Reptile & Amphibian Forums

i heard some people build their own rhp's using heat tape and some kind of insulation, has anyone done this before? Also it seems like boaphile makes their own in a similar fashion. Anyone know how to build a rhp?

Quite a while ago I posted some information about how Reflectix and/or foil-covered polyiso insulation board could be used to reflect heat from a radiant source back into a cage.

But I think the story got a bit out of hand. I never built a RHP that I used in a reptile enclosure on a long-term basis as I had no idea of the saftey. I only experimented with the basic principles or radiant heat, radiant barrriers, air space, thermal mass, etc. I never really checked to see how efficient they were.

I have no doubt that I could build a functional RHP. But I don't know how efficient or safe it would be. I'll put it to you this way - if I ever need a RHP I'll be calling Pro Products rather than trying to build my own.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

Chris, you got me all excited and then... man what a let down... LOL< do you know the web site for Pro Porducts?

Pro-Products

http://www.pro-products.com/
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
2.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
0.0.10 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.2 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child -coming soon-

Well you're welcome to play around with making a RHP. Just get some flexwatt and some reflectix and start from there.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

Yes, I made three smaller sizes - a 4x8, a 6x8 and an 8x16 intended for gentle heating in small tanks. Even though they didn't work quite as well as I hoped, I promise to post a picture soon (we have been doing some home improvements and my house is in some disarray with the PC on a cement floor.)

Anyway, they look great, are sealed against moisture but didn't put out enough heat to be RHP effective, so I use them as heat pads now lol, since they have flat surfaces on both sides. They are great heat pads because they go inside the cages either on the floor or else mounted on the back wall, and they are completely washable.

The idea is what everyone else said - a heat source, an insulator that won't burn, and a cover material that won't melt if your heat source is full on. My problem is that the heat source I used is not powerful enough and the material I used for the casing (PVC) can't handle a more powerful heat source anyway.

BTW, a Kane heat mat makes a fairly good RHP when mounted on the ceiling in a low-height cage. You can get all different sizes.

Fun stuff. I agree with the others. Buy one if you want a proven design that is effective.

I think part of the problem is wattage per square foot. The smallest panels from Helix and Pro-Products are about 40-45 watts per square foot. I don't recall my "experiments" but I was nowhere near that.

What is standard Flexwatt? 20 watts per square foot?

Isn't there such a thing as higher wattage flexwatt? Is it just wider or is it more watts per linear foot at the same width?

The smallest Kane Heat Met is 18x18 and 40 watts, or about 18 watts per square foot. Still nowhere near a RHP.

So, I think the logical step for a homemade RHP is to try and match the wattage per square foot.

I think I looked at some of the various heat rope products and calculated how many feet would need to be wrapped inside of a RHP to match the wattage. If I remember correctly the rope was going to have to be routed a bit too close to itself to match the wattage, but I can't say for sure.

And has been discussed before, there are issues with using the length of heat cable, wattage per foot, etc.

Regardless, all of this points to the same conclusion for me - stick with the commericial products.
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Current snakes:

0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)

1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)

2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)

1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)

>>I think part of the problem is wattage per square foot. The smallest panels from Helix and Pro-Products are about 40-45 watts per square foot. I don't recall my "experiments" but I was nowhere near that.
>>

Yep, that is the problem. I did find a source for flat, silicon heaters with adhesive backing that come in all sizes that are 2.5Watts/sq inch. I bought a few, and with no dimming or control they get plenty hot. I adhered one to a piece of aluminum, and it did heat the air in a tank, but not directing it down like an RHP. I was afraid to encase it in PVC because of the heat. I should use fiberglass, but too much work for me.

See www.omega.com/ppt/pptsc.asp?ref=SRFR_SRFG&Nav=heam01 to see what I'm talking about.

>>The smallest Kane Heat Met is 18x18 and 40 watts, or about 18 watts per square foot. Still nowhere near a RHP.
>>

Very true. I guess because of the insulation in the Kanes, the heat is directed down (when mounted on the ceiling) better than I would have guessed, but nowhere near an RHP. I first saw Kanes used as RHPs in an outdoor tortoise hide for big Sulcatas. I used mine for a boa, but the cage was 12" high and I used 2x2s for spacers to bring the heater down closer to the cage floor.

>>So, I think the logical step for a homemade RHP is to try and match the wattage per square foot.
>>
>>Regardless, all of this points to the same conclusion for me - stick with the commericial products.
>>-----
>>Current snakes:
>>
>>0.0.1 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Java locale (green)
>>
>>1.2 Gonyosoma oxycephala - Jave local (green)
>>
>>2.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Seleyar locale (all black)
>>
>>1.2 Gonyosoma janseni - Celebes locale (Black & Tan)