under tank heater

[elevatethis]

Why are heat pads so popular when heat tape is so much safer and cheaper too if I'm not mistaken?

[NomadOfTheHills]

Most people dont know what it is, where to get it, or how it works... LIKE ME lol

CAn u explain plz?

[Adam_Wysocki]

One question, bp_pandora: Are you using a glass or plastic cage? If you're using a glass tank, you may not want it to stick. I cracked a glass tank by sticking one of those to the bottom of a tank.

Were you using a thermostat? Unfortunately, many heating pads can get hot enough to break glass and even burn a ball python.

Be careful!

-adam

wow, thanks guys, that was incredibly entertaining (especially kara and jack hammer). i have her in a glass tank and i've had a UTH forever with her without a problem. except now it won't stay on (no, it's not the original). i have enough inside the cage that i'm not worried about it burning her, that would be just about impossible. so i can really use electrical tape? which would work better, that or duct tape? i guess i could just try both. anyway, thanks a lot for all your input

[kavmon]

i think plain old duct tape will work fine. just tape it up smoothly.
i would also invest in a thermostat, this will help solve/prevent alot of problems. i consider a thermostat a must have for my animals. it is our duty to provide the proper care for our animals, they are our captives. it may not be cost effective but i think all of our animals are luxuries and how many luxuries are cost effective!


vaughn

[Ginevive]

I have always used UTHs, but now that I know about the flexwatt stuff, that's what I plan on getting next. I have never had a problem with UTHs hooked to a rheostat.

Short version of the long story is that the heatpad developed a hot spot, and basically cooked the inside of the snakes bowel.

I wonder how that happened, without any external appearance of burn marks? It's sad that your snake had to go through that though.
The basic reason I prefer UTH heating for BPs rather than lamps, is the fact that they spend so much time in opaque hiding spots, on the cage floor. I would be afraid that the lamp's heat would not directly reach them, and this would worry me.

Anyone who has knowledge ragarding electronics; could an UTH hooked to a rheostat, still get hotter than you set it, and burn the cage/snake?

[kavmon]

any type of regulating device can fail or break. nothing is 100% foolproof. some of the better thermostats have a feature that cuts off the power to the heat source.(helix,syder robotics,johnson controls). a rheostat or dimmer basically just varies the voltage and wattage to the heat source where as a thermostat actually regulates it. alot of people don't know this but the voltage in your house does vary (a very small amount) i don't think this is a problem but if voltage to a rheostat varies then so does the voltage coming out to the heat source. can you tell i'm a big fan of thermostats! lol. sometimes the wires or elements in the heat pad just break or ground/short out. it may be quality of materials or just wear and tear.


vaughn

[Kara]

For those of you considering heat tape, it helps to have someone who knows how to wire it show you how the first time. It's not rocket science but it can be a little tricky until you get the hang of it.

Also, heat tape MUST be used with a thermostat or rheostat to avoid overheating. And do not sandwich it between 2 solid surfaces.

K

[Ginevive]

There's a pet store not far from me, namely Markheim Pets, that has really nice reptile setups. They use the flexwatt and it is really immpressive the way they've hooked it up. It did help a lot, to see it actually up and running.
I am actually relying on my boyfriend to do all the technical stuff. I am not inclined in that direction!

[Neumann]

This is a tip that someone gave to me a while back and it works really well.

A method to prevent tank cracking, over heating, and generally promote more even heat (without hot spots) is to not stick your UTH directly on the tank. Instead, stick the UTH to a ceramic or porcelain tile and slide the tile under one end of the tank.

The benefits are:

a) Inexpensive- an 8x10 inch tile is about $1.50 (USD)
b) Prevents a tank from cracking
c) It’s movable- can be used on future tanks
d) Prevents hot spots by allowing airflow between the pad and the glass.
e) It’s easier to clean the cage (moving it etc.)
f) It’s the poor mans thermostat/rheostat. You can lower or raise the tank to increase or decrease temps. All you need are a couple different sized blocks of wood to prop up the tank and/or the tile with the UTH.