radiant panel heaters

[Chris1]

i'm finally getting around to converting a wardrobe for my bredls python (hes 2yrs old and 170cms)

I'm tossing up between sticking with the red lights (mainly so i can see him) or trying out one of the radiant heat panels,...i think they look really good and effective.

if anyone has used the radiant heat panels, which size would i need for a 4x2x160cm(h) enclosure?
or will any do cos they need a thermostat anyway?
would i also provide a light for him if i was using one of them,..i just cant get my head around a dark looking tank,....!!

does anyone have any thoughts or experiences they'd like to share?

thanks, Chris.

[Ewan]

hay chris. i recently got myself some pro-products pro-heat panels for my BHP and Bredl enclosures. They are absolutely fantasic.

http://www.pro-products.com/proheat.html

if you decide to go for them go to the website and shoot them an email. tell them about your species name kept, enclosure size, ambient room temperatures, enclosure construction materials, ventilation, some details about your house like temperatures and flooring types. Based on that information they will describe the best one for the application and give you advice on how to set it all up and be efficient. They make hundreds of different panels sizes, wattages etc. The ones i have for my BHP are 110 watt and the ones for my bredli are 88 watt,

There was a thread about this already and here it is.

Pro-Heat Heat Panels

On my blog i have some pics for you of my BHP setups. basic to look at but extremely efficient

http://www.herpaffinity.blogspot.com/

[Ewan]

just to add to that for you i can easily achieve a gradient of 34 - 25 for most of the day.

[Ewan]

quote=hazzard;1091031]I use pro heat panels as does Nephrurus on this site.

They are a fantstic unit specifically designed for the needs of reptiles. Generally you need to provide them with cage dimensions, cage materials, species to be kept and ambient day and night max and mins for the season.

They need this information to calculate the correct product to meet your needs.

I've only used the 88W panels, I think Neph has the 110W panels for womas. The are ideal for aboreal or terrestrial species. If using for terrestrial species i would suggest the instillation of a shelf or the addition of branches as so they can get nearer the panel to bask.

They maintain quite a good gradient very stable and can be used easily with thermostats (how dare i say that word)

Pluses, they look good, don't require light guards as the surface temperatures are nowhere near that of a light globe, No globe replacement ever, 10 year warranty, they are very helpful, energy efficient.

Disadvantages, they are not sold in Australia


The main sizes used are 55W , 88W and 110W panels although they can custom make sizes for specific requirements. I find them price efficient compared to my set-ups.

In a 6ft*2ft*2ft cage I use a basking globe of 100W and two back up blue globes for night (that also supplement day heat on cool days on dual thermostats) Or dual 60W ceramic heat emmiters instead of blue lights.

A cost of this setup is around $150 give or take including light covers. In relation the cost of an 88W pro heat panel delivered in around $200

I guess the cost of replacement globes alone would make the panel better value over 10 years let alone much more energy efficient.

I tried getting technical information from the company that makes a certain Australian heat panel and the technician could only give me the advice that they are good to put under desks etc to warm your knees! That was about all they could tell me. So the choice was simple.

Cheers[/quote]

[Chris1]

thanks for the reply Ewan!

Looking @ ur pics, it looks like u also have a light fitting so u can view them @ night?

the words absolutely fantastic are the ones i was hoping for!!


It looks like i will try them,.,..i was a bit put off by the fact that for such an awesome sounding product they dont seem very popular,...

Thanks for the link to the other thread and the place to get em, youve been most helpful!!

[Ewan]

no worries mate. i am extremely enthusiastic about these products and feel that they are a cheap investment that will save you money in globes and electricity bills eternally. it is of up most importance that these products be used in the correct manner or you could risk having higher energy costs. anyway enough from me go talk to those pro heat guys in New York.

The light fitting is for an energy saving globe that provides a photoperiod. i use them in all my snake enclosures.

[Col J]

Chris,

I use them in some of my BHP enclosures. 6' x 2' x 2'. From memory, they are the 160W units which were available from the herp shop. Around 550mm x 400mm x 20mm. I use them with a dimming thermostat & they are hidden under a shelf which also has a basking light above it on the same circuit. Not the cheapest option, but they would only ever go to full power when first switched on at daylight in winter. A bit of overkill but they should last indefinitely.

The female prefers to bask under the shelf on the main floor & the male prefers to bask on the warm shelf under the light, so it gives them an extra option for basking.

In short, they are more expensive but a very good, long lasting heating option.

Col J.

[Col J]

Just checked the Herp Shop site & they are 160W, 540mm x 380mm. No longer available through the herpshop but maybe Brian has another option available. Call him.

Col J.

