Heat mat DANGERS

[salebrosus]

There have been a number of threads over the last couple of years on here which detail heat matts shorting out like this.

I'm using one heat matt at the moment but it is still unnerving seeing images like this.

[kakariki]

What about the type of mat that sits inside the enclosure? We are thinking about those atm. Would they be safer?

[Glider]

I haven't had one malfunction before, but I have had a small (4w) heatmat get VERY hot. Back when I first started keeping gex I thought since the mat was so small it would be fine, but I had it stuck under an exoterra switched on 24hr with about 3cm of sand on top. I saw one of my gex walk over the heated area and suddenly do the midday-at-the-beach dance (funny bit not funny if you know what I mean) so put my hand on the sand and it was hot enough I couldnt keep my hand there. Got a probe thermometer on it and the thermometer stopped reading at 70deg and climbing.

Now I have and enclosure bank with 4x 14w heatmats and 2x 4w heatmats running through a Microclimate B2 pulse thermostat and it's worked perfectly.
I also use a 4m 15w and a 4.5m 25w heatcord in my hatchling rack, which I don't use a thermostat but do watch the temps like a hawk.

I think it's really important to read what the instructions on any electrical device say, they're there for a reason and most of the time will prevent disaster. Often malfunction is really due to misuse.


PS. Thats not to say that they cant fail even under correct usage.