Heating large enclosures - How to guide.

[makaveli]

thank you

[Kris_sayer]

ACE POST!!! i am doing a shed conversion atm, its not going to house a single rep i am installin vivs on all the walls, the shed is only thin wood, what do you guys think would be the best insulation?

[Rick_Albig]

Hard to say really Rockwool or similar products would be the best i would of thaught but this would be allot of work as you would would need to put a second skin on the inside of your shed and creat a cavity for your insulation. You could always just line the shed walls with polystyrene, not sure how much this would cost though.

In the short term it is going to be expensive but in the long run it will be worth it. You will save on energy as the shed will stay warm for longer and it will also help in the event of a power cut as the shed will stay warmer for longer even with no heat sources.......

That reminds me, you may want to look into the option of a backup heat source, non electrical in case of a power cut!

Rick

[fixitsan]

Originally Posted by Kris_sayer

ACE POST!!! i am doing a shed conversion atm, its not going to house a single rep i am installin vivs on all the walls, the shed is only thin wood, what do you guys think would be the best insulation?

There's some nice insulating materials used by builders these which ordinary people can access fairly easily at a local builders merchant. In particular i'm thinking of reflective foil insulation,like the stuff made by this company YBS Insulation - Reflective Foil Insulation

Other things such as mounting the vivs as high as you can will help because there will be a noticeable temp gradient between floor and ceiling in the shed itself, mounting the viv's higher will cut down on the overall energy consumption.

[Devon_Paul]

Hi, I just have a quick question with regards to heating and lighting. I currently house my baby bosc in a 5x2x2 viv with a Mega Ray bulb which handles the heating and lighting perfectly, however you have not mentioned UVB. I have read conflicting info on this on the internet and in books and the overall concensus seems to be that due to the fact that they are reptiles that like to bask in the daytime, you should simulate this as best as possible which includes UV wavelength light. A normal light bulb as most on here will know will not provide anywhere near enough UV as the sun. The setup you describe, does not cover this...

Thanks Paul.

[Rick_Albig]

Very good point Paul. The UV debate, especially for varanids, is a never ending one. Over the years I have used various UV styles of lighting and have seen no visible/physical differences with my animals. This thread shows how I heat my enclosures at present and so far it is working well for me.

I believe that UV should be provided where possible, but I also believe that light intensity plays a big part too. I have two 5' twin fluorescent light fittings in the viv that make them incredibly bright. I believe this also helps.

I have been speaking to another forum member about this recently over e-mail and I may be trying some more UV type basking lights in the near future. I was not happy with the last ones I tried due to the way the light was fragmented giving a very uneven basking surface and varying temps.

Rick

[zune_lai]

Wow thats alot of bulbs expensive and harmful to the environment lol

[Razaiel]

This is how it has to be. To use one more powerful higher wattage bulb would not work for an enclosure of these larger sizes. Higher wattage bulbs will suck humidity out of the enclosure which could lead to dehydration of the monitor. Also one high wattage bulb would not be big enough to cover the length of the larger monitor and rather concentrate heat into one spot on the monitor's back which could lead to burning.

It is I who am (still ) awaiting delivery of a megaray to replace one of the halogen floods for my 8x4 viv.

[lizard lover =D]

gr8 information ill be needing it all soon

[Varanus guy]

Where did u get the black throat from Ive been looking for aaaaaaaaages