I have a 4ft tall enclosure with a solid top/ceiling. I want a basking spot about 2ft off the floor directly under the heat source. The heat source must be mounted inside the enclosure and not give off any light because it will be controlled with a herpstat 2. (I dont want a light show)
Previously, I was using a Pro Products 200w heat panel that was mounted to the ceiling. There were some issues when using this as a heat source. I need something a bit more powerful and simple to replace. For example, the mounting hole locations are slightly different with every panel, this make replacement impractical if needed. Therefore, heat panels are no longer an option. I keep the room at 73 degrees which would be my coolest temperature inside the enclosure and I’m looking for a basking spot of 90 degrees. The enclosure is 4ft tall x 8ft wide x 4ft deep.
I’m thinking my best option is to mount a porcelain lamp socket to ceiling and use a 250w ceramic heat emitter. I would also install a wire guard around the entire heat source to prevent contact. (similar to the picture below) This eliminates the issue with replacement since I can simply replace the bulb itself without worrying about mounting holes. My concern is that a 250w CHE won’t penetrate 2ft down and provide a 90 degrees basking spot.
I understand reflector domes help direct light and heat downward. However, is there any reflecor dome that can be used with a 250w CHE? I recently learned about DHP. The most powerfull DHP I see is only 150w and I understand they give off some light. Therefore, I guess DHP’s wouldn’t be an option for me.
Is a 250w CHE my best option? Do you think it will penetrate down 2ft with the hot spot I’m looking for? Should I use a reflector dome to help project heat downwards? If so, which dome can I use with a 250w CHE? I would use a wire gaurd with a dome. (similar to the image below)
Fyi, DHPs don’t give off any light. They project a pretty focused beam of heat downwards, so they’re actually pretty great for creating a basking spot. Main downside is that they don’t provide as much ambient warmth to the rest of the enclosure, like a CHE or RHP would.
I think the CHE would work fine for creating your basking spot. Main downside is that they really dry out the air, so if this is for a species who needs humidity, a CHE will make it more difficult to manage your humidity. You’ll also want to be sure the animal absolutely cannot come into contact with the CHE bulb under any circumstances, because CHEs get extremely hot and I’ve seen some reptiles with nasty burns from touching them.
If the heat source is inside the enclosure, and the heated area is the same temp with any given heat source, how does a CHE “dry out the air” more than some other device? Where does the water in the air that is being dried out go?
I understand DHP’s give off very little light. Weither or not the amount of light would be an issue with a thermostat, I don’t know. I certainly would be willing to try one, if there is a 250 watt version.
If I use a 250 watt CHE, do you think it will penetrate about 2ft down into the enclosure, providing surface temperatures around 90 degrees? Should I use a dome for the CHE when mounted inside the enclosure to help project the heat downwards?
Like I said, I was using a Pro Products 200 watt RHP but it wasn’t powerful enough for the results I wanted. It was close but not quite enough. This is why I’m set on 250 watts for a CHE or DHP. I rather run something around 75% instead of 100% most of the time.
Is there such thing as a 250 watt DHP? If 150 watts is the most powerfull, should I just forget about a DHP for this enclosure?
There are a lot of 250 watt CHE’s on the market. What are the top (3) brands out there? I don’t want to buy every 250 watt CHE out there, that would be too many. However, I would like to buy (3) and test them all out and pick one based on the results. I would just buy Zoomed but unfortunately, they don’t offer a 250 watt CHE.
Until I know exactly which CHE or DHP I will be using, I can’t move forward with the cage guard.
This enclosure will be for an adult coastal carpet python so humidity should not be too much of a concern. Plus, the enclosure will have a misting system and the room has a humidifier.
I was hoping for a reply, since I have a similar question about which heat source is more effective in providing ambient warmth in a basically sealed enclosure.
OP, I’ve not used a DHP, and it has been a while since I’ve used a CHE (I don’t recall them throwing heat too far). But Arcadia does have some data about temp vs distance for their DHP and CHEs that may help you. Arcadia’s marketing claims are sometimes creative, but this may give you a little insight.
I suspect you will have some experimenting ahead of you.
