Safety of space heaters?

I keep my snakes in my room which is probably the warmest room in the house. The ambient room temperatures were great for the cool side during the summer, but now that it's cooling down it isn't working (cool side is getting down to 77).

I've looked into buying a space heater to keep the room temps up to 80-82. When I suggested this to my mother, she was horrified. She said they're incredibly dangerous, and I'd burn the house down. Are they really this dangerous? What safety precautions should I take? Also, are there any specific heaters you'd recommend?

Thank you for any information!

Here's a link with some information. http://www.cpsc.gov/CPSCPUB/PUBS/463.html

As with all heaters, there is some risk. That risk is there for the under the tank heaters too. I wouldn't plan on buying the cheapest model out there, but look for one that meets federal regs. I know I've had good success with my electric space heater when I used to have to use one. The room they're in now doesn't require it now. I usually put extra smoke detectors in that room, and you can use a thermostat to help control the heat output of the heater. Otherwise most of my knowledge is very limited. Hopefully that helps some. :oops:

I use an oil filled heater hooked to a thermostat and haven't had any issues yet. I find the oil filled ones to last longer then the forced air variety.

Also with any heater, remember to up your humidity since they have a tendancy to suck all the moisture from the air.

Thanks for the link! I'm still reading it.

Drying out the room shouldn't be a problem. I had to make over 75 holes (I stopped counting) holes in the tubs to keep the humidity down. Even now it's at 60-70%. Bringing the humidity down would be AWESOME for when I upgrade the tub sizes so I don't have to make so many holes again. And before anyone asks, I use a digital hygrometer so it should be accurate.

For the thermostat, could I plug it into the one I'm using to regulate the UTH or do I need to buy a new one and set it at 80-82? I ask in case it's just a precaution if it starts malfunctioning and gets really, really hot.

I use oil filled radiators all over the place and find them to be pretty safe. I have 3 going right now and probably will need something to keep the ASFs warm in the basement this winter.

Just make sure that they are in clean areas. I threw a towel on top of one once forgetting that it was there and did not have any fire or even smoke, so id consider them pretty safe. Also make sure you get brand name, I do not trust some of those cheaper ones out there....

Yes they are dangerous, but if used correctly you lower the chance of anything bad happening. During the winter A LOT of house fires I see are caused by space heaters, well more likely caused by the person operating them. Keep one hooked to a thermostat and keep paper items and clothing a few feet away from it and you will be fine.

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Originally Posted by FIREball

Yes they are dangerous, but if used correctly you lower the chance of anything bad happening. During the winter A LOT of house fires I see are caused by space heaters, well more likely caused by the person operating them. Keep one hooked to a thermostat and keep paper items and clothing a few feet away from it and you will be fine.

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what he said.........

definitely want to use an extra t-stat (probably on-off type like a Ranco) If the built in t-stat fails, then the additional t-stat will prevent the heater from running wide open and overheating the area or room.

I agree. Make sure the heater is in an open area with no fabrics or such near it, hook it up to it's own t-stat, and get a good one! Do that and you should be fine. I'm Terrified of fires, but I trust the one I got.

I use an oil filled heater I got at Lowes during a spring sale. It has wide feet to prevent tip over (good thing, since I bumped into it full force one night and it only rocked a little), and the surface doesn't really get that hot, but the air over it does. :) Heaters are a great asset in cold areas when you can't afford to run the main heater much.

When you first get the heater(of whatever variety, but I'd reccomend the oil filled as well, LOVE those things, very safe)... plug it in, and CHECK THE PLUG. We had two that the plugs overheated on.
I plugged mine into a dedicated thermostat too. That rocks. Keeps the room nicely warm, and the oil filled doesn't dry the air nearly as bad as the forced air heaters. I reccomend the oil filled to everyone for household use.

I feel that it is worth mentioning that I have encountered many people utilizing space heaters other than electric which is all that has been mentioned so far. I have seen kerosene, propane, natural gas and oil space heaters in more common use in Michigan than electric space heaters although not by reptile hobbyists. A kerosene heater (or white gas) is downright unsafe to operate indoors. An older natural gas or propane heater should be vented outside as should an oil heater. Newer non vented natural gas and propane heaters are sold today that are claimed by the manufacturers to be safe for use indoors. With any source of heat that is burning a fuel good ventilation ls a concern. With an electric space heater it would be prudent to put a quality thermostat of your choice in line as it will be more reliable than the one built in to the unit.

Quick note :
Oil filled heaters are not oil-BURNING heaters. Just in case anyone reading this quickly didn't realize the difference. The oil-filled heaters are electric heaters that look like radiators, and electrically heat a resevoir of oil, it does not burn oil.
Oil-burning heaters are not very safe, especially for inside use(IMHO).

Okay I have another question... The place I went to didn't have any oil filled heaters. They did have a Delonghi safeheat though which looked good, so I got it. However it's a ceramic heater, so I'm not sure if it's okay? Would an oil filled be safer? If the only problem with a ceramic is that it dries out the air, that isn't a problem. The store has an awesome return policy so I could take it back if it's not as good.

I got this one: http://shopping.aol.com/electric-cer...590er/26374715

Also, it says keep it 3 feet away from things like curtains, furniture, clothes, etc, but can I put it next to a bare wall?

You can have the intake reasonably close to a bare wall, say a couple inches away. This way it can still pull in fresh air, but don't but it right up against the wall.

DeLonghi's have an excellent track record for safety. Also, I would recommend putting it on a dedicated thermostat, I have mine hooked up to a Ranco. Then I set the built in thermostat on the heating device just a couple degrees above the Ranco setting. So if the Ranco get's zapped to ON, the built in thermostat of the device will act as a safety backup, so my room doesn't go to 100 degrees or however hot the heating device would take it.

That's my method,

JonV

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Originally Posted by Tikall

I keep my snakes in my room which is probably the warmest room in the house. The ambient room temperatures were great for the cool side during the summer, but now that it's cooling down it isn't working (cool side is getting down to 77).

I've looked into buying a space heater to keep the room temps up to 80-82. When I suggested this to my mother, she was horrified. She said they're incredibly dangerous, and I'd burn the house down. Are they really this dangerous? What safety precautions should I take? Also, are there any specific heaters you'd recommend?

Thank you for any information!

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I'm not too sure about space heaters but I've been using an oil filled radiator style heater hooked up to a 1500watt Johnson and Johnson t-stat for several years running 24/7 365 with no issues.

:salute: