Vivarium Electronics / Reptile Basics Radiant Heat Panel warning

Hi all,
I wanted to share my experience in the interests of the safety of your animals and not wanting you to waste your money like I have.

After only one year this radiant heat panel started failing on me, and was no longer able to consistently hold the needed temperature. I contacted them thinking it would be a simple matter of replacement since they state they have a lifetime warranty, but their customer service was exceedingly unhelpful. I spent many emails trying to explain to them the dropping temperatures, and they simply refused to acknowledge it, reminding me that their warranty is "at their discretion". It is a very expensive device and now I have to replace it after only one year at my cost.

I have since learned that this device is not UL or CE certified for safety, which means if melts or catches on fire (google it, it has happened) and burns down your house, not only will you loose your reptile and house, your insurance may not cover it. They advertise that they use a thermo fuse for safety. While fuses help reduce the risk of fire, all fuses degrade and fail eventually, and once it fails on this unit, shorting of the element, melting of the housing and fires are possible.

My temp readings indicate that the device is overheating at times and the "safety fuse" seems to be tripping, and then grossly under-heating for 15 hours. So with the constant tripping, it is likely to fail very badly soon, and I am not going to wait for it to burn us to death.

I will definitely not be buying this product one again, most likely will go with Pro Heat as my replacement. If you have had negative or positive experiences with Pro Heat, please share.

I don't use this kind of heat at all so I'm not that familiar with them, but I'm just wondering- is it possible to simply change the fuse in it after 6-12 months, just as a safety precaution & "disaster-prevention"? Or is it inaccessible unless you destroy the unit?

Thank you for bringing this issue to the attention of others here in the interest of safety.

I'm going to take this post with a grain of salt as I've seen these "warning" posts before for VE/RB panels and they always end with the person going to pro panels. For some reason, the OPs only post once or a few times and disappear...

With that being said, I've had my Reptile Basics panels for literally years and never had any issues. Maybe VE or RB can chime in on this.

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Any product can fail. What we haven’t heard about is the type of thermostat you’re using to control said heat panel, temps it’s set at, distance of enclosure items from the face of the panel, extension cords/surge protectors, newest version of their panel or recently new versions, etc. Mine have all worked fine between 9months and 4yrs. I use both RBI and Pro Heat panels. No issues with either


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Originally Posted by Mr. Misha

I'm going to take this post with a grain of salt as I've seen these "warning" posts before for VE/RB panels and they always end with the person going to pro panels. For some reason, the OPs only post once or a few times and disappear...

With that being said, I've had my Reptile Basics panels for literally years and never had any issues. Maybe VE or RB can chime in on this.

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I was going to say, the "UL or CE certified" thing made me realize I've seen this exact same post before

Yep. Always a first time post and we never hear from the OP again.


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What tstat are you running it with and how? As in, proportional or off/on? I am just curious.

I have two RHPs from them in cages I got from PVC Cages. I have had the first one since 2012 and the second since 2016. Both running off a Herpstat on proportional output. Neither have given me any issues at all.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Misha

I'm going to take this post with a grain of salt as I've seen these "warning" posts before for VE/RB panels and they always end with the person going to pro panels. For some reason, the OPs only post once or a few times and disappear...

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Originally Posted by plateOfFlan

I was going to say, the "UL or CE certified" thing made me realize I've seen this exact same post before

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Originally Posted by jmcrook

Yep. Always a first time post and we never hear from the OP again...

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I hate to think this is a sales tactic by a rival brand (or by a friend of-), but I agree, that IS rather suspicious...:rolleyes: Time will tell if it's a one-off post.

Any sort of heating element has some sort of safety issue associated with it. That's just how electronics and heat roll.

RHPs? Make sure they've properly outgassed, don't let too much heat reflect back at the unit, maybe get them serviced every few years to replace fuses and the like. Heat bulbs? Don't spray them with water when they're hot, don't let your herps touch them, watch for electrical shorts. CHEs? Definitely don't let anything touch them. Heat tape? Don't get me started.

My point is that any heating element can fail, like the others have said. Avoid obvious junk and untested technology, follow the manufacturer's instructions for use, remember your safety regulators and relays, maintain and check your equipment, and you should be good.

For what it's worth, the only consistent, widespread scuttlebutt I've heard in the VE versus ProProducts RHP debate is that the VE panels seem to be a bit stinkier when offgassing. Since offgassing smells seemed to be tied to the type of plastic used in the unit's shell, which does appear to be different between the two companies... yeah, I could potentially see that. People who have used both brands can chime in on this front. I'm curious.

Here's the other one that I was talking about. I'm sure there's a few more out there...

This isn't the first time that this happens and it won't be the last. Very unethical business practices if you ask me. This just can't be an accident.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...er-Heat-Panels

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Originally Posted by WrongPython

Any sort of heating element has some sort of safety issue associated with it. That's just how electronics and heat roll.

RHPs? Make sure they've properly outgassed, don't let too much heat reflect back at the unit, maybe get them serviced every few years to replace fuses and the like. Heat bulbs? Don't spray them with water when they're hot, don't let your herps touch them, watch for electrical shorts. CHEs? Definitely don't let anything touch them. Heat tape? Don't get me started.

My point is that any heating element can fail, like the others have said. Avoid obvious junk and untested technology, follow the manufacturer's instructions for use, remember your safety regulators and relays, maintain and check your equipment, and you should be good.

For what it's worth, the only consistent, widespread scuttlebutt I've heard in the VE versus ProProducts RHP debate is that the VE panels seem to be a bit stinkier when offgassing. Since offgassing smells seemed to be tied to the type of plastic used in the unit's shell, which does appear to be different between the two companies... yeah, I could potentially see that. People who have used both brands can chime in on this front. I'm curious.

