker.

I have a 100W basking light right now, but also have a 75W and a 25W i can switch too. What is usually recommended for use with a Reptibreeze? The basking spot is currently 8-10" from the light.

hi there
sorry your having problems with your temp.it can be really frustrating.
theres no recommend wattage as it depends on many factors.a wattage may be perfect for 1 person but may not for another.
i use a 40watt and get a perfect temp of 29c min-32c max but its connected to a dimming thermostat.
also the way you set it up makes a big difference also.i.e adjusting the height of the basking branch/basking light.

+1 on the temp gun.im getting one myself.

i also agree with using a dimmer stat.that will make sure that the basking temp will not go any higher than what you set the thermostat at.i couldnt be without mine.it must be a dimming stat tho.i use a habistat dimming 600w thermostat.xx

 

[masters02]

I think the handheld digital is giving a false high reading. The grey/black casing surrounding the sensor is absorbing a lot of heat and that is skewing the results.

Ive bought a different brand probe, and also a temp gun as im super paranoid about getting the temp correct.

If i use the temp gun on the chameleon itself, what should the body temperature be when basking?