Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hello people,
Has anyone ever experimented with space heaters? I just got done with a 15'x6'x6' room, in a cold basement.
I insulated it really good and am looking at heaters now. Does anybody have any recommendations, on what type of heater is best to heat this room? thanks Bob

I have an insulated room just shy of 10x10 ft. I purchased a small ceramic element space heater for around $25 (if that). I run it on its half-wattage setting of 700 Watts, and it heats the room nicely.

Most of the small space heaters are ceramic element - basically a CHE and a fan. They are very quiet and really do a nice job.

The best space heaters for herp rooms are probably the oil-filled radiator types due to their efficiency, but even a small oil-filled radiator space heater is probably too much heater for your room. I would stick to the ceramic heater.

My advice is to wire the space heater into an ON/OFF controller rated for 1500 Watts at least. Ranco and Johnson are both good models for the thermostat. Do this for two reasons. #1 is for the added safety of a 2nd thermostat, and #2 is that the Ranco or Johnson sensor can be located where you want to sense the room temp. The T-stat on the heater only senses near the heater, not at the other end of the room.
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Mark

So, I guess what you guys are saying is that, watt for watt, or kilowatt for kilowatt (Im not sure), nothing will heat the room better and more efficiently then the oil filled radiator heater?
thanks for the replies Bob

>>So, I guess what you guys are saying is that, watt for watt, or kilowatt for kilowatt (Im not sure), nothing will heat the room better and more efficiently then the oil filled radiator heater?
>>thanks for the replies Bob

At that price point. No

Geo thermal heat is far more efficient but the initial cost is very high.
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Jeremy Payne
JB Reptile

1.0 Snow "Kahl"
0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
1.0 Ghost
0.1 DH Ghost
1.1 "Kahl" Albino
1.0.2 Hypomelenistic
1.3 Pastel Hypo
0.1 Anerthrystic
0.0.2 Normal

0.1.2 Morelia Viridis

>>Hello people,
>>Has anyone ever experimented with space heaters? I just got done with a 15'x6'x6' room, in a cold basement.
>>I insulated it really good and am looking at heaters now. Does anybody have any recommendations, on what type of heater is best to heat this room? thanks Bob

I agree with Mark...

I use an Oil filled radiant floor heater, bought it as a temp thing during construction and found it works better than anything I could have paid big money for. Best $29.99 I ever spent.

I use a Milk-house heater in the rat shed and a bigger version in the garage...I'm equally satisfied with those units however the temp is set far lower than the Herp room.
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Jeremy Payne
JB Reptile

1.0 Snow "Kahl"
0.2 Triple Het Moonglow "Kahl"
0.1 Orange Tail Hypo Het Leopard
1.0 Ghost
0.1 DH Ghost
1.1 "Kahl" Albino
1.0.2 Hypomelenistic
1.3 Pastel Hypo
0.1 Anerthrystic
0.0.2 Normal

0.0.2 Morelia Viridis
1.0 Morelia Clastolepis

I'd also say the oil filled radiators work great. I've been using them for 3 years now and they're economical and very reliable. This is the first year I've added a remote thermostat control and it makes a difference in keeping temps spot on.

2 other additions that have improved it even more. 1 is a small office desk fan that I have set on low on the floor blowing through the radiator. This disperses the heat more evenly throughout my room. 2 is just a plain old plastic shoebox on top which I keep full of water. This too is also a big improvement and helps maintain my ambient humidity and the moist air holds the heat better.
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BigT
There is a difference between ignorance and stupidity. The ignorant can be taught, stupidity is beyond our control.
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I use a high quality oil filled unit in my snake room. It is rated for 1500 watts and has the option to use is at 600, 900, or 1500 watts strength. It is controlled via a Ranco thermostat. Excellent results. Good luck