Your one stop reptile community - T-Rex Cobra Heat Mats

Dani · #1 (**permalink**) 01-13-2003, 11:39 AM

Is anyone using them? I've bought a couple of them (I'll receive them in a couple of weeks) mainly because of the fact that they can be used inside of the cage and I was wondering if it's possible to hook them up to a proportional thermostat so that they wouldn't reach 100 ºF. If not, it's no big deal, I'll just put something on top of it so that it doesn't reach the snake at 100ºF. How do you have them set up? Do you 'shield' them with anything so that your reptiles can't get in contact with them at all? I was thinking of placing it under a couple inches of bark substrate.

NYCSpeedcore · #2 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 04:19 PM

I own a few Cobra heat mats and love them. If you have any sort of reptile with claws I would not put it in the cage, nore would I use it in wet conditions. As far as hooking it up to a thermostat, that would be a bad idea. A thermostat would have to have the probe taped to the pad for it to work, and it is too easy for an animal to knock it loose and have it heat up real fast. Get a reostat, place your substrate over the pad, and idealy adjust the reostat untill the surface temp is where you want it. A temp gun is the best way to do it, but if you place a fish tank thermometer (plasitc strip) directly on the heat pad that may help yoiu get the right temperature within 3 degrees if you are lucky.
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telefrag · #3 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 04:29 PM

Is this going to be on a aquarium, or a cage?
Is there any reason why you couldnt put it under the tank, and leave a 2-3cm gap under the tank to allow for air exchange?
That should diffuse the surface temp in the cage to about 90, or maybe even lower, but as was said, a temp gun would be a good metric for measuring the actual surface temp once in the cage.
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BWSmith · #4 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 04:45 PM

I would never put a heat mat directly in a cage. I ALWAYS put it under the tank usually wrapped in a towel or something to dissipate the heat a little. I don't like animals coming in such direct contact with the heat source.
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herm · #5 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 05:02 PM

They are designed to be mounted under the tank. They come with installation instructions. So you really can't screw it up. Unless you're BWSmith, then anything is possible. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]
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Dani · #6 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 06:47 PM

They're going to be used to heat up a 3/4" melamine thick cage housing a BP. That's why I chose the Cobras over UTH, because I don't think that they would be able to heat up the area through the wood. I was thinking of placing it on the bottom of the tank (inside) and under 2" of beech substrate. As far as I had heard/read, they are designed to be used inside or outside of the enclosure. The only problem I see with them is the fact that they run at 100ºF. I figured I would use the thermostat for that. I'll see about buying a rheostat. Is this the same thing as a dimmer switch? I've got a few thermometers (analog and digital ones) placed level with the substrate.
Thanks for your replies.

telefrag · #7 (**permalink**) 01-14-2003, 07:05 PM

Hmmmm, it does sound like somewhat of a dilemma.
I would be extremely cautious with putting a heat mat directly in the cage, but it sounds like you dont have much choice.
A dimmer switch and a rheostat are similar, but I dont know if I would call them the same,
I think one just regulates the flow of electricity and the other I think can regulate flow based on a variable, like temperature or light (depending on how fancy of a rheostat your looking at).

But im no electrician, so dont take my advice on that, but I would look at other possible options,
what about a heat lamp for a basking spot?
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NYCSpeedcore · #8 (**permalink**) 01-15-2003, 12:34 AM

A dimmer switch is the same thing as a reostat. Again the problem with trying to use a digital thermometer is that it will measure the air temperature, which has nothing to do with the temp the substrate could be at. Unless your thermometer has a probe you can place on or slightly under the substrate (your animal my burry under it a little) you will not even get close to the actual temperature.
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Dani · #9 (**permalink**) 01-15-2003, 01:14 AM

I've just finished building this cage, so it's empty. I've been running some temperature tests. Right now I have a couple 150W CHEs for heat. But with the weather that we've been having here (14ºF outside) I've only been able to record a maximum of 26ºC (79ºF). Normally, I think that the CHEs would be enough to heat the whole enclosure but I don't want the heating ability to be at its maximum all the time, I want there to be some margin so that if bad weather kicks in the thermostat can call on the extra heating power. I will be buying a couple rheostats though to lower the output just a little.
The digital thermometers I use have a probe, so I'll definitely be sticking that in the substrate, I thought I would just leave it lying on top of the substrate fixing the cord with tape as much as possible so that it doesn't get out of place if possible.
Wouldn't the analog thermometers also measure the correct temperature if instead of fixing them to any of the sides of the enclosure I were to leave them lying flat on top of the substrate? How do you guys measure the temperatures? Where do you place your thermometers? Do you just use temperature guns?

SnakePool · #10 (**permalink**) 01-15-2003, 02:05 AM

Where is the cage? outside?
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Dani · #11 (**permalink**) 01-15-2003, 10:25 AM

[img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img] No, it's inside. But it's a new house and the heating system for the house isn't working too well right now and I guess it can't cope with all the cold from outside. These temperatures aren't normal here. Inside the house it's 61ºF with the heater on.
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