Is it safe ?

[Fall guys]

I am an electrician but I don't really get the quistion if it is about the temperatur control on the termostat because that is all about the quality and brand or will it start a fire? Again quality and brand. I've seen many heatcords/heatmats that has scorched the surface of a table or the floor of wood tanks but never seen one that started a fire unless it is faulty wirering. I been in the hobby for +40 years and an electrician for +30 years

Sorry... the question was is it safe to plug a mat with a thermostat (that I have no idea if it’s doing it’s job) into a proper thermostat... I am of the mindset that it will do some dodgy things if it’s turning off at the plug (the stand alone thermostat) rather than the inbuilt mat thermostat that turns off at 50°c critical temps
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Not fish tanks same rule apply’s you have to have airflow I had a friend who put a 15w heatmat under a fish tank we measured his hot spot at 55c. This was for a spotted python!

My hotspots getting to around 40° and seems to move around which is *|€~€]*~ annoyingm

 

[kankryb]

If they are good ones it should not be a problem it will cut out when it reaches the lowest set temp.of either controller

 

[Fall guys]

If they are good ones it should not be a problem it will cut out when it reaches the lowest set temp.of either controller

That’s the problem with the mat.. it has no numbers or anything.. just a dial of off on one end to the highest saying “on” which it sky rockets in temps and I have to somehow work the temps there

 

[kankryb]

Then turn the bad one to Max temp. and plug that into the good one you trust and set that for your Max temp.
That should work best or safest

 

[Fall guys]

Then turn the bad one to Max temp. and plug that into the good one you trust and set that for your Max temp.
That should work best or safest

Set what to my max temp? 36? Or the 50 of the inbuilt

 

[kankryb]

The one you trust set that for your 36 Max and plug that into the wallsucket and then plug the dodgy one into that so no matter what the dodgy one says temp is it is the first one that controls it unless the dodgy one cut out below 36

 

[Fall guys]

The one you trust set that for your 36 Max and plug that into the wallsucket and then plug the dodgy one into that so no matter what the dodgy one says temp is it is the first one that controls it unless the dodgy one cut out below 36

Ok I’ve done that.. now where’s the best place to use a probe.. under substrate? Above substrate? She likes to dig sometimes

 

[cement]

The problem you have there @cement is if you put it under the melamine enclosure it has no airflow they should come with rubber feet and are not designed for larger/heavier enclosures than tubs IMO. I have never had a problem with a mat but I’ll probably never buy another as a heat cord is a far better option.

Very lucky you had the circuit breaker in place. I'm not sure about the mat you used but the ones sold these days state they are only to be used on the outside of a glass enclosure to prevent what happened to you.

Heat mats are designed to go under GLASS TANKS not under melamine,the fault was your placement not the product

100% correct. And thats why I ran everything through a sub board. Sounds like your mat is the type made for water beds. Probably isn't but sounds like the similar type, because I've seen them with no numbers on the dial. What Kankryb is saying is the most obvious practical advice anyone can give. As far as the probe goes, if its in the enclosure the snake will move it off the mat and there goes everything that your trying to achieve.

 

[Fall guys]

100% correct. And thats why I ran everything through a sub board. Sounds like your mat is the type made for water beds. Probably isn't but sounds like the similar type, because I've seen them with no numbers on the dial. What Kankryb is saying is the most obvious practical advice anyone can give. As far as the probe goes, if its in the enclosure the snake will move it off the mat and there goes everything that your trying to achieve.

It’s made for reptiles says to keep away from water , so what should I do then regarding the probe


Edit: what I do in the tub is have the probe itself sit under a wall of the hide

 

[dragonlover1]

Not fish tanks same rule apply’s you have to have airflow I had a friend who put a 15w heatmat under a fish tank we measured his hot spot at 55c. This was for a spotted python!

heatmats come with little rubber feet to supply air gap
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I would have heat cord... except the mat is not stuck to my enclosure and there’s a kind of film in between the foam under the tank and the mat.. and it peels off with the mat I do have a good air flow with about an inch off the ground

that foam you talk about is the glue designed to hold it under the tank,once you peel it off it doesn't work the same;I have used small strips of timber to hold it up under other tanks and it works okay

 

[Fall guys]

heatmats come with little rubber feet to supply air gap
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that foam you talk about is the glue designed to hold it under the tank,once you peel it off it doesn't work the same;I have used small strips of timber to hold it up under other tanks and it works okay

Huh? It’s definitely a foam like a styrofoam box (picture is off google but it looks like the stuff on the left)

 

[Prof_Moreliarty]

@dragonlover1 i know they come with the feet but under the weight of a fish tank they do very little.

 

[dragonlover1]

Huh? It’s definitely a foam like a styrofoam box (picture is off google but it looks like the stuff on the left)

View attachment 322839

Hmmm that's weird I've never seen heatmats with ( EPS) polystyrene on them???
Shouldn't be under them either, should be an air gap

 

[Fall guys]

Hmmm that's weird I've never seen heatmats with ( EPS) polystyrene on them???
Shouldn't be under them either, should be an air gap

I believe it has something to do with promoting the heat to go upwards as glass as we all know isn’t great for heating so the styrofoam guides it up rather than spreading it

Not sure if I said it clear enough but the styrofoam is on the tank itself under the glass

 

[dragonlover1]

I believe it has something to do with promoting the heat to go upwards as glass as we all know isn’t great for heating so the styrofoam guides it up rather than spreading it

yeah but EPS is a type of plastic and prone to melting ,it's not a great middleman but a great outer covering which is why it is used in eskies etc.

 

[Scutellatus]

I believe it has something to do with promoting the heat to go upwards as glass as we all know isn’t great for heating so the styrofoam guides it up rather than spreading it

Not sure if I said it clear enough but the styrofoam is on the tank itself under the glass

Styrofoam won't conduct heat upwards very well, it will be insulating the heat from the glass. As I said earlier cut the styrogoam out so the mat fits, making sure to leave an air gap around the mat.
Maybe bin the dodgy mat and buy a new one also.

 

[Fall guys]

Styrofoam won't conduct heat upwards very well, it will be insulating the heat from the glass. As I said earlier cut the styrogoam out so the mat fits, making sure to leave an air gap around the mat.
Maybe bin the dodgy mat and buy a new one also.

It’s not really dodgy map it’s a big brand name.. just they could have done the thermostat part better

 

[saximus]

Are they both on/off type thermos or is one a dimming or pulse porportional type? If it's the former, there is no issue with connecting them in series. As has been said, it will just make one of them redundant. If it's the latter, it could be problematic. Thermostats don't stop short circuits from potentially starting a fire though. That's what circuit breakers and fuses are for.

The point about it being a brand name and therefore safe is also a bit misguided. There is/was a quite famous brand which unfortunately became even more famous (infamous?) for spontaneous combustion.