I hate heat mats

[Sock Puppet]

I've had a heat mat melt the bottom of an enclosure before, luckily no harm to my Bredli. Got the enclosure & heatmat replaced by the supplier, & haven't had a problem since.

 

[diprotodon]

I've been using the reptapet heat mats with built in thermo's
& they seem to be working wonderful..

Globes are always going to be touch & go
you can never guarantee their lifespan!

with the built in thermo is it an on and off style or dimming or pulse im quite interested in them so info would be cool

 

[mysnakesau]

I have used URS heatmats. I have lost 2 of them microclimate? I think it is, like the one in Tonsky's picture above. I use the mats inside my enclosures as much as I do sitting them underneath. I found that moisture seemed to find a way into them. On both occasions when I was doing a cleanout, I wipe down the mats and could feel that it was zappy. So I ditched them without question. But them green mats they sell, I have 6 of them running and have never had a problem with them. I have had them for over a year now.

 

[tooninoz]

Dodgey..

Dezza, you'll have to ignore posts like that...

Make sure your mat is suited to the thermo in click-clacks, adjusted to larger enclosures and take into account where your probes are. Hides etc will create hot-spots.
Especially in smaller enclosures.

 

[Bassassin]

Food for Thought

i had a URS heat mat burn out in a month. also had a bad run with there red heat globes. i wont use anything URS now. i like alittle more quality than what URS products offer

Food for Thought.

You'll find a bad story about every brand. Workmen should never blame there tools. Faults do happen, indivdually and even in batches. It comes down to quality control at the production process. Now some brands/labels don't have that control as they are not the manufacturer they Brand the product from manufactures.

It is only fair that you should let the Brand know because this may lead to the company changing manufacturer to improve the product.

Would it be a better feeling knowing you played a part in the improvement process or would you prefer to blame someone and drag there name through mud to feel high and mighty? Now I'm sure URS would replace it even if your local seller of the product would not. The last thing they want is negative feedback. If there product was no good they wouldn't have made it this far and I expect that they will keep getting bigger than they are now.

Price is not always a reflection of quality. Price generally reflects how many middle men there are. When there is an exporter from another country and/or an importer in yours then I can guarentee you will be paying more at the retail point - ZooMed & Exo-Terra I suspect. Might be worth checking it out! Too add, you will also pay for a name and that name usually is well recognised and/or hasn't had the competition for prices to come down.

I'll support an Australian company before looking elsewhere and that means letting them know what else they could have in there range for me to buy which others will too.

Anyway I'm outa here.

 

[wranga]

Bassassin..
i returned the heat mat back to the seller not URS. it wasnt used with a thermostat as the seller said it wouldnt be needed. when i returned the mat his answer to it being burnt out was that id probably had a power surge at home. (possible but not probable, as i had another heat mat running from the same power board) i didnt buy from this seller again. so i guess URS never knew about this. with the globes i have told the seller that they didnt last very long. i never paid for them as such so i couldnt say alot. but the seller was going to let URS know that they had feedback that wasnt good.
so yes your right, maybe i should of contacted URS directly. but ive now found a product that im happy using and just lick to pass on my experiences to others. if price is everything to them then URS may suit their budget. if price isnt a concern then they may do as i have and find a better product

 

[mysnakesau]

Bassassin..
i returned the heat mat back to the seller not URS. it wasnt used with a thermostat as the seller said it wouldnt be needed. ..........

I thought I'd add to this, what ever the seller tells you, always read the fine print on products you buy. If it came down to a nitty gritty legal battle, black and white always wins over your word against their's. Every product of URS's, and I would presume all brands would be the same, have it printed on the package, and/or a pamphlet with the product that recommends using the product with a thermostat. Their thermostats also have on the boxes what products their thermo's are compatible with (eg. same might say on/off therms not suitable for lights). Sellers are expected to know the product they sell, and 9 times out of 10 he may be right in saying you didn't need a thermo. But its that tenth time that something goes wrong, that they will cover their butt and point out the recommended use of a product, printed on the packaging.

 

[notechistiger]

I don't like heat mats, but I've never had one burn out. I just prefer the versatility and reliability of heat cords.

 

[smeejason]

i have all my heat mats under a cerminc floor tile and on thermostat. the large area retins the heat and also stops the problem of melting if the thermostsat fails as it is a large thermal mass to heat so get no where near as hot

 

[wranga]

I thought I'd add to this, what ever the seller tells you, always read the fine print on products you buy. If it came down to a nitty gritty legal battle, black and white always wins over your word against their's. Every product of URS's, and I would presume all brands would be the same, have it printed on the package, and/or a pamphlet with the product that recommends using the product with a thermostat. Their thermostats also have on the boxes what products their thermo's are compatible with (eg. same might say on/off therms not suitable for lights). Sellers are expected to know the product they sell, and 9 times out of 10 he may be right in saying you didn't need a thermo. But its that tenth time that something goes wrong, that they will cover their butt and point out the recommended use of a product, printed on the packaging.

very true Kath. but if a supplier wants to supply their product to a seller that gives miss leading information that damages the name of their produce then thats their problem for suppling that seller. this is only about the heat mat that failed. not the very short life span of their heat globes.

