BlackBox Cages Thermostat Probe Placement
A thermostat MUST be used in any cage/enclosure.
Before we start, we need to make sure each enclosure is on their own thermostat. Make sure the power plug is secure going into the heat panel. The power for the heat panel should plug directly into the thermostat and the thermostat into the wall.
Wherever the probe is placed will define how well the thermostat can control the temperature inside the enclosure. The probe placement should be where you want your hotspot. A heat panel is not used for high heat animals such as lizards. You will want to use a heat panel for animals that only require a hot spot of 90 degrees Fahrenheit or lower.
The probe should not be obstructed by anything such as substrate, decorations or hides.
Ensure that the probe is somewhere directly under the heat panel with an unobstructed view of the panel, in a likely location for the basking/hot spot for your animal. We usually recommend you tie the cord around a stick or wedge it between some slate or similar to prevent it from being moved by your animals.
If you have a shelf, the best placement for your hotspot will be on top of the shelf, your animal will self regulate and find the hot spot.
To get accurate temperature readings, you will need to use a heat gun. When you are doing the readings with the heat gun, do not take the temp through the acrylic windows. Open the windows and then take the temp.
Keep in mind, if you have a XA3 BIO enclosure with a 40 Watt RHP, and you want the hotspot to be on the substrate, you will need to build up your substrate in order to achieve that hotspot.
TROUBLESHOOTING
RHP is not getting hot
Make sure the plug is secure going into the heat panel itself, sometimes the animals like to pull them out. The newer heat panels have a plastic clip to eliminate this issue. We also designed a cord saver device if this becomes problematic.
Test the RHP by plugging it directly into the wall outlet, do not leave it plugged in without a thermostat. This is for testing purposes only. If it gets hot plugged into the wall, it is not your heat panel. If you are running a Herpstat 4, make sure the output you have the panel plugged into is set up for heat dimming or heat pulse in the set up menu. Also make sure your temperature probe is plugged in firmly and the probe end is situated under the panel.
The VE RHP will only raise the enclosure 20 degrees over ambient room temp. So if you keep your house at 65, your heat panel will only get up to 85. You might need to order a propanel heat panel.
If you still have issues, please do the following and send all the information below to orders@blackboccages.com
- Take a picture of your whole setup so we can see everything in the enclosure
- What is the ambient room temperature that your enclosure located in?
- Take a temp reading of the RHP surface with a heat gun and note it
- Open the window/door of the enclosure, with a heat gun, take a temp directly where your probe is located and note it
- Unplug the RHP from the thermostat and plug it directly into the wall (This is for testing purposes only, do not leave it like this) then take another reading and note it
- Don’t forget to plug the RHP back into the thermostat!!