[Temperature] Pro Products RHP Questions

[Elizabeth94]

Pro Products recommended a 65watt panel based on me telling him it would be my ONLY heat source, and the cage will be in a 60degree room in the winter with no space heaters. I know he is the professional, but I was very weary of his advice and went with the 75watt panel since it was the same size and price

I plugged the panel in the wall since I was curious how it felt as I never had one. I had it plugged in for about an hour to see how hot it would get however it is much different than the bulbs I have used in the past, and hardly feels like it is radiating heat. I am hoping that the plastic caging is good at holding the heat in to reach a 90 degree hot spot. (It will be controlled by a herpstat).

I am worried it won't even reach 80 degrees in the cage. But, maybe I am just underestimating the power of the panel and the efficiency of a plastic cage..

My two questions:

1) Are RHP's more efficient than bulbs? Exp. would my 75watt panel would be able to heat just as well as a 100watt bulb? In my old set ups, I needed a 100watt bulb and a heat pad for ball pythons, but I was 10yrs old at the time and my parents got me glass tanks before I made the witch to plastic bins
2) Has anyone ordered a RHP from Pro Products and it not be enough for your needs?

I rather not have to control two different heat sources for my one boa. However, if the panel can create a good ambient temp in the cage I will order a Kane heat pad for the hot spot...

[sharudd30]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

I'm running a 40 watt panel and am ultratherm heat pad in a70 degree room to keep my hot spot and ambients up to par. My panel is a reptile basics panel.

[bcr_229]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

How large is the enclosure?

[Elizabeth94]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

[MENTION=19219]bcr_229[/MENTION],

The enclosure is 4'X2'X1'. The animal plastics T8. I have no experience with plastic caging so far so I don't know how great they supposedly are at holding heat. However, the heat panel came in a week ago and my cage is still at the factory. If I need to replace this heat panel I would think it would have to be done soon. I guess I won't know for sure until the cage is in.

Does anyone have this size enclosure in a cold room?

[DaChief]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

Well, I have a pro products PH 3 RHP that is in a AP T8 that I have my EDB in. The cage is located in my garage, and it maintains a hot spot of 89 degrees rt now in the winter. What makes the RHP great is they are installed inside the enclosure and does not harm the animal when they touch it. Your 75w panel will do fine. The PH3 is 65w and is working great for me. The only panels I use is ProProducts, and I am more than satisfied.

[Kung Fu Joe]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

I have the same winter temps, a 5x2x1 and a 110 watt pro products RHP... According to my herpstat I almost never run at full power. You should be fine. I did insulate my cage though.

[chiflyer]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

hardly feels like it is radiating heat

This seems strange...did you check what temp the heat panel lens was with a thermometer? I don't have any pro products heat panels, but all of my heat panels are hot to the touch and about 150 degrees right at the source.

[AmorphTheus]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

I use Pro-Products RHPs fitted to AP T20S, T25s, and Pro-Line 48x30x18" with winter temps of low 70's in the snake room. They are awesome - they do an exceptional job of heating the larger enclosures without becoming hot to the touch. The one RBI panel I have in an arboreal cage... you don't want to touch that.

[Elizabeth94]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

Thank you everyone for all of your responses. The cage should be here by this weekend or early next week according to them (why is the wait so hard even when you tell yourself it will be a while?)

I did insulate my cage though.

I was thinking I may need to do this. I was going to make an outter shell out of wood for the cage that is about three inches longer on each end and fill the space with insulation of some sorts.

@Dacheif You are in Virginia and I assume it gets cold there in the winter, especially if the cages are in a garage. This makes me think I am severely underestimating this product. I remember reading somewhere that recommended a heat panel of atlas 100watts, so when I was told to get a 65watt panel I was worried.

I also read in several forums that radiant heat panels do not warm the ambient temperatures, instead it warms the substrate and decorations, which radiate heat into the air. Now of course this made me a bit worried because the sole purpose I went with radiant heat was because I knew my air temps would be way too low. Ill see how it goes when I get the cage. If it doesn't work out ill have to call Pro Products and see if they will replace it with a larger wattage.

