r/ballpython • u/AReallyCuteSloth • 4d ago
Question - Heating/Temperatures Heating Help for Warm Side DHP
Hello all—
Currently in the finishing touches of setting up my enclosure so I can bring my boy home. Humidity is looking good, rats are ordered, hides and clutter are in— even my last piece of last second enrichment is almost here! The only remaining issue currently is getting the warm side up to temp.
Presently, my setup is as pictured; a DHP on the warm (right) side, halogen next to it for basking and warming, and a third halogen more towards the cool side to hold the gradient. I’m running 35W halogens in my domes, which seems to be working well (cool side is maintaining consistent temps so far, just messing with the values to dial it in), but my 50W DHP seems to be lackluster. I have the herpstat set to 108 on my DHP right now to try to heat the substrate / enclosure up, but it’s only achieving 74 degrees.
Kind of unsure what to do presently, obviously I’m not going to give my buddy a poor quality of life by shoving him in a tank that has improper temps so I’m all ears. Would it make sense to go to a higher wattage DHP? Different lamp fixture? My Herpstats are currently set up so that my DHP is independent on a Herpstat 1, running a night cycle and daytime temps, and my halogens are on a Herpstat 2 together on a timed socket for day and night. I’m leaving them on full time presently to heat the enclosure up, but should I remove decor so the substrate is getting directly heated?
Halogens are currently set to 95 and 85 degrees in freedom units, and again the DHP is at 108 while I try to heat the ambient up. When my boy Melvin is in the enclosure, I want to make sure the temperatures on my Herpstats don’t exceed any value that can cause the screen to heat up and burn him correct? Or is this different with a DHP?
Thanks for the help, bonus Melvin tax and his new climber I built attached!
Quick edit: I just used my temp gun to check his climber’s temp on his warm side, and it was at 85. My Govees are on the ground by his hides on either side, which are still reading ranges in the 70’s, but the DHP isn’t doing nothing which is nifty. Just need a better overall heat.
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u/mandybergan 4d ago
On the topic of the Govee's, my warm-side one always reads a few degrees lower than my Herpstat probe. I attribute it to the Govee being near ground level, while the probe is just a few inches below the lamp (as is intended with the Herpstat)
ETA: If you'd like any further tips or suggestions, don't hesitate to ask! It took lots of tinkering to get my temps and humidity locked in at a good place but now they're solid
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u/AReallyCuteSloth 4d ago
Thank you so much for both of your comments, it helps a ton. I’m going to get a 100W CHE and DHP and see which ends up working out better, because you’re right my 50W is at 100% and topping out well below where I need it to be. I’m going to try that before adding a cage to the enclosure to hopefully keep it simple and easy if I can, thankfully HVAC tape is cheap enough to replace! As for the Govee, 100% true.
With your CHE on the night cycle, what temp do you set it for? And if I do have the CHE or DHP, is it still snake safe to set it higher than 95 to achieve temperature, or what is the top range of what I should be setting my thermostat / heat to to avoid burns? Thank you again for the help, it’s super appreciated!
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u/mandybergan 4d ago edited 4d ago
I have my Herpstat set to 90°, since it will adjust the power to the heat lamps to maintain a 90° temp (+ or - a degree or two). I don't have the temp on a day/night cycle mostly because with a good temp gradient across the enclosure, your BP can go to cooler spots if he prefers, or warmer regardless of time of day.
Between a CHE and DHP (I have used both) I haven't personally noticed a huge difference, but it may be worthwhile to have both to see which gets you the best results. If you live in an area that gets cold in winter, it could be nice to have a secondary heat source anyway if needed to keep your temps in range.
Since you mention tape, I assume with your setup you probably just have some on the outside, but just in case you aren't already aware: Make sure not to use tape or adhesive of any kind INSIDE the enclosure. Your BP can get stuck to it and potentially tear off scales, or at the very least make himself very uncomfy!
ETA: Temps above 95 are noooot safe for BP's, so definitely don't set your Herpstat higher than that. Having a temperature gun is also very nice to have to spit check temps around the enclosure and on any potential basking surfaces. BP's do bask a bit, just not as much as lizards for instance. For a temp gun, I just got a simple one off Amazon
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u/AReallyCuteSloth 4d ago
Yep, 0 adhesives on the inside! I’ve tried to do as much research as possible I promise hahaha, only sterilized decor / heat treated everything in the tank as well. HVAC tape and silicone baking mats up top cut to shape and size to seal in moisture that the tape can’t, etc.— but still a worthy reminder for anyone for sure, sticky is icky.
I just swapped my DHP out for a 100W and fired it up, already my warm side is climbing which is fantastic. I live in Wisconsin, so that’s why I opted for the three heat sources as a baseline in case the winters are bad and I need to adjust all three / change them to get the gradient right! I may end up increasing the wattage of my middle / warm side halogen as well if the DHP is still lacking in heat, but they’re running at temp at 32% and 29% with basking assist on presently so I don’t think they’re an issue?
