heat methods/CAUTION BEWARE BULK THE BULK HEAT TAPE!!!!

Hello all,
i recently suffered the loss of TWO juv t blondi's and a adult female c cyneo due to a small fire!!!! One of my heat tape strips(may i mention that a professional electrician hooked these up) that i buy in bulk malfunctioned for some odd reason. Killing those t's listed above and really messing up my invert/herp room!!!! Words cannot express my guilt and sorrow for these poor spiders. Trapped in a firey death.......So EVERYBODY BEWARE OF DIY/BULK HEAT TAPE!!!!!



My main problem is that my invert/herp room (my bedroom too, but i now sleep on the floor) is in the basement, so it dosn't have a normal room temp. Even with copious amounts of heat pads/basking lights it stays about 68-72 F. somtimes it even gets to 65 F!!!!!! I must find a way to keep this room heated without making a large installment. I asked several heating companys and they said the smallest installment would be about 600-800 bucks!!! for just one room!! I have been keeping and breeding herps/inverts since i was nine years old. I'm only sixteen with 127 t's, about 50 mixed herps, and roughly 30 other inverts, and my only source of income is a 9-5'er , 7 days a week. AT TACO BELL!!! And i admit EVERY pennie goes into my animals. I'm hoping to start a business soon too! I'm already selling to some local shops/hobbyists. These animals are also a good mental therapy for me! They are they only thing keeping me here today......
Anyway there has to be sombody out there with some usefull info!! Please any help will suffice! My parents bitch and moan EVERY day about the electricity and will not turn the heater above 66 F during the day, and above 45 F during the night!
I have to pay 20 bucks to help out for the electric bill every month too! But i guess im lucky they let me have all these animals. Sorry for such a long message everybody..
For detailed suggestions or any questions of any kind please email me!!!!

Zach
OutLander Invertebrates

have u tried a space heater...ceramic ones? just a thought

Sorry about your losses.

I use this stuff some I am curious:
Did you have a thermostat hookup to the heat tape (I assume it
was Flex-Watt)? Was it damaged in some way by a enclosure that you had on top of it? Was it against a thin melamine board or was it attached to wood?

Anyway, for about $30 bucks you can get a decent oil-based space heater...just use a heavy duty extension cord i fyou use one at all.


Regards,
Jeff

Oh that is terribly sad, I am so sorry.

The ceramic space heater sounds like your best bet. Wouldn't an oil-based heater make fumes? I'm not sure what one of those is! I have also thought of using an electric blanket for a large area, but not sure of the safety of that idea either.

Sgain, sorry about your loss!

Wouldn't an oil-based heater make fumes?

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Nah...it's all sealed. It just seems to give off a moist warm heat. use one in my basement 'hobby' area.

Here's an example: http://www.store.yahoo.com/air-n-water/radheatsafoi.html but I got mine from Target for $35.

Jeff

Oh, thanks! I had never seen one of those. Seems like a great alternative to me!

So sorry for your loss. Ceramic heater for sure.I bought one at Home Depot about 4 years ago,and it still works great.Mine is a Holmes about 8 in by 12 in and can heat a fairly large room.It has a thermostat I can set at whatever temp I want, and a safty so if it ever malfunctions and gets to hot, it turns off completely.
Once again sorry about your loss.

Angela

I personally would stay away from any heating oil space heater. They are too likely to start a fire. That may be due to my background though (my Dad's a fire inspector). If cost is a factor try an electric space heater with a thermostat. If not try a ceramic heater. Ceramic seems to be a bit more expensive but from what I've heard a bit better than a lamp.

My main problem is that my invert/herp room (my bedroom too, but i now sleep on the floor) is in the basement

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Be careful of any type of heater that "burns" oil. It may not neeed a flu (exhaust to the outside) but if it is "burning" then its definitely emmiting some type of fume, and I dont believe a basement would be well ventilated enough (asphixiation). Best to stick with an electric or ceramic type, but those will run up the electric bill as well if used all day.

Originally posted by Chris V
Be careful of any type of heater that "burns" oil. It may not neeed a flu (exhaust to the outside) but if it is "burning" then its definitely emmiting some type of fume, and I dont believe a basement would be well ventilated enough (asphixiation). Best to stick with an electric or ceramic type, but those will run up the electric bill as well if used all day.

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No offense people but you oviously dont know what an oil heater is. It is sealed and it doesn't burn oil it just heats the oil and it circulates round inside the heater.

This is an oil heater mabey now you will recognise them Plus they are alot safer then filiment heaters.

Yea, what he said about the "oil" heaters. As for the cost as long as you are heating a small area you won't really notice a difference in your bill. Just don't try and heat a 3000 sq. foot area.

reply

I have a heater just like the one pictured but it is an older model thus dosn't have a thermostat. Is there any way that i could get a thermostat plug in. That would shutoff power to the heater when it gets a certain temp?

yes it is flex watt heat tape... A whole kit made just for this type and brand of heat tape,which i bought from The Bean Farm ( a herp supplies company). It was not pinched from the cages sealed to anything or anything else of that sort..

I just have it running along the back of the cabinets, just lying there. I can't think of any reason why it might have done this.
i emailed the company and they said it is a DIY product and they cannot explain why it may have malfuntioned....


thanks to ALL for reading my post and/or giving any informational help...

Zach
OutLander Inverts
P.S. support a young company..everbody be on the lookout for "OutLander Invertebrates",,,I will have a web site up soon and will eventually be selling inverts/herps via mail order....Thanks everybody...any qeustions or inquires may be sent to OutLanderinverts@yahoo.com

Re: reply

Originally posted by OutLander
I have a heater just like the one pictured but it is an older model thus dosn't have a thermostat. Is there any way that i could get a thermostat plug in. That would shutoff power to the heater when it gets a certain temp?

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Well, If you know an electrician he/she could probably wire in a 24V (house type) heating thermostat. All you should need is some wire and a 110-24V transformer.

Cheers,
Andrew

that really sucks that you lost some of your tarantulas!

Go buy a new one. They are like $20.