So how hot can heat tape really get? - Thermostat Failure story

[Stewart_Reptiles]

So how hot does it tape really go?

That hot!



Details:
Rack and heat tape years owned: 2 years.
Thermostat years owned: 5 years.
Probe placement: Secured in designed slot.
Heat Type: Heat tape, recessed.

Last night as I was doing my last check on my animals (as I do every morning and every night) I smelled a funny smell in the office, which is my second snake room where my colubrids are kept. All I have in that room is a 10 slots rack with only two occupants.

First reflex was to unplugged the T-Stat and open the tubs that had snakes in them and this is when I found the melted tub and underneath was the melted heat tape.





Amazingly there is no damage to the rack, one reason why I love PVC racks and luckily probably because it is not a Ball Python but a Bull Snake, my snake is alive and well with no burn.



I have never had a Ranco thermostat failed this way before, I had one failed but it simply cut the heat off entirely, which leads me to believe that this is a probe failure to actually sense the heat.

The lessons I learned here is, no more Ranco on my racks (2 failures in 7 years is enough), this was the last one I had everything else is hooked to Spyder Robotics thermostat and everything else in the future will be hooked to those as well.

So use this as reminder, do not cut corner on thermostats, this was can happen with a reliable (at some point) thermostat in the mid range prices, so think about this when you want to buy the cheapest thermostat possible.

Also think about this when you think thermostats are unnecessary and that you can just leave your heat source unregulated even if for a short period while waiting for your T-Stat to arrive.

Check on your animals take temps reading on a regular basis and remember to inspect your thermostats, and heat tape once or twice a year as well.

[Annarose15]

Wow, glad you caught it quickly!

[Rob]

Well I know what link I'm sending, next time I see someone saying they don't want to waste money on a thermostat.

[Mike41793]

and luckily probably because it is not a Ball Python but a Bull Snake, my snake is alive and well with no burn.

Can you explain this? It made me lol, but then i thought about it and am curious exactly what you meant. Are bulls not heat seeking like balls?

Lesson learned, glad you caught it quickly!

[Don]

Deborah, I'm so glad you didn't lose anything due to this failure. It is also a good reinforcement that back up thermostats are a good thing as well.

This thread is a good reminder to check your heat on all of your racks occasionally.

[Valentine Pirate]

Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing. A lot of the interested parties from outside the hobby that I meet balk at the cost of the nice t-stats, but in comparison to a dead or injured/sick animal it is a worthy investment

[Annarose15]

Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing. A lot of the interested parties from outside the hobby that I meet balk at the cost of the nice t-stats, but in comparison to a dead or injured/sick animal it is a worthy investment

Or the cost of a burnt down home, since many homemade racks are not made out of heat-resistant materials like PVC.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

Can you explain this? It made me lol, but then i thought about it and am curious exactly what you meant. Are bulls not heat seeking like balls?

Lesson learned, glad you caught it quickly!

In my experience colubrids tend to shy away from their hot spot when it gets too hot for their liking at least that's what I have seen with my King, Milk and now Bulls, BP not so much.

[gardenfiend138]

Wow that is scary! Was there a gap between the heat tape and tub? If so, how much?

[Kaorte]

So did all the heat tape in the whole rack melt? Or was it just one piece?

Thats pretty scary. I'm just wondering if it could be faulty flexwatt combined with a failed thermostat?

I've had a johnson controls thermostat die on me (in the off position). That is actually the only thermostat I have ever had completely die. Even my reptitemp 500r is still working!