Heat mat inside vivarium

Hello

I ordered this heat mat but I thought the bottom was made of glas.

Its not. Its Melamin.

So I thought. Can I put it inside and put vinyl on top?

If you can make a water tight barrier between the snake and the UTH then yes. A good thermostat is extremely important if you are going to put the UTH inside the cage.

The most important things that you need to make sure of are that the UTH stays the right temperature, and that it cannot get wet/moved around.

I think I got a perfect plan for it. I use viny that sticks on one side. So should I attach the probe from the thermostat underneath the viny as well?

If you can without making it bulge too much.

If not you might have to hot glue it above.

Yes. Thank you :-)

It´s going to be good.

..... contrary to what most people say about heat transfer with wood I have a small uth on the bottom of my 3/4 inch mdf bottom ( outside ) and if it isn't regulated it will get up to 108 + on the inside of the enclosure.

My advise would be if you choose an interior UTH use one designed for direct contact, Kane UTH they are waterproof and lower temps than regular and made for direct animal contact.

I spoke with the shop and he said that there is a theoretical chance there will be a problem but he had used excactly the same method for many years.

The rare occasions was lizards and leguanas scratching it so the wiring got exposed but that was in direct contact with it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

My advise would be if you choose an interior UTH use one designed for direct contact, Kane UTH they are waterproof and lower temps than regular and made for direct animal contact.

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Long term, this is the best advice if the mat must be inside the cage. If I recall, Kane mats are made in Scotland...you should be able to purchase them online.

Kane mats I think are made in Iowa.

http://www.kanemfg.com

dav4 I think you are thinking of ultratherm mats that are made in Scotland.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads

Both are great but Kane pads are water resistant and insulated.

Do you know the brand called "Trixie"?

What about heatcables? better choice?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kitedemon

Kane mats I think are made in Iowa.

http://www.kanemfg.com

dav4 I think you are thinking of ultratherm mats that are made in Scotland.

http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultratherm-heat-pads

Both are great but Kane pads are water resistant and insulated.

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Yup, you're right:oops:.

I would think heat cables would make more sense as they are waterproof. They do get horribly hot however. You are using ultratherms are you? this cuts the max heat it is a toss up to my mind. I would still go with a RHP myself easier and cheaper.

The reasons for my concerns are this,

Out gassing is the uth sealed up if so and gas builds up will it rupture the waterproof seal?
Tstat failure could start a fire. Ultratherms help this as they simply do not get stupid hot. Are you in Europe?
inspection of the UTH is difficult or impossible. They do odd things sometimes I inspect all my heaters very carefully every 6 months.


If I may my suggestion would be cable, taped to the bottom of a tile (stone or ceramic) spacers added to the floor of the enclosure supporting the tile (in floor spacers) and drill vent holes in the bottom of the wood to allow for gas and liquids to escape. I don't think I would seal it in just lay it in. Tape the tiles together underneath and fit them tight to the sides. Then you can lift it out and clean under neath inspect and mop spills up. The heat cable is suspended under the tile and out of anything that spills. I would likely use a failsafe as well no matter the brand or features of the primary as the penalty for failure is very high.

Quick drawing... brown is tile, red heater black is enclosure and spacers it is a cross section.
http://images108.fotki.com/v1623/pho...infloor-vi.jpgHosted on Fotki

I am not trying to be difficult. For 25 years I have done sports most consider to be extreme, climbing, powerkiting ect. I have never been hurt doing either (well requiring doctors lots of cuts and such) I have had friends seriously hurt in the past. I have not been because although I do take risks they are all calculated risk. I would with toxic chemicals everyday and same thing never been hurt. This is why I post the way I do. I weight advantages over potential risk and assume things will fail and make back up plans and often back up of the back up plans. The set up you have described if I understand what you have done (sandwich a uth with a probe between a sealed vinyl and wood floor with no spacer and no air flow) sounds like it will work and if anything fails cause very serious issues.

I ordered a piece of glas to put on top it, and will purchase heat cables as soon as i can afford it