Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hey there!

I'm trying to find the cheapest light fixture of a particular style and I'm hoping someone here can steer me to where I can find it.

Here's a style very similar to what I'm looking for, but this thing is waaaayyy too costly. Light Fixture

I don't need the blue glass. I don't need or want any glass encasing. All I want is a ceiling mount with the protective guard.

Purpose:
I'm thinking about using it to house CHE's in new cages. I'll modify the guard, probably adding a protective screen to the outside of the guard.

Cages are gonna be for large Burms & Retics. Flexwatt would be the cheapest heat source but I'm none too wild about routing out large areas for it, weakening the cage floor for such large, heavy snakes.

By the time I pay for two CHE's and two light fixtures I'll have spent almost as much money as I would for a proper size radiant heat panel or heat mat. Hmmmmmmmm.....

"To be or not to be; that is the question."

Anyone know of a source for cheap lighting fixtures like I mentioned?

I could modify just about any ol' ceiling mount fixture or block off the whole area around the CHEs but I'd prefer to do as little extra work and/or keep things looking somehwat decent (eye pleasing).

That's enough rambling from me, for now, at least.

Thanks!
HH
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Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

Happy,
If you look at that fixture you linked to, you'll see it is simply an outdoor junction box with a lamp fixture and bulb guard.

You can purchase that exact junction box and light fixture at any hardware store that sells that stuff (all the big stores do.) Now you are left with making your own guard with wire cloth. Since the snakes are large, the 1/2" mesh will work perfectly and will not reflect heat back up to the heater.

That bulb guard you posted has too much surface area and may reflect heat back up from a directional heater like a CHE. That is something you want to avoid.

When making your own bulb guard from wire mesh, make sure to leave at least 2 inches clear from the bulb surface to the mesh.

Your choice is to make a round guard or a rectangular one. Round is easy but you will need to cut round piece for the bottom. Rectangular is easy but you will need a template. Use a large square sheet of paper and cut away a square in each corner. Bend the resulting flaps up. Test for size and adjust. Once you get the perfect template, use that to cut the mesh.

They sell little metal wire clips that are perfect for mounting the bulb guard to the cage ceiling. And since your snakes are big, you do not have to worry about small gaps between the cage top and the wire guard.
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Mark

For what its worth I really like RHP's. Larger heating area, lower draw and don't get to a bazillion degrees. For really big snakes you'd also need at least 2 che's.
Nate

Can't argue with that. I do see one benefit with CHE's - he can have two fixtures in the cage; one with a 60 watt CHE and one with a 30 watt (or whatever). This way he can get a nice gradient with the one temperature controller, kind of like having an RHP with 1/2 of it at one wattage and 1/2 at the other. Plus, with two fixtures he can cover a large cage. In Summer he can remove one of the bulbs. Not a bad setup. I did that with a boa, and I found it very effective and tweakable for different conditions, ambient temps, etc.
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Mark

I found the fixtures I was looking for. Just like the one I linked to in my first post except these have clear glass (I won't be using the glass anyway). 25 bucks a piece.

Two fixtures = $50
Two CHEs = $50
Total = $100

Nate, I appreciate your input on RHPs. I've been wanting to try them but I'm a practical fella. Hard for me to justify spending twice the amount of money for something that does the same thing. A proper size RHP would cost me at least $200. With 8 cages to build that $800-plus savings is lookin' mighty good. That's two Herpstat Pros, and then some.

Old habits are hard to break. I've had really good results with CHEs. They're all I've used for the last several years, except for the flexwatt on my hatchling rack.

I can reduce my cost even more by building my own guard instead of getting the fixtures with guards.

Another question:
Where can I find that stuff they used to make that you could dip tool handles in to form a protective vinyl or rubber coating? What's the name of it? Thinking about using it to coat 1/2-inch hardware cloth to form a protective guard around the CHEs.

Thanks fellas!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

I would not allow that tool dip stuff to get anywhere near a CHE. Having some experience with both, albeit not together, I think the heat would destroy that stuff quickly and probably release some nasty fumes at the same time.

For the record, I like CHE's and suspect that reptiles like the heat produced by them. For large constrictors I might look into some of the less expensive hog blanket heaters and turn them into a radiant heat panel of sorts. No idea on the cost compared to a CHE, however.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Chris,
I checked out the link that Nate posted for that tool dip stuff (Plasti Dip) and found this stuff that's supposed to be heat & water resistant - made for recoating racks in dishwashers.
www.plastidip.com/home_solutions/ReRACK

It looks like it only comes in 1oz bottles so it may not be cost effective. If I find some locally I'll give it a try and will let everyone know how it goes.

I've looked into the Kane heat mats, which are also sold as pig blankets on some livestock supply websites, but to cover an area aprox. 2 x 3 or 3 x 3 the cost would be right on up there with a RHP (between $150 - $200). I found one that was 27-inches x 36-inches for somewhere around $125, which ain't bad.

If only CHEs weren't so dang gaudy looking on the inside of a cage. Ha! Ha! Who the heck am I tryin' to fool? Nobody else is gonna see my cages but me, wife & kids. I don't have any friends, never have any company. And when I do, they don't wanna go look at the snakes. LOL!

