Honestly, I'm not totally sure. I have it hooked up to a rheostat which works fine, as I tested it on a light fixture to make sure. For the last few days I've had it hooked up to that, keeping my temps at the ideal amounts for the duration until today. Now it is a boiling 100F+ at the lowest setting. It was 109F at medium when I first noticed the issue.
I am thinking that it's just a malfunction since it was working fine for days. It's a Reptitherm heater if that matters. I'm just going to take it back to the Petco and order a new one off of Reptile Supply Company because I have had great experiences with them.