When you check temps are you checking them each day when they change or do they change by the minute? Also are you holding them the same distance away from the heat source and without anything in the way? You could also try measuring your temperature and then seeing how far away you need to hold it until it is accurate, and then hold it that same distance away from the heat. I have an infrared pocket thermometer that if held even under an inch away from a person reads about 80*. I think mine is just faulty since it always reads too low.
Personally I would trust this one more because it’s used for electrical temps
Are you checking underneath your substrate for the temperature without letting too much time for a major draft to be created because the heat displacement of the outside and the inside of the enclosure
Easy solution, Calibrate the thermometers. Like they have to do monthly in catering with food temperature probes to ensure accuracy.
To calibrate - have crushed ice and boiling water.
The crushed ice should be 0 degrees centigrade and the boiling water 100 degrees centigrade.
Let the ice melt a little so you have some ice water.
Centigrade is obviously easier with the numbers being so simple.
But convert to fahrenheit if you prefer.
Also a laser pointer helps ensure your pointing at the exact spot you want to record.
This way you know which one is accurate. even if neither are you will at least know how many degrees they are out by.
I’ve been checking them every like 30 minutes to an hour sometimes and they can be completely different from the last time.
Sometimes this one will read in the low 80s and then the next time read 95. The other one will do the same though. So they both are super all over the place.
I want to man I never thought of doing that, but now that you mention it I wanna go check
What type of heating element do you use (heat pad and what brand) and what is your thermostats brand, and if available what is your setting (Proportional or on/off)
Does an ice pack work too?
I was just wondering because when I had a zoomed for my boa, even with my nice thermostat (was in the process of building his condo), I had issues maintaining proper temps
@lumpy that’s very accurate. Digital thermometers are not perfect.
@jdrum6 - Ice pack?, you can try but not really, its insulated and sometimes reflective material. But the boiling water alone should give you an idea if you have no ice.
@lumpy I have a rack ordered from AP but they take so damn long so I’ll have heat tape then. I’m planning on getting more BPs at the end of may. What else would work better than the zoomed?
I mean I used reptile basics 21 inch stuff On my boa AP enclosure
But for racks people usually use 6 or 4 inch I believe
Okay so I checked the boiling water aand they both fluctuated between 205-215 F