Later!
Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

I don't think that CHE's would look that bad under the type of guard you are looking at. If you have a welder or know somebody with one you might even be able to skip the hardware cloth and give them a cool look by attaching some extra metal. My only remaining concern is that the guards still become dangerously hot.

There is another brand of livestock blanket that I believe is cheaper. Name is Stanfield or something very close to that.

You could also look into some of the Ultratherm heat pads and the Desert Rays heat panels and use them to make your own RHP's.

Lastly, you can buy Enerjoy heat panels direct from the manufacturer. The company that makes the heat panels has a different name so you'll have to search for that.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

Yeah, the Stanfield was the cheapest one I mentioned in my previous post. By the way, looks like heat mats (pig blankets) are a tad cheaper at livestock supply places than they are at reptile supply places. We know how all that works, though. We can buy human food that makes good dog/cat food, simply re-label it, double the price & sell it in a pet shop. (I'll not get off on that tangent.)

Yeah, the metal guard on the fixture I found is fairly heavy duty & I am a bit concerned about the amount of heat it will retain. It's also cast, so welding is out of the question. That stuff would pop from here to kingdom come. Been there, done that. LOL!

I think I'm just gonna jury-rig a guard onto a traditional Leviton ceramic base lamp fixture and be done with it.

Thanks!

Later!
Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

I would at least see if there any woodworker's specials from Enerjoy. 25% off for slight defects.

BTW, the best guard I have seen built for a large python was a simple plywood box built into the cage, bottom covered with screen. I assume some sort of hinge to allow access.

I think this is the best way to go as some of the homemade or jury-rigged methods would scare me a bit with a large python. I'm sure they could accidentally take one out which could be really bad.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback

"I would at least see if there any woodworker's specials from Enerjoy. 25% off for slight defects."

I'm to the point where I'm tired of researching, shopping, thinking, etc... I'm closing my eyes and playing "Pin the tail on the donkey." If I spent half as much time working as I have researching, shopping, I'd have three cages built by now. Sometimes I think too dang much, and this is one of those times.

CHEs, come He** or high water. And I ain't lookin' back!!!

"BTW, the best guard I have seen built for a large python was a simple plywood box built into the cage, bottom covered with screen. I assume some sort of hinge to allow access.

I think this is the best way to go as some of the homemade or jury-rigged methods would scare me a bit with a large python. I'm sure they could accidentally take one out which could be really bad."

Yeah, the safety of the snake is the most important. I'll come up with something good & solid.

Thanks for everything!
Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

I would think you would save enough money in the longrun to justify the initial expence with the cost of electricity these days.

Heres a link to the coating you were talking about
http://www.plastidip.com/industrial.php
Great stuff but I don't know if it can handle the temps directly underneith a CHE.
Nate

Nate,
Thanks for the name & link for the Plasti Dip. You might have a valid point on energy savings with a RHP. I'll look into that a bit more.

Later!
Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

Mike,
Check out Beanfarm for less expensive RHP's I know they've got some pretty large ones for less than what your seeing.
Nate

I did. An 11 x 30 (largest they had listed) is $99. It will take at least two of that size - $200.

Thanks for trying to look out for me, though!

Later!
Mike
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

Another thing to consider besides energy efficiency is longevity.
Most RHP's have a 10 yr warranty and have an expected life of around 50 yrs! I made the switch from CHE's to RHP's (Helix) about 3yrs ago and havent looked back since.

Anthony

I appreciate your insight, input, especially since you're a former CHE user yourself.

If I was building just one or two cages I'd go with an RHP, and still might sometime in the future. But right now the up-front cost savings outweigh any other benefits, to me, at least. Since I won't be using a special light fixture the CHE setup cost is $150 cheaper per cage. Multiply that by 8 and it adds up wuickly.

Yeah, I understand the energy savings but I personally feel that they'll just balance out over the time that I'll need/have the setups. I'm almost 50, not 21, so I won't give a hoot if an RHP or CHE is still working in 50 years, when I'm 100 yrs old. Ha! Ha! (I'm just joking around, not meaning that to sound hasty or sarcastic.)

Seriously, though - you make a valid point, I'm just tired of thinking about it and not sure where this next idiotic President is gonna take this country.

Thanks a lot!
HH
-----
Due to political correctness run amuck,
this ol' hillbilly is now referred to as an:
Appalachian American

www.natures-signature.com

I'm almost 50, not 21, so I won't give a hoot if an RHP or CHE is still working in 50 years, when I'm 100 yrs old. Ha! Ha!

Well at least the CHE's will be more useful as you can shine them on your arthritic parts. Supposedly the far infrared spectrum of light produced by CHE's is good for such things.

And perhaps this is why many people report that CHE's produce a heat that is preferred by many reptiles. Honestly I think CHE's are a good choice for many species if one can keep the animals safe. Speaking of which, I was only kidding about using CHE's to treat arthritis! I can only imagine what the results would be if one had a CHE cranked to full fall on their exposed knee.

Seriously, I would like to see a comparison between CHE's and RHP's and wavelengths they produce. If anyone knows, chime in now.
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Currently keeping:

6.10 Gonyosoma oxycephalum (Javan, mixed colors)

1.1 Philodryas baroni

1.1 Lampropeltis triangulum multistriata

1.0 Rhodesian Ridgeback