Heat Mat in Wooden Enclosure?

[BigBrad]

Heat

so anyways wat is the best heat option for a wooden tank? like overall what would be safer while still applying enough heat for the hot end to be around 32 degrees?

Easy answer , heat cord hooked up to a thermostat.

 

[Python-Lover4lyf]

thanks for a simple answer

 

[montysrainbow]

hmm...i would put the heat mat in the enclosure and then place river stones and a bit of coconut fibre over it....thats what i do n e way. works 4 me

 

[Python-Lover4lyf]

thanks

 

[mysnakesau]

Any heat source can burn if it doesn't have any air flow around it. When you bury a heat mat, and the heat has no where to go, the heat concentrates in one spot and will burn out. I've burnt out a heatcord and a heat mat - both due to my own error. The green heatmats do have a bad reputation. Mine was underneath a few layers of newspaper and one day I found the bottom of my tank almost burnt right through. I was lucky my beautiful jungle boy didn't get burnt, or even cause a fire. The heat cord - I made a panel and on the underside I had foil sheet so when I mounted the panel on the wall, the heat would be forced back into the enclosure. But when my olive girl's belly swelled up after a feed I thought she wasn't getting enough heat so I put the heat panel on the floor and placed a piece of melamine on top of it. Ppl say the heatcords don't burn, but when placed like I had it, where is the air space? there wasn't any. I didn't touch the heat sources once they were in place so it wasn't until some time later I realised her tank was cold that I needed to check it. The heatcord melted onto the wire mesh I had it weaved around, it burnt the shade cloth and even the foil sheet was crazy cracked, and the underside of the melamine that was sitting on the cord, was black and cracked.

So keep this in mind when choosing your heat source. Some brands are better than others, but most importantly it is where you put it that makes a difference to safety.

I now have heatcord panels mounted on the walls of the enclosures, and an area built up with a small box leaning onto the cord, so the snakes can get close to it, and inside a hot box if they want to. It is safe, lots of air flowing past the panel so less or no risk of burning.

 

[Python-Lover4lyf]

Thanks ... took that all in

 

[Bax79]

For years in my melamine enclosures I used 300x300 microclimate heat mats on top of newspaper and under a ceramic tile, I used this size mat from 900 long to 1800 long and always had plenty if heat for my pythons, I then changed to heat cord about 3 years ago so I didn't need to chop heat mat plugs off and replace, I routed the cord into shelves covered it with aluminium tape and a tile to cap it off, I've recently switched to heat radiators both homemade and pre-made versions. Ive never used thermostats till now as some if my pre-made ones are 160w and can reach very high temps, I've kept bredli and also bred them here and there and I offer them temps of 35-37 in the basking tile, hatchies I generally heat half the floor space as it helps with keeping them feeding all year for at least their first winter, I know of people that keep snakes for up to two years in tubs in a climate controlled rooms set at 32c and they thrive in this environment. Bredli are probably the most hardy python species and can handle most things we throw at them and I reckon they are the best first python to choose!!

 

[Python-Lover4lyf]

Couldn't agree more Bax. My little guy is such a sweetheart and wouldn't swap him for the world! <33

 

[Monitor Madness]

I have a question in regards to people having problems with heat cords and mats burning wood or other things.
Did you have them running off a thermostat?
I understand that if the heats got no where to go it will get hotter but if it's connected through a thermostat and the temps getting that high to burn wood shouldn't the thermostat be cutting it out?

 

[Python-Lover4lyf]

mmm my thoughts exactly

 

[Bax79]

I have a question in regards to people having problems with heat cords and mats burning wood or other things.
Did you have them running off a thermostat?
I understand that if the heats got no where to go it will get hotter but if it's connected through a thermostat and the temps getting that high to burn wood shouldn't the thermostat be cutting it out?

Never used a thermostat and never even remotely burnt a enclosure, I only use microclimate heat mats and herp shop heat cords, refer to my previous post regarding how I set them up!