I had done some testing and research with DHP. I found they are more efficient at localized heat production. I was really pleased with the results. I was testing an 80 watt out in a 2’ tall enclosure and it was providing a nice hot spot. I reached out and inquired on the estimated lifespan for these and was told to expect a year+ life span out of them.
That’s a great question that I honestly don’t have an answer for. I’ve just been told that CHEs aren’t great for maintaining humidity, and that seems to have held true in my (admittedly limited) experience. As a result, I only use a CHE for my arid snake and avoid it for my more tropical species.
@leosantare DHPs do not produce any visible light. Whether the 150w would be powerful enough I can’t really say, I only have experience using one in a short (12" tall) enclosure, so I just can’t speak from experience on that.
I am rather surprised that a 200w heat panel wouldn’t give you a warm enough basking spot. I’m currently using an 80w in a 5’x2’x2’ enclosure and actually had to set the thermostat lower than I expected to keep it from getting too toasty on the floor of the warm side. How cold is the room the enclosure is in? Would it be possible to just warm the room up by a few degrees so your RHP can keep up, especially since you said you were getting close to the right temp?
I personally wouldn’t mount a dome inside the enclosure with a CHE. I’ve almost burned myself by brushing against the outside of a CHE dome that sits on top of an enclosure. It gets real hot, I don’t think it would be safe to have that inside the enclosure where the animal could easily come into contact with it.
There are two ways that a heat source can “dry out the air”. One is a ‘drying out’ only technically: since RH is a measurement of the amount of water in the air relative to the carrying capacity of the air at a given temperature, raising the temperature of a volume of air will, everything else being equal, lower the RH (since warm air can hold more water than cooler air). The actual amount of water per amount (molecules) of air remains the same. Further, this effect happens regardless of the heat source (so long as that heat source is only providing heat, of course; a warm air humidifier, or clothes dryer exhaust, or an animal breathing is a heat source that does not only provide heat). Note that some heat sources create a more localized high temp area (a heat lamp vs an RHP), and so the drying effect (both on air RH measurements and on the substrate being warmed by the heat source) might seem to be increased under certain heat sources but that’s only because of the temperature difference.
The other way a heat source can “dry out the air” is by the heat creating a “chimney effect”, which is the upflow of air caused by the fact that warm air rises in relation to cooler air (this is how chimneys work). This can cause more humid air to leave the enclosure and less humid room air to enter the enclosure. This is why screen top cages are so hard to maintain RH in – because the warm, humid air will find its way out through any gap there is (even around the foil or whatever that’s covering the screen, which is at least only rarely completely sealed). RHPs are almost never used in screen top cages, which is one reason why they seem to be good at not drying out the air. RHPs also create a wider hot area given the same BTUs of heat being emitted to the target area; this can cause less of a chimney effect since the temp differential is less. But in an enclosure that avoids the chimney effect (such as a solid top PVC enclosure with vents all at the same height), the warm air loss is minimized.
Yeah, the 200 watt RHP ran at 100% and just barely provided 90 degree surface temps on the basking spot. Thanks for the tip. I’m not sure why I didn’t think of that. Therefore, if I were to use a dome in the enclosure, I would cage off the entire dome. I would need a shallow dome since I dont want the dome extending much past the CHE. I’m not sure if any domes are rated for 250 watts. I’m not even sure if any domes are rated for CHE’s.
I’m going to start experimenting after I get some CHE’s/DHP’s. I want to make sure this is going to work before getting another python. The problem is I don’t have much time since I would be purchasing the python in a few weeks. Therefore, it would be very helpful if someone can answer “yes” or “no” to my questions below. Thank you,
I were to use a 250 watt CHE, do you think it will penetrate about 2ft down into the enclosure, providing surface temperatures around 90 degrees? (Again, I keep the room close to 73 degrees, all year round.)
Should I use a dome for the CHE when mounted inside the enclosure to help project the heat downwards?
Is there such thing as a 250 watt DHP? (I strongly assume a 150 watt DHP is powerful enough.)
There are a lot of 250 watt CHE’s on the market. What are the top (3) brands you recommend?
