# Budget Radiant heater



## Dubya (Jul 6, 2012)

I have this idea for a low cost, waterproof radiant heat panel. Take an industrial heated floor mat such as this one in this link, make a wood or metal frame to keep it a little off the wall of the enclosure, and attach to the frame with high temp silicone. Bam! You have yourself a radiant heat panel faster than you can say "Blame Bush". You have a radiant heater for large enclosures for a price that would make Paul Ryan proud. Just check this out: http://www.globalindustrial.com/g/work-benches/mats-carpets/heated/heated-floor-mats I will be building one soon and will be smiling with humble pride because I beat "The Man". I will post test results.


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## james.w (Jul 6, 2012)

You plan on using it mounted to the ceiling of an enclosure?


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## Dubya (Jul 6, 2012)

james.w said:


> You plan on using it mounted to the ceiling of an enclosure?



Ceiling or maybe side on interior. I have to measure the surface temp first. I plan on using a thermostat


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## james.w (Jul 6, 2012)

i am interested to see how well it heats up an enclosure. What size enclosure are you going to use it in and for what species??


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## Dubya (Jul 7, 2012)

james.w said:


> i am interested to see how well it heats up an enclosure. What size enclosure are you going to use it in and for what species??



Varnyard extreme giant. It will be used for his 3x6 temporary enclosure which later will become his home for winter hibernation. He will be outdoors in a 12x8 during warm weather.


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## apocalypse910 (Jul 7, 2012)

I was looking at doing the same thing - but wasn't quite ready to take the risk. Really interested to see how this turns out.

I can't seem to find a good heat solution right now. Made the decision to get florescent UVB - it is too warm in the summer, and too cold in the winter to have the uv lamps and the heat tied together. Heard too many horror stories about CHEs, and seen too many people saying heat tape is not effective. The heat panels seem to be the way to go but after the amount spent on tegu / enclosure the panels on the market are just too much.


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## Dubya (Jul 7, 2012)

apocalypse910 said:


> I was looking at doing the same thing - but wasn't quite ready to take the risk. Really interested to see how this turns out.
> 
> I can't seem to find a good heat solution right now. Made the decision to get florescent UVB - it is too warm in the summer, and too cold in the winter to have the uv lamps and the heat tied together. Heard too many horror stories about CHEs, and seen too many people saying heat tape is not effective. The heat panels seem to be the way to go but after the amount spent on tegu / enclosure the panels on the market are just too much.


I am going to try it first with the rubber heat mat and if that doesn't work, I'll try with an outdoor heated kennel pad. Without the tegu in the enclosure just to be safe. I would rather not use ceramic heat emitters either in case my cat knocks it over while I'm at work. The bigger of the two rubber pads on the website should be good with a corded lamp dimmer and thermostat.


Here is another one. The Cozy Legs flat panel radiant heater. It only warms from one sde so it could be mounted flush to sides or top. http://www.homedepot.com/buy/cozy-cozy-legs-flat-panel-heater-247385.html


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## Diablo (Jul 7, 2012)

Whats the pros and cons of using a panel heater instead of a heat bulb? It's really hot where I'm at in the summer, and pretty cold in the winter. I was planning on using a heat bulb with a dimmer for 12 hours a day and turning it off at night, because it drops to about 80 at night in my room. Would it be better to use a panel heater?


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## apocalypse910 (Jul 7, 2012)

Dubya said:


> apocalypse910 said:
> 
> 
> > I was looking at doing the same thing - but wasn't quite ready to take the risk. Really interested to see how this turns out.
> ...





I looked at that exact one on amazon but the reviews seemed pretty bad - basically puts out some heat but doesn't really function as an effective radiant heater.


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## Dubya (Jul 7, 2012)

I looked at that exact one on amazon but the reviews seemed pretty bad - basically puts out some heat but doesn't really function as an effective radiant heater.
[/quote]

The reviewers reviewed it from the standpoint of using it out in the open. It is made to go under a desk. We would be using it in an enclosed reptile cage. It cannot raise outside temps much because it is only 150 watts. That would be different in an enclosed space. When you look at amazon reviews, you have to look at the bad reviews to see exactly why they are bad. Sometimes customers buy the wrong product for their needs.


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## Dubya (Jul 7, 2012)

Dubya said:


> I looked at that exact one on amazon but the reviews seemed pretty bad - basically puts out some heat but doesn't really function as an effective radiant heater.



