# Ceramic Heat Emitter Question



## kjr153 (Mar 11, 2013)

Which wattage of a CHE should I buy? It is a Sulcata. The lights sit about two feet above the tort and it is in a 40 gal tank. The options my pet store has are 60w, 100w and 150w.


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## Turtulas-Len (Mar 11, 2013)

There are people that disagree with me on this subject, but I say get the larger wattage and a lamp dimmer and adjust the temps with the dimmer and not by raising and lowering the CHE. The reason for getting the larger one is it can be brought down to be equivalent with a 60 watt but a 60 watt can't be increased to anything higher than 60 watts, you may want more heat in the future.


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## lisa127 (Mar 11, 2013)

That's how I do things, though I do not use CHE's. For my heat bulbs, both day ones and black heat, I hook them all up to rheostats and adjust as needed depending on ambient temp, time of year, etc.


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## Cowboy_Ken (Mar 11, 2013)

I use a 150watt CHE on a thermostat. I like the stability of a thermostat to control the heat. Daytime I have my Powersun on 12hrs. and the CHE is active though not on unless the increase in temps is needed. I don't need to monitor the temps after setup/stabilization to continually raise and lower the wattage going to my CHE because its always ready to turn on if the temps drop or turn off when the proper temp is reached.


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## mightymizz (Mar 11, 2013)

I have had CHE break on me very quickly when I have used a dimmer. I also found out that they are not meant to be used with a dimmer and work optimally with full power to the unit.

I have heard some folks that seem to have success with dimmers, but since I stopped using the dimmer, my CHE have lasted a lot longer...in fact, they are still working fine!!


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## Millerlite (Mar 11, 2013)

I used dimmers before and you will burn out ceramics quick, and mvb. Now hay thermostats are a little cheaper they are are worth the investment. They work well.


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## sibi (Mar 11, 2013)

I use the 100 w for one reason: it's the optimal temp for sulcatas. The 150w is just too hot and can dehydrated your tort especially when he's getting heat from a heating pad and/or a basking light without the use of thermostats. In short, some may want to get a 150w and use a dimmer which is not designed to be used with CHE. It either burns out or shortens the life of a very expensive bulb. I won't risk overheating my tort or burning out the bulb whose wattage is not meant to be used for sulcatas. The only way to use 150 w is with a thermostat. It doesn't provide any advantages over a 100 w. Unless you have a rather large enclosure to heat & circulate, there's no other reason to get that. Also, why buy a thermostat when you can achieve the optimal temp with 100w?


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## Tom (Mar 11, 2013)

Every enclosure is different. I prefer to use the lowest wattage possible to get the job done correctly. You will likely need a 60 or 100 in a 40 gallon, but if the top is really open or your house is cold or drafty, you might need more. Only you and your thermometer can tell. I like to run them on thermostats. I've never tried a dimmer with one, but I have many CHEs that have been in use for more than a decade. I have one that has been in continuous use with thermostats and without since 1991.


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## Millerlite (Mar 11, 2013)

Dang Tom, think your going in a record. Lol def getting your money's worth, I've had mine last 5 years before i stop using them and lost them, they work great.


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## jaizei (Mar 11, 2013)

sibi said:


> I use the 100 w for one reason: it's the optimal temp for sulcatas. The 150w is just too hot and can dehydrated your tort especially when he's getting heat from a heating pad and/or a basking light without the use of thermostats. In short, some may want to get a 150w and use a dimmer which is not designed to be used with CHE. It either burns out or shortens the life of a very expensive bulb. I won't risk overheating my tort or burning out the bulb whose wattage is not meant to be used for sulcatas. The only way to use 150 w is with a thermostat. It doesn't provide any advantages over a 100 w. Unless you have a rather large enclosure to heat & circulate, there's no other reason to get that. Also, why buy a thermostat when you can achieve the optimal temp with 100w?



A CHE should always be used with some means of regulating the output, either a thermostat or a dimmer. It is the easiest way to prevent overheating. 

CHEs are most certainly designed to be used with dimmers. The manufacturers of the CHEs sell dimmers/dimmable fixtures for use with the CHEs.


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## kjr153 (Mar 12, 2013)

Tom- When I bought the CHE is said five year guarentee. I just thought in my head "yeah right" but maybe it is true


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## lkwagner (Mar 13, 2013)

I have a question about CHE's as well...

I got 2 100w CHE's in yesterday and put them on over night (on 2 different enclosures), I woke up at 1am to make sure they weren't too hot but to my surprise the temp under them was only about 80*f.... Therefore the rest of the enclosure was too cold. 
My question is, if I put them on a thermostat would they get hotter? Or is this as hot as its going to get?


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## kirby2591 (Mar 13, 2013)

The thermostat will not make it hotter. A thermostat will just moniter the temp and shut it off once it hits your desired temp keeping the enclosure from overheating. If its not getting hot enough then you will need a more powerful bulb.


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## kjr153 (Mar 13, 2013)

Same with mine. I have a UV lamp and a CHE over one enclosure and it will only get up to 80F.


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## Tom (Mar 13, 2013)

You need to lower your bulbs to get the right temps, or get higher wattages, which I don't like because it dries everything out even more.

Which, again..., is why I'm always preaching to use a closed chamber. Eliminates ALL of these problems and gives your tortoise optimal conditions, ALL the time, with minimal effort or expense.


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## EKLC (Mar 13, 2013)

Cowboy_Ken said:


> I use a 150watt CHE on a thermostat. I like the stability of a thermostat to control the heat. Daytime I have my Powersun on 12hrs. and the CHE is active though not on unless the increase in temps is needed. I don't need to monitor the temps after setup/stabilization to continually raise and lower the wattage going to my CHE because its always ready to turn on if the temps drop or turn off when the proper temp is reached.



This is definitely the way to go. If you're not using a thermostat, you're going to be fiddling with the thing and working way to hard to get the right temps. With a thermostat, it simply keeps the enclosure above a certain level, regardless of the variability of the room temp.


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## SmileyKylie623 (Mar 22, 2013)

I would not go over 100. I bought a 150 watt CHE and I feel like I easily could have burned my house down or killed my Sulcata! Yes, I had the bulb in the wring type of dome and I had it too close to my little guy so my bad there but when I got a temp gun I quickly discovered that my 150 CHE, the bulb itself, would get from anywhere between 500 degrees and 700 degrees (Fahrenheit)!!! Ever since that little discovery I stopped using it. I feel like I can get temps where I need them with 60 watts, 75 watts, or 100 watts (for bigger enclosures). 
I also noticed that when I would use my CHE it would smell weird? Not sure if thats just me being crazy or what?


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