[bcr_229]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

@bcr_229 ,

The enclosure is 4'X2'X1'. The animal plastics T8.

Ok I'm running the 40 watt RBI radiant heat panels in Boamaster melamine 48"x30"x18" enclosures. The heaters came with the enclosures as I purchased them used, if it were my choice I would have gotten the 80 watt panels.

That said, my herp room runs at 74-75*F (I can't go much higher as I also keep Brazilian Rainbow boas) and the cool/ambient temp in my Boamasters is 78*F. I do provide belly heat as well. You'll be heating less volume in your enclosure, but by the same token the PVC doesn't insulate as well as the melamine, and your room temp is much cooler.

In your shoes I would go ahead and get the larger heat panel(s) along with a good t-stat to regulate them. The t-stat can always keep them dialed back if needed, but if the heater is too small there's no option but to spend more money on an upgrade later. Buy once, cry once...

[Elizabeth94]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

@bccr_229 that what I was worried about. However, iv been thinking..

Has belly heat actually been proven to aid the animal in digestion?

If the panel was not enough by itself, maybe a heat pad for a hotspot has more benefits than just keeping the cage warm.

[DaChief]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

@Dacheif You are in Virginia and I assume it gets cold there in the winter, especially if the cages are in a garage. This makes me think I am severely underestimating this product. I remember reading somewhere that recommended a heat panel of atlas 100watts, so when I was told to get a 65watt panel I was worried.

Yes, I am in Virginia. My garage is attached and insulated with the exception of the garage door. I do get a draft in the garage. I have never recorded the temp within the garage but I know its cooler than the house, I keep my home thermo set at 72 degrees. The guys at ProProducts have not failed me yet and have been right on for each of my cages. I did have flex watt at the bottom of the enclosure but stopped using it when I got the RHP. I recently ordered a T65 (96x30x18) from AP and they suggested a PH3 with a PH120. I think you will be fine with the 75w.

[bcr_229]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

My understanding is they need heat to digest, belly heat is just the most efficient way of supplying it.

Also, I've noticed that if I put a hide under the RHP, the top of the hide gets toasty but underneath will only be slightly warmer than ambient in the enclosure. Since my boas are pretty young and use their hides, and my other snakes consist of ball pythons and a few colubrids, I give them all belly heat with a hide to keep them toasty.

[Greenwood]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

Call Bob at Pro Products and ask him. I run a PH3 in my Pro-Line 48x23x14 as the sole heat source in a 75F room and it works great. Been running it for about 2 years now for my BCI girl who has gone from an 18" baby to a 6ft kind of overweight girl. Are you plugging it straight into a wall socket? Try a different socket.

Also snakes don't need belly heat as long as the ambient is warm enough. I mean how often do you think a python or boa in the wild who just ate a huge meal is going to sit out in the open on a warm rock completely vulnerable since they are REALLY full. Most of the time, they find a nice place to hide and digest. Ball pythons even more so as they are nocturnal and live in rodent holes, termite mounds and underground and really only come out after dark so their best chance for belly heat is an asphalt road or maybe a cooling down rock. Belly heat is more of a convenience and/or used instead of a RHP for say a snake room where the ambient temps are kept about 80F with an oil heater or some other room heater. An RHP alone is plenty to keep them happy. If you want to add belly heat, just throw a flat rock down under the RHP or close to under it and it will soak up the heat.

Bottom line a PH3 65watt RHP should work fine in a 1ft high cage but if you are worried, get the 75watt or higher. Just remember to use a T-stat and to only get an RHP that covers 1/3 to 1/2 the enclosure max as you do want to have a temp gradient and need a cool side.

[Elizabeth94]

Re: Pro Products RHP Questions

[MENTION=18069]Greenwood[/MENTION],

The RHP will be plugged into a Herpstat 2 to control temps. Pro Products advised me to get the 65watt but my gut feeling was that it wasn't going to be enough, so I ordered the 75watt. I will be getting the cage Wednesday but I still have to order a Herpstat and temp gun. However, I think I will plug it in the wall while I am home and put a little temp gauge underneath it to make sure it reaches 90. This way I can return it if I need to before my time runs out.