Decomposition- An alternate heat source?

[Zephyr]

Okay, last summer while at the garden plots, I was told that little dekay's snakes, and many other reptiles, liked to bask ontop of the pine, cedar, and other mulch piles near the plots. My friend from the interpretive center said that the compost piles generate MASSIVE amounts of heat, so one night I climbed onto one and dug down a foot. I couldn't dig any deeper than this, because the heat almost burned my hands. I was amazed by the amount of heat produced! The pile was about 5-6 feet high, and I'd only dug down what seemed to be a foot, so imagine the core temperature!
So, my question is, if there would be some way a system could be developed for heating garter, or reptile tanks in general, using compost heat.

[adamanteus]

That could work, Kyle.... if you want a great, steaming pile of rotting organic matter in your room!

[Lori P]

In my run-in sheds for the horses and goats, starting early winter, I stop cleaning them out and start to pile new straw on top of the old straw to form what they call a manure mat. The stuff at the bottom starts composting, and heat starts rising. In the dead of winter, when there are by then a couple months worth of layered straw, you can walk in, crouch down and feel the heat rising. The goats looooooooove it.

The first few weeks, there is an ammonia odor and so I use PDZ powder to control the odors. After it really gets composting tho, there is no odor unless you dig far down.

Now, as for doing this in a small space like a reptile tank... I would think the ammonia would be overwhelming. Outside in the run-ins, there is plenty of ventilation. I can't think right now how you would get around the ammonia build up in an enclosed tank.

[Zephyr]

Well, what I'm wondering is if you can use a smaller amount of pine/cedar and get the same effect.

[Zephyr]

Also, it wouldn't be IN the tank, but under it, like a heat pad.
If it were in the tank, the tank would have to be well-ventilated.

[adamanteus]

In order to work it needs volume... small quantities don't work.

[anji1971]

Kyle, I wonder if there's a way to make it work for your outdoor pen.........for cool nights, and to be able to use it over a longer season?

[Zephyr]

In order to work it needs volume... small quantities don't work.

Actually, I'm thinking it's just the surface area that's a concern. Like bacteria orbs in a fish tank filter, it could be very effective, given there's enough microsurface. If one were to use finely diced cedar or pine, it would probably work but decompose too rapidly... There has to be an equilibrium somewhere...

[aSnakeLovinBabe]

the reason there is so much heat under there is because of the massive amounts of compost that are packed together, preventing the heat from espacing right away. Since the heat cant get out right away, it gradually adds up and gets warmer and warmer. that's why the surface isn't as warm as the middle, because the heat is always slowly seeping out. if you take that pile of mulch and spread it out in a thin layer on the ground, it will not feel warm because the heat can escape too quickly. You would need a very deep pile of compost in order to produce enough heat to be effective. It's a nice idea, but trust me, if it worked efficiently, people everywhere would have their reptile tanks on compost.

[Zephyr]

But didn't society also just realize that using carbon tetrafluoride can give you cancer?
What I'm say is, there has to be some possibility to change what we're currently using to make things better for the snakes and more convenient for us.
I'm going to experiment with container thickness, etc... There has to be some way to harvest this energy...
Maybe tightly packed cedar/pine shards would work, with some sort of lettuce or other weed to start the decaying reaction.