Zoo Med Repti Heat Cable

Okay, so I'm always up for some product testing, right? While I spend a LOT of my time in the salon, I occasionally get called out to work the floor, and as such I like to know which products to reccomend and which to tell people to avoid (for example, I don't think our store has sold a heat rock in over a year, we all warn people how bad they suck). I picked up the Zoo Med Repti Heat Cable and plugged it into a rheostat set as low as it could without being OFF, and let it get warm. The package says you can use it in a zigzag as an UTH, or stick it to the side of the tank, or (GOD FORBID) actually put it RIGHT IN THE TANK, say...wrapped around a decoration or something.

After a few hours of being plugged into my rheostat, I checked on it...and oh my god it was a BILLION DEGREES. Okay that's a slight exaggeration, but still...it got WAY too hot for ME to touch, much less for my reptiles to sit on!

I returned it and made them put "I HATE THIS" for the reason for the return on the slip. :)

Just figured I'd share. If anyone considers this product...AVOID AVOID AVOID, I'm sure it'll cook your snake. Given how hot it got when using a dimmer, I can't imagine the harm it could cause if some idiot just plugged it straight into a wall!!!

It probaly would be okay on a thermostat! Thanks for the warning!

I think you got a bad one (rheostat). I use to use it with a rheostat on the cool side of my boa cage. I never had an issue with it. I was using the light dimmer at Home Depot to control it.

I would have thought the 8 watt heat pads would have been an issue because the use so little current. I don't have any issues with those either. I'll go along with you on not using it in the cage though. At least with any reptiles I have.

If it's the ZooMed rheostat those things are notoriously bad. Anything I plug into them on the lowest setting get super hot. Lots of people use them with a Helix or Herpstat with no issue.

I have 50 feet of it inside some shelves which I used for baby geckos for the last year and it has always worked fine. I have it hooked uo to a helix thermostat though.

Heat cable is not ideal, due to inconsistent heating, but with a thermostat and a heat gun it is fine.

I have two that I use for backups when I have a snake on top of my rack as a temporary housing situation.

You cannot use a rheostat and then critique a heating element, you need a proper heat control product (thermostat). I would use a dial light dimmer for 3.0$ before I would use a zoo med rheostat.

Bruce

PS: not ripping on you.