The reviewers reviewed it from the standpoint of using it out in the open. It is made to go under a desk. We would be using it in an enclosed reptile cage. It cannot raise outside temps much because it is only 150 watts. That would be different in an enclosed space. When you look at amazon reviews, you have to look at the bad reviews to see exactly why they are bad. Sometimes customers buy the wrong product for their needs.
[/quote]
I think a lot of reviewers expect the cozy legs heater to be like a 1500 watt space heater. It is meant to take the chill off your legs under a desk in a chilly office. I think they are asking it to do more than it is designed for. Try putting one of the reptile heat panels into the same situation and you will get even worse results. I will post my tests on the cozy legs heater experiment


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## chelvis (Jul 7, 2012)

I used this last winter http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/heat-pads-heat-panels-heat-cable-and-rocks/-/zoo-med-repti-therm-habitat-heater/

Loved it! Kept the whole 6x3 cage at a comfortable warm tank. For most homes this would keep the cage much warmer but my house has heating issues so when it dropped to 36 in my house I was shocked to see both tegus curled up on this and still warm.


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## Dubya (Jul 7, 2012)

chelvis said:


> I used this last winter http://lllreptile.com/store/catalog/reptile-supplies/heat-pads-heat-panels-heat-cable-and-rocks/-/zoo-med-repti-therm-habitat-heater/
> 
> Loved it! Kept the whole 6x3 cage at a comfortable warm tank. For most homes this would keep the cage much warmer but my house has heating issues so when it dropped to 36 in my house I was shocked to see both tegus curled up on this and still warm.



I saw that one too. That would have been my choice if the cozy legs heater doesnt work. But it is only 40 watts compared to the cozy's 150. The zoo med heater looked like the best deal in a reptile heater from a reptile supply co. But you wouldn't be beating "The Man".


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## chelvis (Jul 8, 2012)

No you won't beat the man but I got limited electricity where I'm at (woot solar and wind, off grid that's how I show the man!) For 40w it does a good job and the tegus can lay right on it. When I get the bigger cage together I'm going to get a small dog-gloo and place it in there to create a warm hut like tortoise owners do.


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## Dubya (Jul 8, 2012)

chelvis said:


> No you won't beat the man but I got limited electricity where I'm at (woot solar and wind, off grid that's how I show the man!) For 40w it does a good job and the tegus can lay right on it. When I get the bigger cage together I'm going to get a small dog-gloo and place it in there to create a warm hut like tortoise owners do.



Good idea. I didn't realize you had limited electricity. I thought I was best at sticking it to the man, but you got me beat. Check my thread on the budget thermostat. Those igloos are expensive. Why not get a big storage tub and line it with polyiso insulation. You could cut a smaller hole for the entrance to hold in more heat. Plus, you would be sticking it to The Man!


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## chelvis (Jul 8, 2012)

I have an old dog-loo outside, the storage bins can catch on fire as they are not designed to deal with heat. The dog-loos have to be able to withstand 150 degrees to be rated for outside use. I have had thermostats go bad so I try to make everything as safe as possible.


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## Dubya (Jul 8, 2012)

chelvis said:


> I have an old dog-loo outside, the storage bins can catch on fire as they are not designed to deal with heat. The dog-loos have to be able to withstand 150 degrees to be rated for outside use. I have had thermostats go bad so I try to make everything as safe as possible.



Damn, I never thought of that. I will just use plastic tubs for the outdoor unheated summer enclosure.


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## chelvis (Jul 8, 2012)

I talked from experience sadly on the rubbermaid. Had a mini heat pad in one (just 4 watts) it got too hot and started a smoldering fire in a gecko cage. It ended up killing all 7 geckos in the cage due to the smoke and set off the smoke detectors. I was lucky no flames happen and the rest of my collection was safe. 

I try not to go cheep on heating elements just because of the fire risk. Others on here have had close call and I can recall at least one tragedy form a fire (not saying a faulty heat element).


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## Dubya (Jul 8, 2012)

chelvis said:


> I talked from experience sadly on the rubbermaid. Had a mini heat pad in one (just 4 watts) it got too hot and started a smoldering fire in a gecko cage. It ended up killing all 7 geckos in the cage due to the smoke and set off the smoke detectors. I was lucky no flames happen and the rest of my collection was safe.
> 
> I try not to go cheep on heating elements just because of the fire risk. Others on here have had close call and I can recall at least one tragedy form a fire (not saying a faulty heat element).



Damn, deja vu! Years ago I had a tank with 2 geckos with a Zoo Med uth burn my gekos and scorch the top shelf of my computer desk. I will never use any adhesive backed heating mat. I had much better luck with the Cobra heat mats


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