Leopard Gecko: Heat Mat

[Elizabeth Freer]

hmmm, I have never really herd of that before. As I said, you can put a towel around the heat mat if it gets to hot so I just keep mine on and it stays the right tempature.

Marty ~

Which of the above have you not heard before? The adhesive on the UTH is designed to stick underneath the tank.

 

[marty10f]

Marty ~

Which of the above have you not heard before? The adhesive on the UTH is designed to stick underneath the tank.

Oh, I thought you meant that it doesn't touch the bottom, but sits underneath(not touching) the tank.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Oh, I thought you meant that it doesn't touch the bottom, but sits underneath(not touching) the tank.

Just to make certain: The UTH is stuck on the outside bottom of the tank. Sometimes small sticky pads are included with the UTH. Those are to elevate the corners of the tank.

It is very important to elevate the tank with those "feet" or otherwise if it is to be placed on a solid surface in order to prevent heat build up and to provide very necessary ventilation .

If the UTH is properly sized for a habitat, it should not get too hot. 90-93 F is recommended for the hot side of leo tanks.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

What do you use to place the heat mat against the tank floor other than using the sticky pad on the mat.

Aluminum electrician's tape can be found at hardware stores.

 

[manolo578]

I'll check that out.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

GRRRRRRR
7 months after buying this heatmat, it does this! It looks like it literally burnt out and had cracks on it. what in the world is going on!? I have such bad luck with equipment its ridiculous!

2! But separate tanks of course. I did get the zoo med one, cost $25. Soon I am going to make an attempt at building amazing setups for them and I will order those heat tapes.
I just realized the directions say not to set the tank on top of the plug, thats what caused the shortage!

 

[Leo the Leopard Gecko]

That happened to the ones I had before so now all my tanks hang slightly over the edge to allow for the cord to come out the bottom. Such a bad design flaw with the tank/heater combo

My Zoo med UTH came with four "bead thingys" that go on the bottom of my tank on all four sides. It raises my tank just enough to let the uth fit.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

GRRRRRRR
7 months after buying this heatmat, it does this! It looks like it literally burnt out and had cracks on it. what in the world is going on!? I have such bad luck with equipment its ridiculous!

Ouch...any warranty on these Zoo Med heat mats? Looks like a fire hazard :yikes:

Was the tank on which you had this heat mat elevated at all above its stand? Are you using a thermostat?

 

[Melanie_Linn]

That's just horrible! But as Eliza said was the tank elevated enough? Did it just short out on you for no reason?

 

[XoVictoryXo]

It was elevated and on a rheostat ugh! I am buying a new heat mat tonight!
Im not sure what is going on!!!??

 

[athdaraxen]

I don't claim to know much about electrical stuff but maybe its not the UTH but the wall outlet.

I've had lamps blow up due to a faulty outlet, maybe that's what's going on?

Sent from my Slimbean Cappy via Tapatalk 2.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

It was elevated and on a rheostat ugh! I am buying a new heat mat tonight!
Im not sure what is going on!!!??

Have you a rheostat or a thermostat? A thermostat should automatically turn off a heating device once the device reaches the preset temperature. A rheostat/dimmer only controls the "level" of the heat output.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

now that I think of it, My desk lamp has actually been blowing out unusually as well, I think you are right athdaraxen, it is probably the socket not the equipment. My sockets blow pretty frequently, I live in an old house.
I have a rheostat set to a medium - low setting which was working perfectly for me. The heat mat never got too hot, it just simply stopped working one day! wtf!!?? And why is it always Rex's heat mat's malfunctioning, not Xenas? Now thats strange!
I have been checking all of the temps habitually now, at least 2-3 times a day (after I had a heatpad go haywire and burn scare ) The rheostat did not burn out thank goodness. I like to lower the heat at night to keep up with their schedules.
Now that I realize it is actually my sockets I do not know what to do

 