 

[Bassassin]

Bassassin..
i returned the heat mat back to the seller not URS. it wasnt used with a thermostat as the seller said it wouldnt be needed. when i returned the mat his answer to it being burnt out was that id probably had a power surge at home. (possible but not probable, as i had another heat mat running from the same power board) i didnt buy from this seller again. so i guess URS never knew about this. with the globes i have told the seller that they didnt last very long. i never paid for them as such so i couldnt say alot. but the seller was going to let URS know that they had feedback that wasnt good.
so yes your right, maybe i should of contacted URS directly. but ive now found a product that im happy using and just lick to pass on my experiences to others. if price is everything to them then URS may suit their budget. if price isnt a concern then they may do as i have and find a better product

Hi wranga
Some retailers don't want to go to the trouble of returns but it is their duty to the customer to go through the process. It is a shame that this seller treated you like you would not know any better. Honesty from sellers/retailers is a rare thing, some don't even have an ounce of knowledge about the product they sell and just say what they know the customer wants to hear just to get the money in their pocket. I'm in retail and I cringe at some of the things I here that are told to my now new customers. I'm not selling reptile products at he moment either.
My question is, how do you know its better? Do you know of its manufacturer? Personally I will not say something is better to a customer unless I have established a lot of knowledge of the product and will not rest on marketing or even what the rep's say because after all it is all selling.
I understand, once bitten, twice shy. Hopefully you get good life out of your new stuff to make up for the other expenditure that didn't go the distance.

 

[mysnakesau]

I don't like heat mats, but I've never had one burn out. I just prefer the versatility and reliability of heat cords.

Me too. I am going to be replacing all my lights and heatmats with heatcord panels. I need my hubby to make the borders for the panel for me, or maybe I'll just see how I go with his tools when he's not looking .. hehe .. last time I did that I threw a piece of timber at myself off his triton saw bench.

 

[Bassassin]

very true Kath. but if a supplier wants to supply their product to a seller that gives miss leading information that damages the name of their produce then thats their problem for suppling that seller. this is only about the heat mat that failed. not the very short life span of their heat globes.

Even a reseller sells himself to a supplier to get the product. I have just done this in the last 2 weeks. I sell sporting equipment but this week I start selling retile supplies and there are at least 4 pet shops in my town.
I went out looking for what I wanted to set up an enclosure, some of the things I wanted were not on the shelf and these are the pet specialist. So I was jacked about the choice and made the decision to start selling it myself with the endeavour of having a full range and this is how I got supplied, for those reasons or closes (sales talk)

 

[Gecko_ProCs]

I've had the same heat mat running for my Mac for almost 3 years
never had a problem

 

[sweetangel]

i have one of those urs green ones, it gets mighty hot and i use it with a thermostat, even then what ever is in direct contact with it starts melting a bit. its the hottest heat mat i have had. the other i have need to be off a thermo to even reach the right temp. so i just make sure that i have nothing touching the top of my urs heat mat and keep a plastic piece under it so it doesnt hurt nothing

but its been great!
i only have had a few problems with bulbs blowing, even though i love their purple night globes, really dark so i can sleep with them (i dont trust ceramic heaters, i have seen what damage they can do)

 

[mysnakesau]

The purple night lights give of a lovely night-like colour. I think it looks more natural than the red or blue bulbs - but of course that is just my personal preference. But I am gonna have a go at making my own heat panels with my heating cords so I can do away with the lights in all my tanks, except my ackie.

 

[agradehydro]

I've got an Exo Terra heatmat running 24/7 underneath a 80cm tall Exoterra enclosure, I find its reliable and gets good heat to the bottom of the enclosure really evenly

 

[Egernia]

Most of these types of products tend to come from a select few factories and are then sold under a brand name. So products sold under different brand names can and often do come from exactly the same production. The problem mentioned with the URS mat could therefore just as easily occur with any of the other brands.

So the 'brand' does not always determine the quality and any production run can have faulty items within the production. Using a thermostat and using the product carefully can help minimize the damage caused if you are unlucky enough to end up with a faulty product.

As someone mentioned in an earlier post price is not always a good indicator of quality. It can just mean that more hands have been involved in the distribution process - each of which has added a margin thereby resulting in a higher price.

 

[Bassassin]

Most of these types of products tend to come from a select few factories and are then sold under a brand name. So products sold under different brand names can and often do come from exactly the same production. The problem mentioned with the URS mat could therefore just as easily occur with any of the other brands.

So the 'brand' does not always determine the quality and any production run can have faulty items within the production. Using a thermostat and using the product carefully can help minimize the damage caused if you are unlucky enough to end up with a faulty product.

As someone mentioned in an earlier post price is not always a good indicator of quality. It can just mean that more hands have been involved in the distribution process - each of which has added a margin thereby resulting in a higher price.

You got it!

 

[Colin]

Any burnt out heatmats i have seen have been run without a thermostat.

I agree with wokka. I think using them without a thermostat where they can get extremely hot is asking for trouble.

Ive been using microclimate heat mats for over 5 years (some are 5 years old) and I've never had a single problem with them at all. I have probably about 20 plus mats of different lengths all microclimate brand. they are used underneath tubs and hooked up to a microclimate thermostat that never has them running hotter than 30-32 degrees max.