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Heating Pad Malfunction?

Korrin

Korrin

New member
So I've just been out to buy the supplies for my incoming blizzard corn.
One of the things I picked up was an exoterra rainforest heating pad. I've plugged it in and... It doesn't seem to be heating at all.
It's been plugged in now for about 15 minutes, with no noticable change.

Is it broken, or am I being an idiot and forgetting some important step?
 
Have you got it plugged into a thermostat to regulate the temperatures?

And how are you reading the temperatures? You will need a digital thermometer for an accurate reading. Your hand is never an indicator.
 
They come in 4 watt an 8 watt. I had the 8 watt and it gets way too hot. It was for desert animals. The 4 watt one I've been told you don't feel the warmth because we are warm blooded. Possibly put it in the fridge to cool down then take it out and plug it in to see if it warms up to room temp quickly.
 
I ordered a thermostat over a week ago, but it hasn't arrived yet.
I'm using a digital thermometer with a probe to check the heating pad. My room is currently around 68F, and the heating pad is about 73F.
It does emit a slightly noticable heat now... Do they just take forever to heat up when not regulated?
I just don't want to stick it to the tank if it's broken...
 
I think it's broken. I just installed an Exo Terra Desert Heatwave (16w) UTH on a ReptiTemp 500R thermostat. Measured with a digital thermometer probe, the pad heated up a couple of tenths of a degree about every 15 seconds, until it reached its desired temp.

-Greg
 
Well, I always test out new pads and thermostats, as you are and I have found that the heat pads do take a very long time to heat up, if or if not regulated. How is it now if you have left it plugged in for the whole hour? It should be pretty warm by now, but then again I think I use the 8 watt ones, with a thermostat, and they will get hotter quicker when not regulated than the 4 watts.

Donna said that the 8s get too hot, but I get my 8 watt ones from Kritterz, although it shouldn't make too much of a difference, if they are both 8 watts. The 8 watt regulated may be better for you, if your house is at 60 degrees, but I don't know :shrugs: . Donna's tried them, I haven't.
 
Ooh, I feel like an idiot now. The pad started heating up, so I went ahead and stuck it to the tank, but it seems to have evened out at 77F.
I was more focused on not overheating my future snake, I didn't even consider the heating pad might simply not get warm enough.

I guess the upside is, that side of the tank is now within acceptable "cool" ranges... :bang:
I had originally planned to get a heat lamp or light to even out the temps, but... whatever works. :shrugs:

I'll make sure to check the temps before I buy the next heating pad, just incase it really is just taking hours to warm up, but I doubt it.
 
Just try the 8 watt if the 4 is not warm enough. It don't think it should take more than the time you have given it to warm up, so I think 77 is it. The 8 watt should raise the heat quite a bit. Good luck.
 
I have the same heating mat, and unregulated it got to 95 easy. Although it did take a while to heat up (about an hour). What are you using to measure the temp? Its not one of those stick on thermometers is it? If so than its probably wildly inaccurate, maybe someone already said it but pick up one of the indoor/outdoor thermomiters with a probe and put the probe right on the glass over the heating pad. Sorry if this was already asked. ;)


---Kenny
 
What's the ambient air temp in your house, DogStar?
I noticed only after I left my room and then ran back periodically to check the temps, but my room was really cold.
So I turned the heat on... *cough*

The temp did rise a bit, (though the unheated side is still too cold) but I think the mat may not be functioning properly afterall. There's a 5 degree difference between the corner of the mat that's attached to the plug, and the opposite corner. Is this normal, or is the heat flow somehow being blocked?
 
My house is usually in the low 70s. Maybe your mat isn't working, but there are also a lot of other things that could effect the temp that you are reading. Are you reading the temp with or without the substrate in place? The substrate insulates the heat from the mat quite a bit and I notice that when I remove the aspen from my tank the thermometer reads a much lower temp.


---Kenny
 
I added the substrate, and now the temps on the warm side read 83.5F, but the cold side is still only getting as high as 71F.
Any suggestions?
 
No suggestions, but where is that reading? Is that next-to-the-uth reading, like I think it is? Or is it an air temp reading, a top-of-the-substrate reading or a next-to-the-uth reading?

If it is air temp I think the substrate temp (or at least half an inch in the substrate) should be fine, so i wouldn't worry. If it is a top-of-the-substrate reading then your temps might be warm enough. If that is a reading from right on top of the uth then I don't know what you can do at the moment unless you get a warmer heat pad. Anyone else have ideas?
 
That is next to the heating pad, or in the case of the cold temp, next to the glass. I did bury the probe under the substrate to take readings on both sides.

I'm thinking of getting a heating lamp now, and positioning it closer to the cold side. The warm side could stand to be a little warmer yet, but the cold side is much too cold I think.
 
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