- Joined
- Nov 7, 2012
- Messages
- 5,173
- Location (City and/or State)
- South of Southern California, but not Mexico
Tuesday this past week when I got up and did the morning feeding routine. I cracked open the lid to the nighthouse for the three larger M.e.p.s. My face was greeted with very warm air. I looked at the temp and it was 110F in the night house. WTF? I looked at the controller and it was set for 110F???? I turned it down, but in my impatient excitement the panels did not respond quick enough, so I cut the power to the system. I did not have the option to call out from work, so with much worry I decided to let the house cool down with a gap in the lid and follow-up when I got home from work.
Tuesday evening the nighthouse had become the outside ambient of 62F, too cool for my idea of an okay temp. I turned the controller to 70F and set a cooking timer to remind me to look in a short while. The timer went off and I looked inside, the panels were not on and the temp was 70F. From my action to open the lid and exchange the air, the panels cycled on. It think I was just to impatient to see the controller work when I discovered the high heat of that morning.
The three adults did not go out of the nighthouse to escape the heat. That Monday/Tuesday night the low was in the 50'sF so no problem for them. Yet the stayed in the nighthouse. This represents the other end of temperature shock. They were too warm to respond.
I dribble water over the front of their shell so it would roll over their faces, none wanted to drink. They had not come out of their night house since.
Until this morning they have not eaten, the heat shock really sapped them of much. The controller is working as it should as are the heat panels. I have no idea what happened with the controller such that the heat was turned up??
This morning I found them getting back to normal shenanigans. Head poking out through the nighthouse door curtains. They began to eat romaine heads placed in front of them in the night house.
I do not know how long the temp in the nighthouse was so high. I feel reasonable sure it was okay when I did evening checks on them Monday night before. The four to five days recovery from heat shock has been nerve racking.
I recall from a presentation by Bob Applegate that he had a similar situation with his early (1970's) kingsnake set-up.
Right now my plan for the garage is to have fans evacuate air at a 'high' set point. I don't have a solution for an independent nighthouse. An alarm maybe?
Tuesday evening the nighthouse had become the outside ambient of 62F, too cool for my idea of an okay temp. I turned the controller to 70F and set a cooking timer to remind me to look in a short while. The timer went off and I looked inside, the panels were not on and the temp was 70F. From my action to open the lid and exchange the air, the panels cycled on. It think I was just to impatient to see the controller work when I discovered the high heat of that morning.
The three adults did not go out of the nighthouse to escape the heat. That Monday/Tuesday night the low was in the 50'sF so no problem for them. Yet the stayed in the nighthouse. This represents the other end of temperature shock. They were too warm to respond.
I dribble water over the front of their shell so it would roll over their faces, none wanted to drink. They had not come out of their night house since.
Until this morning they have not eaten, the heat shock really sapped them of much. The controller is working as it should as are the heat panels. I have no idea what happened with the controller such that the heat was turned up??
This morning I found them getting back to normal shenanigans. Head poking out through the nighthouse door curtains. They began to eat romaine heads placed in front of them in the night house.
I do not know how long the temp in the nighthouse was so high. I feel reasonable sure it was okay when I did evening checks on them Monday night before. The four to five days recovery from heat shock has been nerve racking.
I recall from a presentation by Bob Applegate that he had a similar situation with his early (1970's) kingsnake set-up.
Right now my plan for the garage is to have fans evacuate air at a 'high' set point. I don't have a solution for an independent nighthouse. An alarm maybe?
