Is it safe ?

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Bl69aze

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how safe or dangerous would it be to use a mat with an inbuilt temp controller and critical cut off point (50°c it turns it self off) on a thermostat. I feel it could be problematic.

It’s under a glass tank, the glass itself doesn’t get hot, however the air around it gets warm..

I ask because the temp control on the thermostat has no numbers or anything just a dial with a bar going from small to large and doesn’t help at all.

Thanks :)
 
I don't trust heat mats at all. I ran a few over the years, when I built my snake shed years ago I put a sub main in it with circuit breakers and it tripped out one day. Isolated the problem to one particular GPO which had the heat mat under a melamine cage. Moved the cage off the mat and there was a scorched mark the size of the mat on the Lino floor and the same on the cage bottom. So basically , if I hadn't put in the circuit breakers I would burnt the shed to the ground and killed my whole collection.
 
I'm with cement and I dont think your question can be answered on the forum unless we have a sparky amongst us.
Better talking to an SME rather than us hobbyists who will all have an opinion based upon our own experience.

If we do have an electrical expert on the site I'm sure they will respond in due course so just be patient
 
I don't trust heat mats at all. I ran a few over the years, when I built my snake shed years ago I put a sub main in it with circuit breakers and it tripped out one day. Isolated the problem to one particular GPO which had the heat mat under a melamine cage. Moved the cage off the mat and there was a scorched mark the size of the mat on the Lino floor and the same on the cage bottom. So basically , if I hadn't put in the circuit breakers I would burnt the shed to the ground and killed my whole collection.
I personally have had no problems with heat mats but can see the concern, I’ve been testing this mat to check for any problems and haven’t had any in 2months, with 3 thermometers at different areas along where the mat is..the problem is it doesn’t seem to spread the heat out evenly, just has a patch about 4-5° warmer than the rest..

Also while I’m here.. would you get the reading of the substrate, or the ground under the substrate?
 
sorry i know its not vey helpfull but i gotta say heat mats are dodgey imo PERIOD.. had one catch fire and almost burn my house down and have had 2 mates have similar issues.. to use one without a seperate decent thermostat would scare me to be honest!!
 
how safe or dangerous would it be to use a mat with an inbuilt temp controller and critical cut off point (50°c it turns it self off) on a thermostat. I feel it could be problematic.

It’s under a glass tank, the glass itself doesn’t get hot, however the air around it gets warm..

I ask because the temp control on the thermostat has no numbers or anything just a dial with a bar going from small to large and doesn’t help at all.

Thanks :)
It really isn't any different to using other heat sources. A spot bulb that is not matched to your enclosure will produce a similar amount of heat if the thermostat fails. Just buy a decent thermostat and you will have peace of mind.
 
The problem you have there @cement is if you put it under the melamine enclosure it has no airflow they should come with rubber feet and are not designed for larger/heavier enclosures than tubs IMO. I have never had a problem with a mat but I’ll probably never buy another as a heat cord is a far better option.
 
It really isn't any different to using other heat sources. A spot bulb that is not matched to your enclosure will produce a similar amount of heat if the thermostat fails. Just buy a decent thermostat and you will have peace of mind.
Sorry I think u missed my point that the mat has a built in thermostat supposedly.. but wondering how safe it is to have a thermostat controlling a thermostat..
 
I don't trust heat mats at all. I ran a few over the years, when I built my snake shed years ago I put a sub main in it with circuit breakers and it tripped out one day. Isolated the problem to one particular GPO which had the heat mat under a melamine cage. Moved the cage off the mat and there was a scorched mark the size of the mat on the Lino floor and the same on the cage bottom. So basically , if I hadn't put in the circuit breakers I would burnt the shed to the ground and killed my whole collection.
Very lucky you had the circuit breaker in place. I'm not sure about the mat you used but the ones sold these days state they are only to be used on the outside of a glass enclosure to prevent what happened to you.
 
The problem you have there @cement is if you put it under the melamine enclosure it has no airflow they should come with rubber feet and are not designed for larger/heavier enclosures than tubs IMO. I have never had a problem with a mat but I’ll probably never buy another as a heat cord is a far better option.
I would have heat cord... except the mat is not stuck to my enclosure and there’s a kind of film in between the foam under the tank and the mat.. and it peels off with the mat :( I do have a good air flow with about an inch off the ground
 
Sorry I think u missed my point that the mat has a built in thermostat supposedly.. but wondering how safe it is to have a thermostat controlling a thermostat..
Obviously the stand-alone thermostat will do its job and there won't be an issue. The thermostat on the mat won't ever need to turn on unless your other thermostat fails.
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I would have heat cord... except the mat is not stuck to my enclosure and there’s a kind of film in between the foam under the tank and the mat.. and it peels off with the mat :( I do have a good air flow with about an inch off the ground
Put a picture up Blaze. That sounds like a fire waiting to happen.
 
Obviously the stand-alone thermostat will do its job and there won't be an issue. The thermostat on the mat won't ever need to turn on unless your other thermostat fails.
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Put a picture up Blaze. That sounds like a fire waiting to happen.
Uhhhh I can’t really get a picture coz the tank is heavy as heck, however it’s like glass, styrofoam stuff(?) ,Film that’s super thin a
Nd then mat..

I did mean “is now stuck” not “is not stuck”

https://www.ipetz.com.au/reptile-range/enclosures/terrariums/02-14d-urs-terrarium-tower-detail.html I got this from kellyville when I got my coastal carpet and haven’t had a problem since.. with it

In fact I was told to have styrofoam under the mat I bought with the tank to get good airflow as it wasn’t a sticky mat
 
Uhhhh I can’t really get a picture coz the tank is heavy as heck, however it’s like glass, styrofoam stuff(?) ,Film that’s super thin and then mat..
If the mat isn't exposed to the air on the outside you definitely should change it so that it has unrestricted airflow.
If there is foam under the tank, try to peel and scrape it off where you want the mat to sit so the mat is touching the glass.
 
If the mat isn't exposed to the air on the outside you definitely should change it so that it has unrestricted airflow.
If there is foam under the tank, try to peel and scrape it off where you want the mat to sit so the mat is touching the glass.
There’s about an inch or half an inch gap between the mat and the base the tank is sitting on, with about an inch hanging over the back edge where it gets plenty of air flow
 
I wouldn't have styrofoam anywhere near a heatmat, but if they told you to do it then at least someome will be liable if something goes wrong.
 
Saximus/Dan is an electrical engineer I believe so will be helpful. (Let me know if this voids your privacy Dan, and I'll remove it)


I'm on team "I hate heat mats, yay heat cords"
 
I am an electrician but I don't really get the quistion if it is about the temperatur control on the termostat because that is all about the quality and brand or will it start a fire? Again quality and brand. I've seen many heatcords/heatmats that has scorched the surface of a table or the floor of wood tanks but never seen one that started a fire unless it is faulty wirering. I been in the hobby for +40 years and an electrician for +30 years :)
 
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