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heat mats

Rachel

Rachel

Vet nurse in training!
Hey,

After reading quite a few posts on heat mats it has led me to believe that the pads you get in the US are different to the ones we get in the UK. I'm not entirely sure what the differences are, just that it seems that you guys from the US have rheostats (sp?) and never place your mats directly below the tank. In my experience, our heat mats simply plug in the wall and can go directly beneath the tank (or in it if under a compact substrate like sand-not that Id use sand!!).

So anyways, what I want to know, does anyone else have the same kind of heat pad as me, or am I in some sort of world of my own :p ?? And before you ask, the substrate temps are fine. Not too hot and none of my snakes or ghekkos have been burnt. :confused:
 
the pads are the same i'm sure. it was just recommended to me that i buy a rheostat so the temp can be controlled. When ppl use glass aquariums they place the mat directly below the aquarium. on the uth packaging it says only to be used with glass or something to that effect, thats why people often put something inbetween. my heating pad is perfectly functional w/o the rheostat.
 
I started off using my UTH without a thermostat and with a 3mm gap between it and the plastic tank bottom. I recently hooked a thermostat upto it as we are getting really hot weather and i was having to turn it off by hand too often.
 
They are the same.

The reason you are supposed to use a rheostat/thermastat is because their have been quite a few cases of heating pads and other elements shorting and causes temp spikes which have killed snakes in the past.

It's not safe to use ANY heating device without a control device. You are taking chances if you don't use a control device. The chance being, maybe nothing will happen or maybe (like other people) something terrible could happen.

bmm
 
It's not just in case of shorts in the pads, either. Some just run too hot. I have some heat pads that run 130+ degrees without regulation. If you place the heat pad on a piece of tile or other thing that some people suggest, the heat will diffuse some and not be as hot on the bottom of the tank. At least with a physical method of lowering the heat you won't be in danger of burning the snake if the thermostat breaks (which seems to happen too often with the $30 on-off types :() Though you should have a thermostat anyway, I would prefer it if it's only there in case something overheats, and not needed to keep the temp at a safe level.
 
Well, I phoned the manufacturers last night (a UK based company btw) and they said that there would be no risk of spiking temps from shorting circuits. They have a 'danger circuit' or something that apparantly will prevent temps soaring incase of faulty circuits. Besides we have to have all our electrical appliances tested every month or so to ensure they are safe. I don't even know where I would buy a rheostat, but would like to to be safe. I take it that this would prevent any dangerous fluctuations incase of a faulty circuit?? Also, I wouldn't ever need to adjust temps normally, it's very cold up here and I have to keep heat pad (and lamp during winter) on all the time. I just assumed, due to british electrical appliance safety regulations, that all these devices would be fitted with some sort of safety control as standard

ps Pinata, my heat pad can't run too hot as it has a negative feedback device fitted as standard so that when it reaches a certain temp the elements switch off then on again when they fall below a trigger range.
 
Hi rachel
we use habistat heat pads and so far have had no problems.
They come recommended by a certain person who breeds and sells reptiles near us( not sure if Im allowed to mention the name). who is well known in the business( even over in the USA). So I trust their advice , after having dealt with reptiles for around 20 years or so. Angie and shane
 
Yeah well I don't trust ANY appliance for heating on my herps. Canada also has regulations, and regulators on them but I still have heard stories. In fact just heard one the other day, some lost three ball pythons due to overheating. All dead before he even got home.

Not to mention without a thermastat you simply cannot have stable temps as the house temp changing even a few degrees also changes the temp on the heat pad, as well a night drops and high days/low days. I like things consistant when it comes to temps. JMHO.

I am happy with my thermastats. (they are sold around the world, and you can even make one although I bought the Reptile ESU) :D

bmm
 
What is the difference between rheostats and thermostats? From what I've seen, I'm guessing that thermostats offer a bit more control. I'm a bit afraid of buying one only to have it malfuntion in a month or so, after some awful stories I've read, and I don't exactly have the money right now for the $100us thermostats. :\

I don't have a snake, so heating isn't a problem yet.. but it's always a welcome thing to be able to head them off before they start.
 
tmountain35 said:
rheostats are not expensive. why take any additional risk, even if you believe it be an extremely minimal one?
Click to expand...

I was asking if there was a difference, and will buy some when i find them. I asked one of the breeders up here and ,according to her, our heat pads are different to the ones in the US so not many people use rheosats here. I guess there are different views and I would like to get a rheostat, I just never thought I was 'taking a risk'. I always assumed there would be a built in device to protect reptiles (seeing as they are sold as heating devices for reptiles). I actually wanted to know if anyone from the UK knows where I could get some, and how much? Would I just get them from a electrical store? And are they even called rheostats here??
 
Rachel said:
ps Pinata, my heat pad can't run too hot as it has a negative feedback device fitted as standard so that when it reaches a certain temp the elements switch off then on again when they fall below a trigger range.
Click to expand...

Yeah, sounds like a built-in thermostat. They really should do something with the heat pads we have here, they suck.


Difference between thermostat and rheostat:
A rheostat is a dimmer. It reduces the amount of power to the device by a set amount. The temp will probably go up and down as the ambient room temperature does. Also, it will not shut off the heating if the temp reaches above a certain amount.

A standard on/off thermostat will turn the pad off once it reaches a certain temp, and turn it back on once it falls below a certain temp - a couple degree range. Temps will vary a couple degrees as the device turns on and off. Not a good choice for visible-light lamps.

A proportional thermostat has the benefits of a dimmer and an on/off thermostat. It will regulate the output of the heating device and keep it stable, within a fraction of a degree. The device doesn't turn on and off, so you can use it with visible lights. Since it's a thermostat, the power will get cut off if the temp goes above a certain amount. Downside: usually $100+ :(
 
rachel

sorry if tha comment about the rheostat sounded as if i was "attacking" you. I didn't mean it like that at all. Rather for anyone who was looking at this thread. When i bought my heat mat it made no mention of any type of control needed, so if not for this site i would not have bought one. Thanks guys!

P.S. only a few days till corn #1 arrives
P.P.S i think i may have set the record for being a member the longest w/o owning a corn (8 months) :)
 
Hey tmountain35, no I didn't take it like that at all! Sorry, just re read my post and it did sound quite defensive...I was just typing in a hurry cause I was at work! (oops)

And thanks for the explanation pinata, I kinda thought that there must be some kind of thermostat device but I just wanted to make sure. Still haven't found any here to buy separately anyway (the shop owner just looked blankly at me...:confused: )

Anyway, so long as my snakes are safe!

ps I did get informes that I can buy a thermostat for incubating eggs when I get around to breeding my snakes. Is this a better option than rheostats??
 
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