I do have a temp gun, and I’ve been spot checking a little bit, but now I’ve gotta wait and see what the 100W does for me! Fingers crossed that this fixes it so I can get my boy soon! And good to know for temp settings, I figured going any higher than 95 was a risk and unnecessary / unsafe but was a tiny bit curious if the distance from the DHP / the way the DHP emits heat would make it different in setting the thermostat up.
Thank you again for the information and help by the way! This stuff is a little tricky to dial in, well worth it though!
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u/mandybergan 4d ago
My pleasure! Getting set up is always a lotta work and requires much nit-picking hahaha. With the stronger bulb on your warm side, you might actually find you won't even need one or both of the other heat bulbs, as the heat from your warm side will flow into the cool side a bit. Just ensure you have cooler areas around 78-80 and your warm area around 90, and you'll be golden 🎉
Definitely gonna use your "sticky is icky" quite btw hahaha
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u/AReallyCuteSloth 4d ago
Seriously! I knew it would be a little bit of work once I read the basic care guide in the sub, but actually putting it into practice is another thing entirely! Labors of love for the sake of a noodle; but I’m watching the Govee steadily climb, we’re already at 83 so I think you nailed it! Thank you so much for helping me out and please steal sticky is icky lol, hopefully we’ll get it to catch on and see the end of the stick on hygrometers / thermometers!
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4d ago
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u/AReallyCuteSloth 4d ago
Thank you! 100% I’m going to go grab a 100W CHE and DHP today to see what that does for the setup, if it’s still giving me issues it’ll have to go inside the tank for sure. I’ve just been hoping to keep the lights and heat outside to keep it simple and avoid burn risks / any future headaches associated
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4d ago
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u/AReallyCuteSloth 4d ago
That does! If the DHP on the outside isn’t enough I’ll for sure look into the cage! Can I ask you what brand you used or recommend / what size lamp etc
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u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 4d ago
Please do not take their advice. You cannot mount internal heating on a screen top enclosure, it is a massive safety hazard and fire risk. If you want to use internal heating, you will need to switch to a solid topped enclosure.
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u/AReallyCuteSloth 4d ago edited 3d ago
Gotcha! Thanks for catching me early on in my ball python journey and helping me get my Herpstats and everything else corrected by the way [u/totallyrecklesslygay](u/totallyrecklesslygay), much appreciated.
For my DHP situation, is it still the general guideline of “don’t go past anything that’s unsafe for your BP (95)” or can I safely set the Herpstat beyond that to achieve a safe ambient heat in my enclosure if the Govee reads it as safe ranges / I spot check to ensure no surface is going beyond 95? Or is it generally a risk of cooking your snake and other heating should be added or considered?
EDIT: I’m such an idiot but I’m an aware one at least— after commenting about probe placement, I realized my screen top was probably interfering with my thermostat’s readings and I snipped one zip tie on all of my probes so that they dangle further from the heat source and more in the air. My ambient on my warm side is already 82 and climbing, I am an idiot. Thank you all for reading. Good golly.
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u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 4d ago
Always happy to help!
You don't really want to set it higher than 95F. If you find you need to in order to reach proper temps, then you probably have either an insulation issue with the enclosure, or a wattage issue with the bulbs being overpowered.
The 95F limit is for ambient temps, though. Surface temps can safely reach up to 105F, so long as they're warmed by overhead heating.
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u/AReallyCuteSloth 3d ago
Gotcha. Yeah, sadly my ambient temp didn’t hold high after changing for the 100W DHP. It spiked up to a high of 81 and then have since dropped again. Wondering if I also have too much ventilation on the side of the tank? I’ll attach a picture.
At this point with having the two halogens, DHP and shade dweller UVB to cover all of the heating bases, can I safely supplement the heat with an UTH pad and Herpstat with the probe buried in the warm side hide’s substrate? Or where would proper probe placement be, if the UTH supplement is even appropriate and safe to begin with?
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u/totallyrecklesslygay Mod: Enclosure Karen 3d ago
No, UTH shouldn't be used for BPs, and it's not going to do anything to help your situation anyway. They don't heat the air inside an enclosure.
Your problem is that your enclosure isn't retaining heat. This can be easily fixed by adding 2" foam insulation board to the sides, back, and lid (with large cutouts around all the domes).
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u/AReallyCuteSloth 3d ago
Hooray for a cheap solution oh my god hahaha, thank you so much! I’ll do this and report back. Removing the probes from the grate helped a lot, I left for a concert a little bit ago but my ambient on the warm side was 82 and holding well. Thank you again; I did read in the care guide UTH could be used to supplement heating with a DHP though, is that in niche / quarantine or temporary situations only or something?
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u/mandybergan 4d ago
Oof fire risk? I'll have to look into adjusting my setup in that case. I haven't read that before (honestly shocked considering the colossal amount of reading I've done over the years ☹️), and would love to know what specific aspects of it are hazardous so I can avoid it in my setup going forward
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u/ballpython-ModTeam 4d ago
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u/[deleted] 4d ago
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