[Southside Morelia]

Ewan, it's refreshing to see someone soo passionate about their herps and a product, mate i'm the same, that's really commendable and good advice and i'm glad this system is working for you!
I'm a sparky and have installed radiant heat panels in mainly Nursing Homes, BUT know of the advantages of using them in a herpetological applications, ie, savings in electricity bills, maintenance etc.
Mate your correct, they are a good investment, but my question to Chris is can you cofirm the dimensions for me, ie, lengthxheight xdepth. As you guys are awhere, you need a heat gradient for your herps, radient heaters only give you a heat gradient on the horizontal plane. This means this type of heating would most benefit arboreal species like Chondros, an animal that moves UP & Dowm within the enclosure to regulate it's heat or thermoregulate!
Give us the dimensions and let's suss it out!
Cheers
scott.

[Ewan]

Originally Posted by Southside Morelia

Ewan, it's refreshing to see someone soo passionate about their herps and a product, mate i'm the same, that's really commendable and good advice and i'm glad this system is working for you!

Thank you for the kind words.

Originally Posted by Southside Morelia

As you guys are awhere, you need a heat gradient for your herps, radient heaters only give you a heat gradient on the horizontal plane. This means this type of heating would most benefit arboreal species like Chondros, an animal that moves UP & Dowm within the enclosure to regulate it's heat or thermoregulate!

Doesn't the use of a good thermostat give you control of the gradient and allow you maintain a gradient on both long low terrestrial enclosures and on high arboreal enclosures? Does this mean that there is no need to use a thermostat with these products in arboreal enclosures? Im not intending to seem narky at all, I just cant seem to get my head around your statement.

[amazonian]

Radiant heat panels are great I have been using & selling them for years

[Southside Morelia]

Originally Posted by Ewan

Thank you for the kind words.



Doesn't the use of a good thermostat give you control of the gradient and allow you maintain a gradient on both long low terrestrial enclosures and on high arboreal enclosures? Does this mean that there is no need to use a thermostat with these products in arboreal enclosures? Im not intending to seem narky at all, I just cant seem to get my head around your statement.

No, not knarky at all mate! My understanding and I stand corrected if wrong, but radiant heaters, "radiate" the heat from above, correct? I guess thinking now, if you had a radiant heater half the length of the enclosure it would work, yeah? It would give you that 50% heated and 50% not!
My first take on the principle and maybe incorrectly so, was that the panel was running the entire length of the enclosure, therefore not giving any heat gradient except for the horizontal plane. We use these heaters when heating Chondro encosures, where usually they encompass most of the ceiling length, but if you put it to one end, it would work, i guess, but because it is radiating.....I need to be convinced. But hey Ewan, you have done it and I havent, so there you go!
Is that how you do it Ewan?
Using a thermostat for this device is I guess OK, but radiant heaters take heaps to reach the desired temps, you may even notice yourself, they can be easily touched without burning yourself, opposed to a heat emitter or the like, they burn you if you touch them! Using a thermostat will work but I feel that the heat will fluctuate more in comparison to other "basking spot" type heating.
Hey, don't get me wrong guys, panel heaters are unreal if used in the right applications.
Cheers
SM.

[Southside Morelia]

Is that your sleeve? I guess it is, looking at the Bredli and all,i'm starting to like you even more, in a non-gay way...nice sleeve mate!
Cheers
SM

[Aslan]

Originally Posted by Southside Morelia

Using a thermostat for this device is I guess OK, but radiant heaters take heaps to reach the desired temps, you may even notice yourself, they can be easily touched without burning yourself, opposed to a heat emitter or the like, they burn you if you touch them! Using a thermostat will work but I feel that the heat will fluctuate more in comparison to other "basking spot" type heating.

...I would imagine that a dimming type thermostat would counter this problem...

[Ewan]

Your exactly right that they radiate heat from above and i guess in an open space the temps would only be noticeably higher than ambient temps directly under the heater. However in a confined space like a reptile enclosure with no ventilation all cage surfaces are noticeably warm to touch. The panels that were supplied to me for the terrestrial species are 1/3rd the length of the enclosure and for the arboreal species the panel is around half the length of the enclosure. If you were to run a peg board back or a chimney style ventilation system i could see that you could get away with running no thermostat with these particular panels. Having said that i also feel it would be a backwards thing to do because your electricity bill would be sky high because you may need to temperature control your room aswell. So as we said they are unreal when used properly.

The panels i recieved reach 30 degrees at the basking site in around 20 minutes but it can take another 30 minutes or so to reach 35 degrees. I consider this to be quite suitable for the winter months when cooling your animals at night for breeding.