[athdaraxen]

now that I think of it, My desk lamp has actually been blowing out unusually as well, I think you are right athdaraxen, it is probably the socket not the equipment. My sockets blow pretty frequently, I live in an old house.
I have a rheostat set to a medium - low setting which was working perfectly for me. The heat mat never got too hot, it just simply stopped working one day! wtf!!?? And why is it always Rex's heat mat's malfunctioning, not Xenas? Now thats strange!
I have been checking all of the temps habitually now, at least 2-3 times a day (after I had a heatpad go haywire and burn scare ) The rheostat did not burn out thank goodness. I like to lower the heat at night to keep up with their schedules.
Now that I realize it is actually my sockets I do not know what to do

Sockets are pretty easy to replace, a bit of googling should get you on the right path, a trip to your local hardware store should help too. I know Lowes employees tend to be helpful in these kinds of situations. :3

Edit: Liz's comment made me think and I was like, oh right rheostats control the amount of electricity (right?) If so then your socket could have shorted the dimmer or overloaded it which in turn overloaded/melted your mat. Or it might not have affected it at all. As I said I'm no electrician.

Sent from my Slimbean Cappy via Tapatalk 2.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

Thanks ! I think I will let my landlord know the issue, as I pictured myself attempting this and electrocuting myself lol he will need to get an electrician.
I need to get a thermostat asap, screw this rheostat

 

[XoVictoryXo]

I was threadjacking another posters thread about their UTH Issues... figured its best Id continue on my own .
So... I wrote this letter to ZooMed...

I wrote them an email! If anyone else has had a terrible malfunction with them feel free to do the same here 'zoomed@zoomed.com' . I know, this is probably all in vain
On 6/12/12 I purchased a ZooMed Heating Mat . I installed it correctly and ensured the bottom of my lizard tank was raised off of the dresser it sat on.
On January 2nd 2013 I discovered this heating mat had a major malfunction. It appears to have burnt right thru with holes and cracks in it. I have attached a picture. It must have gotten so hot that it could have caught on fire. I had this connected to a a ZooMed Rheostat that supposed to regulate temperature to avoid this exact problem from happening . How could this malfunction have happened while using a one of your rheostats? I found burn marks all along my dresser and realized this really could have started a life threatening fire. I am very upset and scared and warning all of my reptile forum friends never to purchase this Heat mat, many of the members have voiced the same concerns with this exact product.
Please correct this issue; it is really dangerous; and potentially fatal!

and this was their response. - They send me a questionnaire?!


Hello Victory,
Thank you for contacting us. I am sorry to hear that you have experienced trouble with this item. Can you please give me a little more information about your set up?

What size tank do you have?
Is the heater stuck to the glass or sitting under the tank?
Do you have the tank elevated in any way?
Do you have any other heating elements on the tank?
What kind of substrate are you using?
How deep is the substrate?
What was the temperature in the tank? Is this the air temperature or the temperature of the glass above the heater?
Can you send me any photos of your enclosure?

Your answers to these questions will help me determine what could have happed and how we can best help you. Please let me know if you have any further questions.

 

[Elizabeth Freer]

Xo ~

;-)

:biggrin:

Where's cricket4u?

 

[Riverside Reptiles]

I think that it's a good sign that they sent you a questionnaire. It means that they're attempting to determine the cause of the problem in order to (hopefully) make a fix in the design. The more information that they gather about the issue and what actually caused it, the more likely they are to be able to fix it. Trust me, no big company wants to put out dangerous or faulty product.

Also, if you're having a problem with a particular outlet, a good safety precaution is a surge protector and/or a power strip that has an inline circuit breaker. These will save your equipment in the case or a power surge or other electrical issue. A little bit of precaution goes a long way. And with something as dangerous as your home's electrical system, it's always better to be safe than sorry.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

Good point RR, I sent my response, lets see what they say.

 

[XoVictoryXo]

Got a response:
You said the heater was underneath the tank, was it stuck to the glass or sitting on your dresser. Also you cannot use slate tile in your tank if your using the Under Tank heater, you can use cage carpet or eco carpet in the tank or sand or bark of some kind, slate traps the heat around the heating pad and can make it over heat and potentially melt. I can replace the heating pad for you, I just need your name mailing address and a phone number.

ugh