Insulating and warmth

[me n my hermikids]

Can someone please explain safe insulation to me? I have a 10 gallon "nursery" with 4 lil tikes and a 40 gallon (i think) bow front "playground" with 3 rambunctious big kids. The nursery has a UTH on the side that covers the non-substrate area pretty much, and the playground has two big UTH's, one on each side. Both tanks are pushed back against the wall to help insulate the back. The playground has a glass lid and the nursery has a mesh lid which i have wrapped in towel and foil on the outside to seal/insulate. I have additional bath towels on top both tanks which i drape down the fronts at night. Unfortunately neither tank stays warm enough, and i have to warm each one twice per day with a lamp to get back to 80°F. (All my babies are PP's).

What else (safe) can i do to keep the heat up consistently?

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[mlakers]

I was having continuous temp issues until I bought some foam EPS insulation from Home Depot (about $7 for six sheets 48" x 14 1/2" at 3/4" thick). I wrapped them in thermal duct tape and covered the back and sides of the tat. It's made all the difference. I have an Ultratherm UTH (better than the ZooMed ones and they can be moved around because they don't stick on) and I haven't needed to turn on the supplemental heat lamp since I insulated.

[me n my hermikids]

I was having continuous temp issues until I bought some foam EPS insulation from Home Depot (about $7 for six sheets 48" x 14 1/2" at 3/4" thick). I wrapped them in thermal duct tape and covered the back and sides of the tat. It's made all the difference. I have an Ultratherm UTH (better than the ZooMed ones and they can be moved around because they don't stick on) and I haven't needed to turn on the supplemental heat lamp since I insulated.

Cool. Do you put it right over the heater?

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[me n my hermikids]

I am so happy. I had a matress pad, the quilted kind, that doesnt fit my bed so I cut it up and folded it over cardboard to make the exact size of the back of the tank. I put it between the tank and the wall and pushed the tank back against it. Now my temp is very slowly rising WITHOUT having to use the lamp. Its at 80.9°F now. Gonna watch it till it levels out so it doesnt get too hot.

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[me n my hermikids]

Went to 81.1 overnight. Still rising VERY slowly.

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[fantasybookworm]

I would be cautious with that. Personally having fabric against the heater would make me far more nervous than other things. What I've seen recommended & use is aluminum foil over the heater, then styrofoam or foam poster board over that.

Also you should double check your heater instructions - some UTHs cannot be safely insulated, which would make the mattress pad even more risky. Most people that insulate their UTHs are using Ultratherms, which are fine to insulate.

(Sorry! I know it's really difficult to figure out heating, I just don't want this to be a potential fire hazard.)

[me n my hermikids]

Actually the fabric is on the back and the heat pads are on the sides. Reference original post

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[LadyMorrgian]

What kind of UTH do you use? I may be able to offer some more ideas.


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[me n my hermikids]

i have one of these on each side

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[LadyMorrgian]

Ahh. As far as I know, you can't insulate those at all.

One thing I did was cut a long skinny piece of foil and wrapped it around the tank, up to the line of substrate. I can easily move it, to check on the sub to see if flooded ect. But it helps trap heat in the sub, since I did so, my tank gained about 2 degrees of stability.


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[me n my hermikids]

Ahh. As far as I know, you can't insulate those at all.

One thing I did was cut a long skinny piece of foil and wrapped it around the tank, up to the line of substrate. I can easily move it, to check on the sub to see if flooded ect. But it helps trap heat in the sub, since I did so, my tank gained about 2 degrees of stability.


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Good idea, thanks!

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[Laurie LeAnn]

I have one on those and a different type / brand? I have Styrofoam insulation board on the back side of my tank and it covers all 3 heat mats. The board isn't taped down tight against it. Been this way for 3-4 years??

[LadyMorrgian]

The problem with the....for lack of a better term....squishy...kind of like padded rubber....UTH's is that they can overheat, melt, even catch fire or crack your tank if they are insulated. This is what was explained to me by an electrician friend of mine e anyhow. Now I may be wrong, maybe another long time crabber will have some further information for you.

I personally only use UltraTherms because they work, I know for sure I am safe to insulate them, and honestly, wayyyy cheaper. I literally get the biggest they had for my 55 and not only does it fit perfectly but it keeps my temps right where I want them with little effort.


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[wodesorel]

The problem with the....for lack of a better term....squishy...kind of like padded rubber....UTH's is that they can overheat, melt, even catch fire or crack your tank if they are insulated. This is what was explained to me by an electrician friend of mine e anyhow. Now I may be wrong, maybe another long time crabber will have some further information for you.

This exactly. Mine run 130 degrees (measured on the surface) not insulated, and I don't believe they actually use high temp plastic to put it together.

[me n my hermikids]

How many UTH's on one plug? I already have two big UTH's on my tank, and i was thinking of also adding th little one that i had from my 10 gal. There are no plugs near the tat, so i had to run an extension cord over. Is that too much load on the cord?

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