Heat mat caught on fire

[pepper]

OMG l would say l'm so lucky .... l came home yesterday after being out for a few hours to hear strange loud noises coming from bearded dragon enclosure. l went to check and couldn't believe what l was seeing.... a smoke filled enclosure with flames inside......



l was so worried about the beardies as l wasn't sure how big the fire was..... so l went and got the salt and thank god when l opened the glass door the fire had just started so l throw the salt on it and it went straight out. the beardies were fine as it had just started ......

It was the heat mat that had caught on fire..... l'm really not happy as it was only 2-3 years old and l bought it myself...thing is l have just gotten back from holidays and that mat was on while l was away , l'm just so lucky that it happened literary as l walked in the door or l could have lost my beardies ,dog , house ect ...

l'm so worried now as l have other heat mats on as heat sources , l will be turning them off from now on when l leave the house......

 

[mrclarke72]

Lucky , Thats always freaked me out, the idea of my set ups catching on fire. Do you know what brand it was?

 

[TA1PAN]

u r so lucky u got there in time otherwise it would have been a disaster.i think u should switch to heat bulbs with a thermostat.ive always thought that heat mats are a fire disaster waiting to happen.

 

[pepper]

l think you are right spottedpython28 l will be doing that ...... it was a Exo Terra ... l think that the type with the heat tape which is what it was would all be the same.

 

[Colin]

thats not the first time Ive heard that with that particular brand..

 

[benson]

I think that brand is designed to stick on the bottom, under a glass tank.???

 

[richoman_3]

u were lucky

 

[Sel]

Very Scary!
Your very lucky..

 

[gozz]

thats not the first time Ive heard that with that particular brand..

i had 4 of them and they all burnt little spot on them

 

[pepper]

You can put a heat mat anywhere you like they are all the same .except water of course ... under an enclosure or in one doesn't matter.

There was no reason for it to catch fire the water dish hadn't fallen or anything like that.

l have noticed when l was looking at the herp suppliers that not a lot do sell that brand any more, but l really don't see the difference in any of the brands that are made with heat tape attached to a cord

 

[pepper]

l think they would be all the same don't really see what the difference in them is. the are a heat tape attached to a cord. l certainly wont be using them any more. l have noticed though that not many reptile suppliers do sell that brand of heat mat any more.,

 

[TA1PAN]

yer i m still only new to all the reptile stuff but i remember my first day when i was buying all my stuff for my snake set up and a guy at the pet shop said to use a heat mat and explaned to me wat they do and how they work.the first thought that went threw my mind was fire hazard.

 

[Serpentes]

Isn't that how the old Australian Reptile Park fire started, if I remember right? Thank goodness you can back home in time. Did you have a thermostat plugged into your heat pad?

 

[TWENTY B]

my 1st question is
What is your heat mat doing inside the enclosure?

 

[ammers]

did you have the heat mat inside the enclosure? if so what substrait are you using?

 

[AUSGECKO]

I only have one word to say...... Thermostat.

 

[Mr.James]

But is there a chance the fire started before the thermostat kicked in and then even if it cut the power off would it still burn or smoke? Stuff that!!

You are very lucky! Good thing the beardies know to get down low and go go GO!

 

[fraser1980]

Had same problem bout ten years ago will
never use them again what ever I can to
provent a problem I do

 

[makykaem]

sorry to hear about your fire but can you tell me what the salt does ?

 

[Allies_snakes]

I only have one word to say...... Thermostat.

Hear, hear! Totoally agree with you there Geck82...

No thermostat..you are just asking for trouble..beats me as to why people dont use them with mats or any type of heating really.