UTH question

[Mosier99]

I'm Building a wood cage thats going to be 36"x24"x18". I'm trying to figure the best heat source. I found this Ultratherm Vivarium Heaters (UTH's ) on ReptileBasics.com. They claim you can put it on the inside if using in a wood cage. they also claim that you do not need a thermostat due to their. Does low wattage density. Does anyone have experiance with these? any suggestions?
thank you
here is alink the UTH
http://www.reptilebasics.com/ultrath...ter-uth-11-x23

[kitedemon]

Yes the do have lower heating. However I would Not suggest then for interior mounting. I would suggest a water proof low wattage UTH like a Kane pad. Or a RHP both with a good thermostat (proportional) units and a failsafe

[JeRMz]

Kane uth's look/sound legit, but $$$$!!!

[Argentra]

I build wood cages, and use ZooMed UTH pads inside (on thermostats of course) with zero problems. I lay the UTH inside on the wood floor, now on a 'trapdoor' with ventilation holes so I can easily reach it to replace it if it fails:



Over the pads, for the actual floor, I use vinyl flooring. This works great, and has worked for me for about 4 years. So yes, it's entirely doable as long as you have a good reliable thermostat. (Mine are a Herpstat and Johnson)

[kitedemon]

I would absolutely not use zoo meds for this application they become excessively hot if the T-stat fails. Mine hit 160º+ the low density versions like the ultratherms rarely get over 100ºF so in the event of a failure it is not as serious an issue. The fear I have is shorts with this due of trapped water shorted electrical appliance causes a huge number of fires. This is why I would suggest a devise be used as it was designed the kane pads are water resistant and designed for contact with pets. Personally I would cut the bottom off the enclosure and replace it with plain pvc (not expanded pvc) and just heat though the PVC (it heats very well why I recommend PVC bottoms over PVCx heats more efficiently)