# Have some questions on Deep Heat Projector probe placement...



## benson1990 (Apr 11, 2019)

Hey.

So I plan on using the DHP for my corn snake but have an issue with probe placement, currently I run a ceramic heater. In this case I have the probe dangling down through a vent in the vivarium hanging freely just above the substrate, in line with the heater, it's not directly under the heat source, or stuck on the basking spot.

My reasoning for having it this way is because the snake can't lay on the probe, my worry is if this happened it would drive the heater up to potentially unsafe levels. From my reading on setting up the DHP it works by having the probe directly under or just outside the main heat zone but doing it in this way I would worry about the snake sitting on the probe driving it up.

Would the product work the way I have the probe set for the Ceramic heater?or how would people generally set a DHP up for a snake.

Thanks.


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## MikeNative (Sep 23, 2015)

Have mine set up like you describe. Probe on side of viv so snake cannot sit on it. Make sure you have something like a slate tile below the DHP as it will absorb the infrared and radiate back out as ambient.

You will have to adjust the thermostat settings compared to using a CHE. Mine is set to near the lower end of the required ambient temperature. Helps if you have a temperature gun or thermometer so you can check temperatures in various parts of your enclosure.

Once you have it working correctly it is a really good way to heat your enclosure. You will get a much larger temperature gradient than using ceramics.


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

Remember to use your non-contact thermometer to check the actual energy available at the basking spot. If the probe is away from the basking area you will be measuring heated air around the lamp and not the energy available for basking which could be much higher.


I map out the basking area and the gradient around that area. I also measure the animal body while basking which will usually be warmer than the temp you measure if the air.


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## benson1990 (Apr 11, 2019)

Thanks for the replies.

Well it wouldn't be too far away from the basking area, it's just it wouldn't be directly underneath it, heres a picture might explain it better:










you can see in the picture the basking area I have for the moment is the top of the hide i try keep it between 30 32 degrees, the thermostat probe is hanging in the back. This is the way I was planning on setting up the dhp.

I have a couple of slate tiles that will be positioned under it as a basking area:


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

Yes, its better to use lumps of slate if you can rather than tiles. This is a heat store, the thicker it is, the more it will store and re-admit.


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## benson1990 (Apr 11, 2019)

Arcadiajohn said:


> Yes, its better to use lumps of slate if you can rather than tiles. This is a heat store, the thicker it is, the more it will store and re-admit.


Does it have to be slate? I have this other form of stone called liscannor stone.










This is thicker and much heavier than the slate tiles I was planning on using.

Slate very hard to come by where I am.


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## MikeNative (Sep 23, 2015)

Specific type of stone isn’t important. 

What matters is that it can absorb the infrared energy and has enough mass to store and gradually radiate that energy.

Dark colours generally absorb more photons than light ones and matt surfaces absorb more than polished.

Think of a white tile in the sun, it generally won’t get that hot. Then think of something like tarmac. It can get blisteringly hot.


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