Room heat without a space heater?

[moonlightgdess]

Cost effectiveness aside, what are some thoughts on using infrared heat bulbs in regular lamps in a snake room with racks as opposed to a space heater? I want something I can safely run when I'm not home to keep the ambient temp up in a basement room. Suggestions appreciated!

[crazyj83]

Basking lights are fine for enclosure heating but i'd say space heaters with t sats are a pretty good way to heat intire rooms... I use a space heater thats t sated and has an overheat and knock over cut off.. I'm sure the pros will have more intel, i'm simply speaking from my own experiece.

[WingedWolfPsion]

Fire hazard, IMO.
Oil-filled radiators are pretty safe space heaters.

I also looked at this, at one point:
http://www.fanheatlight.com/

[Annarose15]

Basking lights are fine for enclosure heating but i'd say space heaters with t sats are a pretty good way to heat intire rooms... I use a space heater thats t sated and has an overheat and knock over cut off.. I'm sure the pros will have more intel, i'm simply speaking from my own experiece.

x2 I use a radiant oil-filled electric room heater, run through a Ranco thermostat. As far as using infrared lights for room heat, it sounds like it could be done in theory, but you would really want them all wired through a thermostat so you can control the room temp when you aren't there. And if the bulbs are in lamps, it sounds like there would be a greater risk of one knocking over and burning something that a space heater knocking over.

[Spyderco1116]

x2 I use a radiant oil-filled electric room heater, run through a Ranco thermostat. As far as using infrared lights for room heat, it sounds like it could be done in theory, but you would really want them all wired through a thermostat so you can control the room temp when you aren't there. And if the bulbs are in lamps, it sounds like there would be a greater risk of one knocking over and burning something that a space heater knocking over.

If you do use an oli filled radiator for the amb temp in a room where would you place the thermostat probe? Also... Helix, Ranco, Johnson or Vivarium Electronics for a rack thermostat?

[Annarose15]

If you do use an oli filled radiator for the amb temp in a room where would you place the thermostat probe? Also... Helix, Ranco, Johnson or Vivarium Electronics for a rack thermostat?

I have the thermostat probe for the heater suspended in the air next to one of my racks (basically sticks out in from of the rack ~2ft from the ground), with the heater at the opposite corner of the same wall (no racks in the heater's corner of the room). I use Herpstats on my actual racks.

[Slim]

Also... Helix, Ranco, Johnson or Vivarium Electronics for a rack thermostat?

I use a VE T-Stat, but you can't really go wrong with any of the ones you listed.

[mattchibi]

x2 I use a radiant oil-filled electric room heater, run through a Ranco thermostat. As far as using infrared lights for room heat, it sounds like it could be done in theory, but you would really want them all wired through a thermostat so you can control the room temp when you aren't there. And if the bulbs are in lamps, it sounds like there would be a greater risk of one knocking over and burning something that a space heater knocking over.

Not to mention, bulbs will usually burn out after extended use. Oil filled heaters last a LONG time. I also use a Delonghi oil-filled heater, that is controlled by a simple Ranco thermostat. Cost me about $90 for the heater and $50 for the Ranco, but its made my life 100x easier in terms of achieving proper temps, as I live somewhere cold.

[The Serpent Merchant]

If you do use an oli filled radiator for the amb temp in a room where would you place the thermostat probe? Also... Helix, Ranco, Johnson or Vivarium Electronics for a rack thermostat?

Herpstats are the best for racks, the Herpstat one is better than the VE-100, VE-200, and price wise better than the VE-300 (features are pretty much the same) Helixs work great but don't have the ease of use that the VE line and herpstats have.

[moonlightgdess]

You all are awesome, thanks!