Heating mat issue?

[JaggerLilly]

Hi everyone,

I am new to this forum and have a few questions.

My heating mat has split length wise. Its barely a year old. Bought it brand new.
I have it under the tank. How long are they supposed to last?

Also, I was told to keep the heat lamp on the opposite end of the tank-cool side. I am a newbie and any type of advise is greatly appreciated.

[KMG]

Sounds like you do not have a thermostat.....you should. That will make a under tank heater last longer, prevent your house burning down, or killing your snake.

As to how long they should last? I have never needed to replace one soooooo? With good thermostats or at least a dimmer will help them last longer just like a dimmer makes heat bulbs last longer.

If you need a heat lamp on the other side? Maybe, maybe not. We need to know more about the temps you have and the temps in the room the tank is in.




Good lookin pups.

[Bogertophis]

Brands & types of heat mats differ considerably, but I've never heard of one splitting- that's unsafe & hopefully you aren't still trying to use it? It belongs in the trash, UNLESS you have your receipt & the product has any sort of guarantee??? If so, I'd return it for sure!

FYI, I've mostly used Flexwatt (controlled, of course) & mine has lasted way over 20 years. The only few that ever failed got bent during moving. (Flexwatt is very thin & easy to damage if not careful, but holds up great when you take good care of it- there are similar products on the market just like it now, under different brand names. And that's just one type of heat mat of course.)

A "cool side" with a heat lamp doesn't sound like it qualifies as a "cool side" unless your house is quite cold? What are the temps (lowest & highest) in this tank? You can injure or kill a snake with too much (or uncontrolled) heat, not to mention it's not safe for you either- heat mats allowed to over-heat can start a fire. You truly need to get this "right" & quickly.

And

[JaggerLilly]

So I checked the heating mat again, and it actually is not damaged, but just doesn't stick to the glass any longer.
I did have an analog thermometer and an analog hygrometer...my lovely girl Lilly kept knocking them of the glass and the tape they were on during her night adventures....so...I removed them and now can't find what I did with them.

I just ordered a digital hygrometer, silver tape, and a thermostat.

Do I place the probe of the thermostat under the heating mat? Meaning between the bottom glass of tank and heating mat.

I apologize, but I was not aware until recently that I even needed a thermostat.

[JaggerLilly]

Brands & types of heat mats differ considerably, but I've never heard of one splitting- that's unsafe & hopefully you aren't still trying to use it? It belongs in the trash, UNLESS you have your receipt & the product has any sort of guarantee??? If so, I'd return it for sure!

FYI, I've mostly used Flexwatt (controlled, of course) & mine has lasted way over 20 years. The only few that ever failed got bent during moving. (Flexwatt is very thin & easy to damage if not careful, but holds up great when you take good care of it- there are similar products on the market just like it now, under different brand names. And that's just one type of heat mat of course.)

A "cool side" with a heat lamp doesn't sound like it qualifies as a "cool side" unless your house is quite cold? What are the temps (lowest & highest) in this tank? You can injure or kill a snake with too much (or uncontrolled) heat, not to mention it's not safe for you either- heat mats allowed to over-heat can start a fire. You truly need to get this "right" & quickly.

And

I keep my house between 72 and 73. I live in South Florida and its always HOT!

[KMG]

Most put foil on the sticky part of the UTH and then use foil tape to secure it to the bottom of the tank......and yes the tstat probe goes between the UTH and the glass tank bottom....NOT INSIDE.

[KMG]

I keep my house between 72 and 73. I live in South Florida and its always HOT!

A heat lamp on a dimmer would not be a bad thing to have to give a bit more heat. I wouldn't want it to get any cooler than that.

[Bogertophis]

A heat lamp on a dimmer would not be a bad thing to have to give a bit more heat. I wouldn't want it to get any cooler than that.

Agree, if the house is that cool, you might want to use a lamp dimmed down (w/ a "rheostat" aka lamp dimmer) on the cool end- & check the resulting temperature- you want the "cool side" to be about 78* for a BP, while the "warm side" should be controlled (with a thermostat) to about 88* (& not over 90*).

With a "lamp" though, you don't want light on a snake 24 hours a day- & in fact, snakes don't appreciate bright lights either. You might want to either use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter- like a light bulb but no light) or a black or red incandescent light bulb (minimal light won't bother your snake day or night.)

I assume your house is using A/C in the summer- keep in mind that as seasons change, you might need to adjust the way you're heating your BP's home. The colder your home/room is, the more warmth you might need to add for a BP to stay within their optimal temp. range (78-88*) so they keep eating & digesting well. You can also insulate the enclosure to help keep the heat in- many variables & ways to accomplish what you need for your pet. That's why it's hard to tell you "exactly" what to do- every situation is a little different.

[JaggerLilly]

Agree, if the house is that cool, you might want to use a lamp dimmed down (w/ a "rheostat" aka lamp dimmer) on the cool end- & check the resulting temperature- you want the "cool side" to be about 78* for a BP, while the "warm side" should be controlled (with a thermostat) to about 88* (& not over 90*).

With a "lamp" though, you don't want light on a snake 24 hours a day- & in fact, snakes don't appreciate bright lights either. You might want to either use a CHE (ceramic heat emitter- like a light bulb but no light) or a black or red incandescent light bulb (minimal light won't bother your snake day or night.)

I assume your house is using A/C in the summer- keep in mind that as seasons change, you might need to adjust the way you're heating your BP's home. The colder your home/room is, the more warmth you might need to add for a BP to stay within their optimal temp. range (78-88*) so they keep eating & digesting well. You can also insulate the enclosure to help keep the heat in- many variables & ways to accomplish what you need for your pet. That's why it's hard to tell you "exactly" what to do- every situation is a little different.

I keep the heat lamp on only during the day, about 9-10 hours. This way, she has a day/night cycle. My A/C runs 24/365 pretty much on the same temps. The room I have her in might be a little warmer, since it faces west and gets the afternoon sun. She seems to be thriving, so far.

[JaggerLilly]

Most put foil on the sticky part of the UTH and then use foil tape to secure it to the bottom of the tank......and yes the tstat probe goes between the UTH and the glass tank bottom....NOT INSIDE.

Foil? Like tin foil?

Glass bottom
Probe
Foil
UTH

In that order?