Reptile & Amphibian Forums

So I have my new cages here (custom built by my dad), I planned to use radiant heat panels. I did my research and asked alot of people about (good reviews) them before buying them from big apple herp. Well tonight I finally got to get them in the cage and turned on (been on for 1 hour) and the air temp in my place is 77 and the temp in the cage is up to 80 but the heat panel is really warm just not warming the cage up yet. The cage is 15x23x15 heat panel is 11x11 (to be the 90 side) mount on one side of the cage. Anyone have any suggestions/ideas or experince with these?

What kind of panel is it?

Bill

http://www.bigappleherp.com/bigappleherp.filereader?40b2c23d000ead96271d424d361a0657 EN/products/118100

I have it mounted on the roof with the foil in between it and the top as the directions say. I was thinking if this doesn't get up to temp I will switch it down lower and on the back wall, which might work better at getting the heat down lower where I need it.

Contrary to what many people believe on RHP they are not designed to actually heat the ENITRE cage .A radient heat panel works works like the sun to a extent if it is mounted on the ceiling it will then radiate the heat in a direct downward motion therefore heating what passes UNDER the panel.While a properly sized heat panel can raise the ambient temps in a cage that isnt really there designed use.

A example of how a heat panel works is as follows :

on you have two exact cage setup from lighting substrate etc . Now on cage A you have flexwatt belly heat

Now on cage B you have a radiant heat panel on the ceiling

Ok now in a controlled enviroment of say a room of 50*F you have a snake that is sittin on or under both heat sources ,
when you open that door the snake in CAGE A is going to notice a drastic rush of cold air that pours in the cage and over the snake where in it will lower the cage tempos inside the cage once the door is closed the snake will continue to feel that cold air that entered his cage and will untill the heattape build enough heat up to stabalize the temps differences .

Now on cage B you open the door the snake doesnt notice a drastic exchange of air temps due to the fact the radiant panel is heating the air that moves under the direct line of the panel , therfore the cold air coming in the cage is being warmed by the radiating heat from the panel . making the over all air temp in cage B warmer then cageA under the same time frame of being opened .

Now as i stated you CAN warm a ambient cage temp with a RHP but it must be sized accordingly to do so , i spoke with the guys at ProProducts for a few hrs one day on this subject of RHP's & flexwatt for heating a cage and was very well edumacated on the proper functioning of the RHP and how important it is to "size them to the cage you have "

hope this clears up a lil myth on them
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I've been using Pro Products Radiant Heat Panels for about 10 years. That's all I use to heat my cages. Different size cages, different size panels. I do not have a warm herp room; the cages are in a normal room temperature of 70 degrees or so.

I started using RHPs because I wanted a reliable heat source that would heat the entire cage, providing a proper basking temperature and proper cool end temperature. That is exactly what they do.

I cannot comment, however, on the thin desert ray models that are on the market. But the Pro Products RHPs do just what I need them to do. Always have.

Bill

well I fixed my problem, I ended up using 2 11x11 panels one on the roof and one of the back wall. I don't think the one I got was big enough to heat the hot side, but I couldn't go bigger or it would end up heating too much of the cage. The two panels is now creating the gradiant I needed. I just have to order more panels, this is all still cheaper and better than using the bulbs to heat the cages. I will post pictures of my new cages soon.

The problem is that these "panels" do not generate enough energy to truly provide the heat required. Anything that is warm will radiate energy, but this does not mean that that item will be an efficient heater. The desert ray panels are basically an undertank heater which is being promoted as an overhead radiant panel. The panel does not get hot enough to radiate much energy from the surface and there are large amounts of parasitic heat losses, so much of the electricty you are paying for is not heating the animals. Putting the panel against metal foil can also create an electrical shock hazard, again they were never designed to be used in this fashion. There is alot more to creating a proper radiant panel than throwing something warm into a cage.
The hotter the surface, the more energy will be emitted from the surface, but you then have to contend with a burn hazard. Our Pro Heat radiant panels have a much higher surface temperature, but use specific technology and emmisivity coatings to create a "touch temperature" that will not damage, burn or injure anything. We have the highest watt density of any panel, which results in a smaller unit providing more heat. This allows one to create a better basking area and gradient in the enclosure. Our panels also have the lowest parasitic heat loss (less than 2%) so they will use less electricity than any other type of heat source.
There is a lot of "science" that must be followed to create a truly efficient radiant heater. It is a shame that some companies use questionable claims to sell a product that isn't designed for that purpose.

Bob @ Pro Products
Pro Products