Reptile & Amphibian Forums

In looking into getting a leo, I noticed that the small bit of wall where the shelf that the tank would go on is located has no outlet near it, so I would need to run a 12' extension cord from the nearest outlet, put part of it underneath the carpet in front of my closet door, and then up to the heat pad and possibly a small light for the gecko. I thought I once heard that you shouldn't use heat pads with extension cords, is there truth to this? Does it make it unsafe or something? My bearded setup has the lights go to a 1' 3 prong 3 plug adapter, and then to the 3 prong outdoor timer, not to mention the dimmer for the heat lamp which is basically a 6' extension cord (I had to get all 3 pronged stuff when I got the new lizard lounge because the matching flourescent strip is 3 prong. that was a fun $400 day). Before, when he had his old tank, the heat lamp went to the dimmer, then to a 6' extension cord, then to a timer. So obviously I'm no stranger to the applied uses of extension cords, but I could have sworn I heard somewhere that extension cords and heat pads were a no no.

later

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well i'll tell you this,if extension cords and heat pads wher a no no my house would be well burnt to the ground by now,everything for my herps is done with extention cords.its been fine with zero problems.but do not run it nder the carpet that may cause heat problems in the cord...

kali
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1.3 Leopard Gecko's
1.0 mali uromastyx
0.0.3 tokay's(adults unsexed)

I'm using a 6' cord with my UTH and haven't noticed any problems. The cord isn't hot or anything. That would be the major concern. If you're using a resistance heater (which UTH's are) it can (theoretically) cause heat to build up in the cord. Resistance is proportional to cord length (ie. the longer the cord, the more the resistance, assuming all other properties of the cord are similar to a shorter cord) And the more resistance, the more heat generation. The only concern I have is that you're talking about running a 12' cord under carpet. That generally isn't a good idea as the carpet will hold the heat from the cord in. But usually is isn't a problem.

All you can really do is plug it in and check to see that the cord isn't heating up. Unless, of course, there's an electician/electrical engineer on this forum who can offer better advice. We mechanical guys only get limited electrical training...
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Blaine

0.0.1 HY/Patternless/Normal Leo (Echo)

well, it's not actually going under the carpet, just under the edge in front of my closet. i might run it under the closet door though so that that part of the cord is in the closet instead of under the carpet. Or I might just find a different place to put the tank. When I first decided I wanted a beardie I took a tape measure and looked at all my options. If I didn't mind keeping the shades closed on my windows all the time (which I don't mind) I think I could probably fit my beardie's tank (which is a 70 gallon lizard lounge, so it's 36"x18"x25" plus 40 gallon breeder, and 2 or 3 20 gallon long tanks all in one corner (assuming I built shelving units so that I can stack them). On the other side of my room I could fit a 55 gallon long tank, and an assortment of other various sized tanks (like another 55, 2 15s, a 30 gallon, a 20 long, or a few 10 gallons, and that's assuming I only have two levels on the shelf).

So basically, if I moved some stuff around or got another shelf, I might be able to find a different place for it, but this would be best, so I wanted to know if this would work.

later

Do you have any pics of your lizard lounge? I'm not exacly sure what you mean when you say that but i'm assuming its a premade habitat?!?

I have my lights and UTH's on a surge protector bar and haven't had any trouble. The lights go into the bar then a timer and the UTH are first plugged into a rheostat then the bar.

Thanks,

Red
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Crested Gecko Zeek:1.0
LEOS: Boo: 1.0 normal , Bronx & Nala: 1.1 blizzard,
Lily: 0.1 patternless, Abby: 0.1 albino, Zoe: 0.1 reduced pattern, Dot: 0.1 hypo
Chip: 1.0 papillion (small dog)

i'll try to get some pictures of it tomorrow and get them on here somehow (not sure how you do that). But go to www.oceanicsystems.com and go to products and click on lizard lounge. It doesn't give you much info on it at all, but it's pretty nice. The only thing is you pretty much have to buy they're heat lamps, because it has a glass top. The light attaches through one of the top vents and the actual bulb is inside. The whole tank has vents all over it, and it comes with covers for the vents so you can decide which ones you want to use. For instance, I have the top corner ones covered on where my heat lamp is so it is much more heat efficient. You can also get the matching flourescent which fits in the center fold of the tank which is screen. The only downside is that the front opening is only 5-6"x the length of the tank, so sometimes it can be a little hard to get sidney back in the tank if he wants to stay out.

It's a great setup if you only need a couple, so for me it's great. I'll get some pics for you. it looks a lot nicer than his old aquarium and the added height makes it seem much more roomy.

later