CHE placement

Seshaw2

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Joined
May 2, 2016
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I have a little Russian and so far this summer have not needed a CHE at night as he is indoors. I need to set one up this fall as it can be cold st night indoors where I live. What is the best placement? I have a wooden tort table lined in plastic. Will the CHE melt the plastic? Should it be on the warm wet side where his basking light is or the colder dry side? Is there a fire risk with a wooden enclosure? What temp should I aim for? I have a little metal cage fixture so he can't actually touch it but don't know how to position it. ImageUploadedByTortoise Forum1475542261.114789.jpg this is his set up. 8x4 but picture angle makes it look smaller for some reason
 

Tom

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How cold does it get inside your house? As long as you are above 60ish, you shouldn't need night heat for a russian.

If it is mounted correctly and you check the temperatures under it, it should not be a fire hazard. I would run them on a thermostat.

They will definitely melt plastic if you get it too close, but so will your heat lamp. If they are getting that how, they would be too close to be safe for your tortoise too.

For a 4x8' table, you will probably need to run two of them. Each one over the middle of a 4x4 square to raise ambient.
 

Seshaw2

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Joined
May 2, 2016
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It may not get below 60 but I'm the dead of winter I may run it. Thermostat will be a for sure purchase. I shouldn't need to run it till Jan or Feb in Virginia where I live. Thanks for the help!
 
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