Do i REALLY need a thermostat?

[Ssthisto]

Originally Posted by alinoee

that's really my point.
try to put your hand to 80 deg water or hold nail warm up to 100 deg.

How could I lie down (in a bathing suit) on the wooden benches in the Tyrolean sauna if the temperatures in that sauna'd burn me instantly?

If you've never used an infrared thermometer (and they are NOT designed to measure air temperatures - only surface temperatures) please reserve judgement on my use of one until you have yourself used one.

Funny enough, my partner said my TN1 must not be working when I first got it - I'd gone and gotten him a drink from the fridge, he "zapped" the drink and got a temperature of some 50 degrees fahrenheit; then "zapped" my arm and got a temperature of approximately 48 degrees fahrenheit.

"It's not working" he says.
"Yes, it is" I say.
"But it says you're colder than the drink out of the fridge."

So I put my hand on the back of his neck. I'd just come in from being outside in December with no jacket on.

[alinoee]

Originally Posted by Ssthisto

TN1 must not be working when I first got it

i never used one. i can only Google picts but it appears that i doesnt have probes like E=mc2 nor DT models.

[Ssthisto]

Originally Posted by alinoee

i never used one. i can only Google picts but it appears that i doesnt have probes like E=mc2 nor DT models.

That's right. It's a spot reading thermometer to be used to check spot surface temperatures - you wouldn't use it as the main thermometer in a tank, because it just takes spot readings of whatever the infrared laser beam is pointed at.

[tinkrebel]

Originally Posted by tigger79

Glad to see even some experienced people getting it wrong, as they say we all learn something new every day,

this isnt a told you so, just pointing out that even those who have been keeping for many year who are set in their ways, and think they know best can be wrong, it could be they were told to do it that way years ago and have never changed their ways.

I've kept snakes for 15 years, and up until last year used heat mats and had never used a thermostat. The mat were placed directly inside the wooden vivs with substrate on top of them. I wasn't told about them when I brought the equipment and information wasn't as easily available as it is. Certainly not shared from others personal experience, because it wasn't such a popular hobby and the internet wasn't available.

I've never had any snake who required treatment from a vet, nor had an illness or a burn in them 15 years, but because I now only use ceramic heaters, infra red heat bulbs or AHS systems I do appreciate that these do need a thermostat to control the temps. If like me, you've kept snakes for years without a problem and were never given advice at the time of purchase it can make you think "is it really necessary"

[Blackecho]

Originally Posted by alinoee

70 deg C is enough to boil the egg. i thought it might be worth mentioning.

Erm, I think (will have to check my degree in Physics and 10 years working in a Chemistry lab) that water boils at 100C, not 70C?

[Ssthisto]

Originally Posted by alinoee

Estimated Times/Temperatures Causing a Full Thickness (third degree) Burn in Children/Adults
this information might not be accurate.

I'm not sure how accurate it is... maybe because "touching hot thing" is not the same thing as "having a skin temperature of X heat" nor the same as being exposed to WATER temperatures of those heats (which is what that table appears to be based on - scald temperature, not necessarily dry-heat touch temperature).

But five seconds' worth of touching an object 140 degrees fahrenheit is just uncomfortable... and 10 minutes of 120 degrees fahrenheit is a short hot shower for me.

[guypettigrew]

Originally Posted by alinoee

i know that i will be eaten alive but i have to say this. this experiment is rather useless. i do not argue necessity of thermostats! i'm only saying this to help people realize that different thermometers are made to measure temps in different environments. using 'air' thermometer will not reflect accurate surface temperature.
those readings indicate that this heat matte would cause third degree burn to adult human skin within approx 1 second. i assume that heat matte was not faulty.
Estimated Times/Temperatures Causing a Full Thickness (third degree) Burn in Children/Adults
this information might not be accurate but most of the sites i check shows pretty much same maybe someone else will find some different stats but 70 deg C is enough to boil the egg. i thought it might be worth mentioning.

This is ridiculous!!

The quoted source states a tempearture of 71C would cause a third degree burn in 1 second. A third degree burn requires all layers of the skin to have been destroyed. 71C is hot, agreed, about very hot water temperature. 1 second exposure would not cause 3rd degree burns, especially if the skin was immediately cooled.

Plus, the post about mat temperatures said they got to about 36C. This is near enough human body temperature. Too hot for snakes, but not dangerous for people.

The important point is that, without 'stats, we have no meaningful control over the temperature our heat sources get our vivs up to. With varying external temps, and a constant heat source, the viv could be cold one day, OK the next and too hot another day.

Guy

[alinoee]

Originally Posted by Ssthisto

I'm not sure how accurate it is... maybe because "touching hot thing" is not the same thing as "having a skin temperature of X heat" nor the same as being exposed to WATER temperatures of those heats (which is what that table appears to be based on - scald temperature, not necessarily dry-heat touch temperature).

But five seconds' worth of touching an object 140 degrees fahrenheit is just uncomfortable... and 10 minutes of 120 degrees fahrenheit is a short hot shower for me.

neither am i. but 150 does not feel like any matte ive ever touched.

[SnakeBoy0994]

Originally Posted by Blackecho

Erm, I think (will have to check my degree in Physics and 10 years working in a Chemistry lab) that water boils at 100C, not 70C?

Owned??

[alinoee]

Originally Posted by Blackecho

Erm, I think (will have to check my degree in Physics and 10 years working in a Chemistry lab) that water boils at 100C, not 70C?

if you look very closely i'm sure you will notice difference between egg and water.