I was going with the heat tape for my boas 4x2x2 wooden cage but did some reading and found some concerns about heat tape and fire issue. How big is the concern with heat tape causing fires and should I go with something else to feel safe? I also went to pet store today and got a ESU thermostat it only has outlet and does not say how many watts but someone in chat said these are cheap crap, should I take this back and go with a BA1000 from big apple how is it? I have also been hear so much positive feedback on pro panels but they are really expensive
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So many use it but how safe is it
bigdee
Oct 17, 2004 07:07 PM
Replies (4)
Randall_Turner
Oct 17, 2004 07:16 PM
I use the big apple 1000 and it works just fine. (has a 2-3 degree swing in temps from when it kicks off then back on)
Regarding heat tape, as with any heating source you have a potential for a fire hazard (furnaces in houses are unsafe if not properly maintained and used) flex watt wired and used safely is a fairly safe product. You will hear of the occasional issue of one overheating but for the high number of users and most of them implementing it into the majority if not all of their enclosures/racks the number of fires/shorts etc are quite low. If you do not feel safe using it (as I was very cautious and checked my set ups every hour for the first few days, due to paranoia one may short and cause a fire or cook a snake) you should go with something you feel comfortable using. A similar but prefabbed alternative (and not that expensive) are the ultratherm heat mats that www.beanfarm.com have available on their site.
Later
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Randall L Turner Jr.
bahreptiles
Oct 17, 2004 08:20 PM
Randy has a good point but, I would like to add that if you buy the appropiate clips for the heat tape from the suppier you should feel confident enough to use it with little worries. I think that most of the problems people encounter is because they "jerry rigged" their own connections ie: a couple of gator clips and some electrical tape, is just not the way to go in MY opinion. Just my thoughts on this
James C.
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sslonestar
Oct 18, 2004 06:52 AM
Exactly !,the urban legends of horror are from the improperly used and or constructed flex watt set ups.Who makes a heat panel that last for 10 years ? Nobody.
Useing flex with a AL 1000 and one of those dimmer cords set at 95* to catch any possible T-Stat failure,one should rest easy.The enire set up is cheaper and just as effective as some of the cheaper panels alone.
>>Randy has a good point but, I would like to add that if you buy the appropiate clips for the heat tape from the suppier you should feel confident enough to use it with little worries. I think that most of the problems people encounter is because they "jerry rigged" their own connections ie: a couple of gator clips and some electrical tape, is just not the way to go in MY opinion. Just my thoughts on this
>>James C.
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>>Voices in the darkness... scream away my mental health. Can I.. ask a question.. to help save me from myself? Enemies fill up the pages, are they me?... Monday till Sunday in stages, set me free!!! " Diary of a Madman " Ozzy Osbourne
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T/
Money Only Wished It Had The Control Over The World That FEAR Does !
dmac
Oct 18, 2004 10:01 AM
the hottest the floor temp ever reached was 110. I checked often with a digital temp gauge (no animal in cage.) I have the Ultras sandwiched between linoleum and wood floor. This cage is in a room which ranges from 70-76 degrees year 'round.Of course, I run a thermostat (A life) and set it at 95, but from this test I am confident that in the event of a therm failure, my boa can get away from the heat and it won't burn my house down. Now I know that there is a chance if my air conditoning fails on the hottest day in summer AND the therm fails AT THE SAME TIME AND no one is home that might be a problem, but the statistical probability of all three happening at the same time is remote. Not all flexwatt is of the low wattage type. Ultratherms are, and some say Cobra heat mats are the same product, but I can only vouch for the Ultratherms.
