# Grout over heat cord?



## ajwill (May 7, 2015)

Hey, so I'm working on a log/hide made from thick cardboard tube, shaped with paper mache then I'm going to grout and seal. Was thinking about laying a heat cord in rows along the outside under the grout. 

Is this crazy? What can/will go wrong?


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## kingofnobbys (May 7, 2015)

ajwill said:


> Hey, so I'm working on a log/hide made from thick cardboard tube, shaped with paper mache then I'm going to grout and seal. Was thinking about laying a heat cord in rows along the outside under the grout.
> 
> Is this crazy? What can/will go wrong?



- fire hazard ? (if the grouted in cord overheats)
- potential to burn reptile if not thermostatically controlled (would need to grout in a temp sensor too) if the inside / outside surfaces of hide get too hot
- potential electrical hazard (are heat cords designed to tolerate being wet and remain safe to use without shorting out or electrocuting the user ?)


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## Beans (May 7, 2015)

Just got to think of how hot will it make the grout. Can you remove it if something does go wrong or it stops working.

I think it would just be easier to make like a dip in the grout place the cord in it and then cover with a tile, that way if it breaks its not stuck in there and you can remove it.


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## Grogshla (May 7, 2015)

keep in mind that heatchord doesn't effectively heat all the way through sometimes. Also if it needs repalcing you will have to tear all the grout out etc


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## ajwill (May 7, 2015)

Yeah [MENTION=38897]Beans[/MENTION], I was thinking about the putting a channel in the grout and just laying it in that but would have trouble putting a tile on it cos it's curved. And yeah, [MENTION=25581]Grogshla[/MENTION], that's one of my concerns. I'm going to fiddle over the next couple of days and see what happens.


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## wokka (May 7, 2015)

Heat cord was originally developed for under floor heating where it is embedded in concrete or grout. It rarely fails, however encasing a log in cord may ake it pretty warm!


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## ajwill (May 11, 2015)

Hmm, yes, I had suspected it might have been designed for something like that. It's on the back burner at the moment while I think and read.


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