# Infrared thermometer



## chloere93 (Dec 23, 2016)

Okay so after setting up my new microclimate evo digital thermostat I decided to measure the vivariums temperature with a digital infrared thermometer to tweak the stat as the probe is halfway between the substrate and the ceramic. The stat was reading at 28.8c but the thermometer is saying 35c. I'm pointing the therm at the aspen right under the lamp- but I've put my hand on it and I wouldn't call it 35c.. if I point the therm at the wall behind it reads lower.. I just don't see how the therm reading can be that much higher than the stat? A lot of people had raved about these infrared thermometers but I'm not entirely convinced now? Anything I might be doing wrong?


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## Tarron (May 30, 2010)

chloere93 said:


> Okay so after setting up my new microclimate evo digital thermostat I decided to measure the vivariums temperature with a digital infrared thermometer to tweak the stat as the probe is halfway between the substrate and the ceramic. The stat was reading at 28.8c but the thermometer is saying 35c. I'm pointing the therm at the aspen right under the lamp- but I've put my hand on it and I wouldn't call it 35c.. if I point the therm at the wall behind it reads lower.. I just don't see how the therm reading can be that much higher than the stat? A lot of people had raved about these infrared thermometers but I'm not entirely convinced now? Anything I might be doing wrong?


The Thermostat probe is reading the ambient temp at the point the probe is placed. You are checking the surface temperature under the bulb which will generally be higher. What you need to do is adjust the stat so that it reads what the ambient temp at that point should be, to achieve the correct basking temperature.

As an example, if you are after 28C at the basking point, but get 35C when the probe reads 28C. Reduce the probe to 21C to achieve the 28C at the basking point.

(Realistically, I don't think it will be required to lower it that much but it explains my point)


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## chloere93 (Dec 23, 2016)

Tarron said:


> The Thermostat probe is reading the ambient temp at the point the probe is placed. You are checking the surface temperature under the bulb which will generally be higher. What you need to do is adjust the stat so that it reads what the ambient temp at that point should be, to achieve the correct basking temperature.
> 
> As an example, if you are after 28C at the basking point, but get 35C when the probe reads 28C. Reduce the probe to 21C to achieve the 28C at the basking point.
> 
> (Realistically, I don't think it will be required to lower it that much but it explains my point)


It's just odd because I would have thought that as the probe is closer to the ceramic, this would read hotter before the surface below it- and as I say, I've placed my hand in there and I wouldn't call that 35c (then again I don't know what 35c feels like when concentrated to a small space, I'm trying to imagine a very hot summers day which doesn't occur here often :lol

It's for a corn snake so realistically I want a gradient with the hottest end being 30, but only the spot directly beneath the lamp is getting to (and above) this temperature, the rest around it is nowhere near that temperature, normally around 10c less which is a massive difference :| 

I'm just worried because I obviously don't want my corn to be too hot or too cold so I'm trying to set the temperatures perfect before he gets here. The only other option I can think of is to get yet another thermometer, a manual one, and place that in the cage- which really seems to defeat the point of having all these fancy gadgets in the first place :banghead:


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## reptiles-ink (Nov 4, 2006)

An infrared thermometer is in general only accurate to a couple of degrees due to the way they work.
Also different surface types give different readings due to the different emmisitivity properties.
They are great for spotting problems but to accurately set things up you need a probe type thermometer.


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