 

[mysnakesau]

Thermostat wouldn't make much difference because the thermo would be keeping the heat source set at a particular temperature. So you still have the heat with no escape route. I don't use thermostats but I use the lowest wattage heat cords and mats. I had a 10w heatmat burn out and a 25w heatcord. But it doesn't matter how big or small the power is if the heat can't disperse.

 

[Monitor Madness]

I get that without an escape route for the heat it will build up and get hotter and eventually burn or melt something. Without the heat escaping it will just get hotter and hotter which is what people are seeing.
If connected to a thermostat, that should be cutting it out at the set temp even if heat is building up therefore not getting hot enough to cause damage.
The reason I asked my original question is too see if the people who had issues used thermostats.
Im not saying put a heat mat under sand and it will be ok but if the thermostat probe is with the heat mat then it shouldn't get hot enough to burn.

Thats just my thinking I maybe wrong

 

[Bax79]

Is the escape route not through heating a tile or perch which the snake basks on? My cords have no gap in their routed grooves, they are then covered over in aluminium tape which is then covered by a tile, I would say my cords are suffocated but yet like I said previously I've never even come close to a burnt out cord.

 

[mysnakesau]

.....but if the thermostat probe is with the heat mat then it shouldn't get hot enough to burn.

Thats just my thinking I maybe wrong

I don't understand how a thermostat can make a difference with no air flow on the heat source. A thermostat does not cool the heat. It just turns off and on to maintain the temperature. I burnt a 10w heat mat which I does not get any hotter than 34c (that I have tested on mine, anyway) yet burying it under newspaper was still enough to burn out, unless of course the mat was faulty, but my heatcord did the same.

Bax I too have heatcord running through grooves and covered in aluminium tape and I have not had problems with them, yet I still managed to burn out one I had entwined around mesh and sandwiched between foil sheeting and a piece of melamine timber.

 

[dragonlover1]

Hey guys i've built a wooden enclosure for my gorgeous little baby i'll be picking up this weekend (Thanks jinjajoe ) and i was wondering if a heat mat was safe for a wooden enclosure. I was worried there was a possibilty of fires but i've always preferred heatmats and hadn't had to worry because the previous enclosures were made of glass. So bottom line is a heat mat safe to ue as a heatsource in a wooden enclosure and if not what is a good suppliment (lol can't spell)? thanks for any input

I have wooden enclosures with a heat cable on top of the floor and covered by sand,the glass floored tanks have a heat mat under the glass.

 

[Monitor Madness]

I don't understand how a thermostat can make a difference with no air flow on the heat source. A thermostat does not cool the heat. It just turns off and on to maintain the temperature. I burnt a 10w heat mat which I does not get any hotter than 34c

A thermostat will stop the mat or cord from heating when it's at the set temp say 34c. At 34c I cant see that being hot enough to burn wood regardless of build up heat. Without a thermo it's just going to get hotter and hotter and depending on ambient temp and how its setup, but with a thermo it will cut the heating out preventing it getting too hot.
I don't see why people don't run thermos. My original question was to see if the people who were having the trouble with things burning or melting had them connected to a thermo because I would have thought the thermostat would cut it out therefore preventing things getting burnt.

 

[dragonlover1]

A thermostat will stop the mat or cord from heating when it's at the set temp say 34c. At 34c I cant see that being hot enough to burn wood regardless of build up heat. Without a thermo it's just going to get hotter and hotter and depending on ambient temp and how its setup, but with a thermo it will cut the heating out preventing it getting too hot.
I don't see why people don't run thermos. My original question was to see if the people who were having the trouble with things burning or melting had them connected to a thermo because I would have thought the thermostat would cut it out therefore preventing things getting burnt.

What worries me is the people saying they have paper over the heatmats/cables,that is just asking for trouble IMO

 

[Bax79]

What worries me is the people saying they have paper over the heatmats/cables,that is just asking for trouble IMO

I've always done this and most people I know do, I have 1 mate that had o e catch fire and that's because it was a cheap mat, not a microclimate, as the saying goes "you get what you paid for".