A very simple but effective heating tip for those winter months

[beefa270]

Hi Team,

I have a very very simple tip for those winter months

I have noticed that during the winter months, my enclosure heat lamps rarely, if ever, gets to the right temp where the thermostat swithces the light off

Anyways, I was watching a discovery channel documentary and apparently 80% of heat in a room goes out through the glass

After feeding I like to keep the heat on overnight, so all I did was literally drape a big beach towel over the front of the enclosure and hey presto, the enclosure heated up enough to swithc the thermostat off after a little while

Just a thought for the winter months

Beefa270

 

[TANN-MANN]

I do the same but with old woolen electric blankets from vinnies, they cut the cords off so it cant be used but the wool is great for insulation. especially when it get well below -5 out side

 

[ravensgait]

You guys scare me Randy

 

[nick_w]

Thanks beefa!

 

[Lozza]

yep I put blankets over my cages in winter - also windows suck out heaps of heat from the room so they all have insulating curtains now for night time. Keeping the room door shut helps a lot too

 

[waruikazi]

what if it catches fire?

 

[Lozza]

wool cant catch fire

 

[Ewan]

I feel that most of the heat we loose from our enclosures is due to transfer from cold surfaces. ie. Warm enclosures being on a cold floor. Since introducing insulation to my enclosures I have noted a more accurately maintained temperature and a serious reduction in electricity costs. (I also switched to heat panels and adjustable vents at the same time). However, to an extent, heat will escape through glass. I am working on an enclosure that is double glazed (it is identical to a single glazed enclosure I have) to see if it is in fact the glass that the heat escapes through or if it is lost through transfer to cold floor surfaces.

 

[mysnakesau]

Thats why fish tanks are often regarded as unsuitable enclosures because they don't hold the heat so yeah that would make sense.

 

[notechistiger]

Wool can catch fire. One of my cousins was lucky to survive after his woolen electric blanket caught fire a couple of months ago. His bed, electric blanket and all, was estimated by the fire department to have gone up in less than two and a half minutes.

Wool can and will catch fire.

 

[Lozza]

yes but that was an electric blanket (plus was it 100% wool? I haven't seen many that are).
An electric blanket is way different to just putting a 100% wool blanket over the glass of an enclosure (and if your enclosure did catch fire, the wood would be more of a problem than a woollen blanket )

 

[misssullivan]

We had a pet lamb that died :cry:, so we put it in the incinerator so that the dog wouldn't dig it up later. :shock:

the wool burnt.

rather well actually! :lol:

and I'm assuming that it was 100% wool considering it was still on the sheep!!

 

[pythonmum]

My Antaresia are in a modified fish tank, but I insulate the back and sides with one of those reflective windscreen shields with quilt batting between the glass and reflective shield. It seems to help a lot, although not exactly beautiful. The top is wood with vents, but I don't cover them.

 

[waruikazi]

yes but that was an electric blanket (plus was it 100% wool? I haven't seen many that are).
An electric blanket is way different to just putting a 100% wool blanket over the glass of an enclosure (and if your enclosure did catch fire, the wood would be more of a problem than a woollen blanket )

Wool will burn particularly well if it has a heat source, like a light bulb.

 

[Lozza]

Wool will burn particularly well if it has a heat source, like a light bulb.

so will everything else in the room! All I'm saying is that it is not as bad as using some synthetic thing that will melt and catch fire with the tiniest amount of heat.


"Wool is harder to ignite than most synthetic and cotton fibres used in equivalent products (higher ignition temperature); it has lower rate of flame spread; low heat release and low heat of combustion; doesn't melt or drip; forms a char which is insulating and self-extinguishes; and contributes less to toxic gases and smoke than other flooring products when used in carpets. Wool is often specified for fire-fighter garments."

so stop flamin me for using a blanket when its -7deg outside

 

[waruikazi]

wool cant catch fire

This is What you said champ...

 

[amazonian]

Signature material.

 

[Ewan]

From what I understand a lot of wool products such as celling bats and flame retardent safety clothing contain a flame retardent along with wool. They use wool as a medium because of the qualities that Lozza mentioned.

 

[TANN-MANN]

100% wool in a woven state such as the old school electric blankets, while there is still a chance of it going up there is a lot less then any other natural fibre, fire brigade uniforms are made of wool, if the wool is going to go up i'd say that the cage would already be in a blaze.
the electric blankets found on the market these days are a mixture of fibres including synthetics and are flammable crap.
a lamb in an incinerator...well of course the wool will burn, those things get hot enough to burn the bones...

 

[Ishah]

wool cant catch fire

I doubt they are really "flaming" you for using a blanket, they are more "flaming" you for your quote above! What you should have said is "Wool is less likely to catch fire than a beach towel" or something like that instead of straight out saying that it doesn't burn at all... Because it DOES catch fire eventually, no matter what percentage... Like others have said, they add fire retardants etc to the wool in firefighting clothes etc to make them more resistant to burning. You may not have personally experienced the fact that it burns, but others have and hence you getting "grilled" for it. Because that statement you made above is really quite false and everyone is laughing about that...NOT the fact that you use a blanket for insulation... Sometimes it pays to do a bit of research before stating such things if you have not personally experienced it etc...

Just think... you could have died if someone didn't properly inform you... So lucky you said it hey?