Heat Tape Failure

[Ivy061]

I have a pre-assembled rack from reptile basics because I'm lazy. I bought it a year and a half ago. It came with THG heat tape preinstalled and set up which I connected to a Herpestat Intro+ set to 101 degrees since I have a drafty studio apartment. Well yesterday I came home to a smelly apartment, and I discovered that the heat tape was burning a hole in the bottom of one of my tubs. Luckily my snake was fine, but upon further examination the heat tape was completely ruined. It's really warped and there are huge holes in it. The probe was still taped to the heat tape, with packing tape by the wire, and read 101, and a second reading with a temp gun also read 101 degrees. That's not hot enough to melt plastic at all. What the heck happened? I'm kind of afraid of heat tape now

[Neal]

Well for starters, you don't use packing tape to attach a probe to the heat tape.

I use something similar to this:

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Duck-Bran...0-yds/17300797

I use that to attach the heat tape to the bottom of stuff if needed be and that to attach the probe to the heat tape.

[Neal]

Also I meant to add I know they have "heat resistant" packing tape or something along those lines, but yea.

[Ivy061]

Oh, I was told that foil based tape can trap heat and was recommended duck tape or heat resistant packing tape but obviously I was the one with the problem here, so I guess I learned something new. Thanks. That alone wouldn't have caused such extensive damage though right? I didn't tape over the probe, I taped the wire below it.

[Albert Clark]

Wow! Sorry to see this. I would definitely give them a call and voice the issues just like you have done here to see what they offer as far as options. I have never heard of this happening. And only use foil tape to secure the probe to the heat tape in the future.

[KMG]

101 seems a bit high to give a proper hot spot. A drafty apartment may make for cooler ambient temps but you should not be trying to raise the ambient temp with the heat tape.

Ive seen heat tape and heat mats for that matter do this before. Anything with juice running through it has the potential to fail and cause any number of problems. It looks like you were very lucky that the temps reached didn't harm your snake or even worse catch the rack on fire and then the apartment.

[KMG]

Oh, I was told that foil based tape can trap heat and was recommended duck tape or heat resistant packing tape but obviously I was the one with the problem here, so I guess I learned something new. Thanks. That alone wouldn't have caused such extensive damage though right? I didn't tape over the probe, I taped the wire below it.

When using foil tape you will have issues with trapping the heat if you cover the probe with the tape. The proper way to secure it is to tape the probe wire just before it meets the probe. Then if necessary you can use a thin piece to hold the tip of the probe down. You want to avoid ever securing the probe in a manner that covers the probes body.

- - - Updated - - -

I forgot to ask.

How are you checking the hotspot surface temps in the rack?

[Albert Clark]

Yep! Thanks for the clarification KMG. Absolutely only foil tape the probe wire and not the probe proper.

[PitOnTheProwl]

I cover my probes with foil tape, no problems here in more than 5 or 6 years

[Ivy061]

How are you checking the hotspot surface temps in the rack?

I have a laser temp gun, the snakes usually will clear the substrate off the tub a bit in the hotspot and that's usually where I measure it. It's usually around 90-92 degrees.