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Both definitely stink when off gassing. Can't recall offhand which was the worse offender at my place to be honest though. Pro Heat claims no off gassing but they definitely stink for a bit when brand new and fired up.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Misha

I'm going to take this post with a grain of salt as I've seen these "warning" posts before for VE/RB panels and they always end with the person going to pro panels. For some reason, the OPs only post once or a few times and disappear...

With that being said, I've had my Reptile Basics panels for literally years and never had any issues. Maybe VE or RB can chime in on this.

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While I can't speak for the OP's experience, and while I haven't been nearly as active on this site as I once was (due to kids, home projects, etc.) I can speak to my experience with the older style Vivarium Electronics heat panels - I recently replied to a post about it but will mention it here and include photos.

Of the heat panels we were running, 2 were the older style VE kind with the plug that could be removed from the panel itself, 2 are newer VE ones where the wire cannot come out of the panel, and 1 is from ProProducts. I liked the ease of ordering VE panels, which is why we initially went with them.

A few weeks ago while checking on snakes and turning on lights, I noticed that our BCL had partially unplugged the wire from the panel and it was literally smoking. Part of the plug had melted. I hate to think of what could have happened to my animals and house if I hadn't gone down to that snake room when I did. All RHPs were/are controlled by Herpstats.

Needless to say, we stopped using those panels immediately and have replaced them with ones from ProProducts. We still have the 2 newer style VE panels but will also be replacing those as they look like they have warped.

Buy whichever products you prefer and feel comfortable with, but there are safety issues with VE RHPs.

https://imgur.com/a/buBicwX

Sorry, it's been a while since I've tried to upload photos. Hopefully this works.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...e33735e5f4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...051498e3da.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...22084f8ed6.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9f487154de.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...76d7ff63b3.jpg

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Originally Posted by WhompingWillow

Sorry, it's been a while since I've tried to upload photos. Hopefully this works.https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...e33735e5f4.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...051498e3da.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...22084f8ed6.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...9f487154de.jpghttps://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...76d7ff63b3.jpg

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Thank you for posting this - it was my post you replied to about the VE panels on another thread and after seeing these photos I now realize that I have the exact same old VE model that you had. The fact that yours melted and was smoking is very worrying and I will be looking into changing mine.

Yes, sounds like undersized panel relative to ambient temps (which are lowest this time of the year for many of us, leading to this sort of situation after some time with acceptable performance). As already mentioned, knowing the thermostat model, settings and probe placement will help evaluate things, as better thermostats won't let this happen (alarms after too long running without reaching set point).

I never even realized the correlation with that. When I was looking at purchasing a heat panel for one of my enclosures, it was most likely posts like this that persuaded me to go to pro products. Huh, i'll definitely keep an eye out on that. That seems very shady indeed.
Thanks for pointing that out

So I found the same review apparently from the OP on Reddit, where the replies were less skeptical of the claims, and the reviewer responded to questions. Just to clarify, I think skepticism of random forum posts is quite reasonable.

Likely some of the reason for creating a new account here just to post this is less concern for hobbyists than some sort of catharsis. I've had a customer service interaction with the company in question that makes it reasonable to suspect that the reviewer's position is based on that experience rather than simply a premature product failure.

FWIW, I own both brands of panels and slightly prefer the ProProduct panels and would purchase one again if I needed another panel. My VE panels have not had any failures or real faults, though.

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Originally Posted by Malum Argenteum

FWIW, I own both brands of panels and slightly prefer the ProProduct panels and would purchase one again if I needed another panel. My VE panels have not had any failures or real faults, though.

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Same. I give a slight edge to Pro Products for a more compact panel, slightly more durable, better cord/plug design, and uses less electricity.


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Originally Posted by jmcrook

uses less electricity.

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I assume you mean that the heat radiates downward more effectively than the VE, which has a warmer top surface than the PP panel. Because both convert electricity to heat with the same efficiency.

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Originally Posted by Mr. Misha

I'm going to take this post with a grain of salt as I've seen these "warning" posts before for VE/RB panels and they always end with the person going to pro panels. For some reason, the OPs only post once or a few times and disappear...

With that being said, I've had my Reptile Basics panels for literally years and never had any issues. Maybe VE or RB can chime in on this.

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I am going to take this comment with a grain of salt as I bought a reptile basics 120m watt panel and it only lasted 40 days before it died. Now I have to fork over more money to have it shipped for repair. People go to pro panels because they are far superior quality then the junk reptile basics sells.

I try not to post on any sites for the exact reasons some are stating here, that either we or someone we know was asked to place this type of post. I have never or asked anyone else to place such a post. Our Pro Heat panels stand on their own merits and everyone can make their own decision as to what they want to purchase. Everyone is entitled to their opinion and should do their own due diligence to determine the benefit or risk of a specific product. This and any other post had nothing to do with us and is the experience or opinion of that person which I have no control over, whether good or bad.

Bob @ Pro Products

The only negative thing I have to say about Pro Products is that one time it took Bob a couple days to get back to me because the email went to his spam folder.

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Originally Posted by Matt300zxt

The only negative thing I have to say about Pro Products is that one time it took Bob a couple days to get back to me because the email went to his spam folder.

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I think I could "live with that" too. :rofl:

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Originally Posted by SS snakes

I never even realized the correlation with that. When I was looking at purchasing a heat panel for one of my enclosures, it was most likely posts like this that persuaded me to go to pro products. Huh, i'll definitely keep an eye out on that. That seems very shady indeed.
Thanks for pointing that out

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Yes Bob asks the temp of the room tank will be in and lowest temp it will get, type of flooring, wheee in the house (up, down or basement) etc. The dude is locked in!