Heating My New Snakeroom Questions....

[Toddsnake]

My son has moved out to his own apartment so I have a room in my house for a Snakeroom! I will be moving all my cornsnakes to that room and would like to know how you guys would recommend I heat it. Should I use some type of space-heater to heat the whole room to around 82-84 degrees around the clock? Maybe a programable type that I could program to drop the temp at night? Do I still need the UTH Pads if I heat the whole room? Does someone make a temp alarm that could be setup to warn if there was a heating problem and temps started spiking? I have lots of 20 gal long Zilla Tanks right now that take up alot of space...so if I go to a rack type system would I need to have the kind that come with Flex-watt Heat Tape? The room is only 11' x 11' and I currently have around 30 snakes.

Thanks for any info!!!:cheers:

Todd:licklips:

 

[epicdoom]

I use the vent in my room to regulate the temp there is also a small ac in there if the temps get to high it kicks on. There are several ways folks do this one is to heat the whole room to 83-85 no UTH or other heating devices needed the other is to heat the room to room temp 65-70 and use the UTH for warm side temps. I prefer the room temp heating method. because it gives my snakes somewhere to go if they feed to warm. if the whole room is 83 85 there stuck with that all the time. Both ways work but I like personally like to give my snakes an escape. during the summer I shut off the heat and just use the AC unit to keep temps at room temp. There are room alarms that will warn you of overheating Home depo, lowes and the like may have them.this will be an alarm you hear and will have to make adjustments. You can close off all heat vents to the room and use a High grade space heater with thermostat built in. I personally will never use those devices my brother is a fireman and tells me horror stories about those things. I'm not willing to take the chance having lived through a house fire.

 

[Nanci]

I'd personally be VERY afraid to use a space heater. Well, I wouldn't do it. Every year we hear of accidents where something goes wrong and rooms of snakes get cooked. Space heaters have warnings on them to not leave unattended, or even go to sleep in the room with them running!

Not to mention, here in Florida where not everyone has central heat, every time there is a cold snap, there are stories on the news of homes burning due to the space heater.

 

[crotalis40741]

I won't use a space heater but I do have electric wall heater units in the snake building that have a thermostat on them. They run off 220 and seem pretty efficient. I got them at Lowes.

 

[epicdoom]

I won't use a space heater but I do have electric wall heater units in the snake building that have a thermostat on them. They run off 220 and seem pretty efficient. I got them at Lowes.

Yeah those units work great there electric baseboard heaters I had those installed in my house in Florida hardly ever needed but was nice when I did. I'm not a fan of extension cords as well when I ran electric to my room I installed strip recepticals all the power in that room runs to its own electrical panel. My heat vents are in the ceiling and I and have a sealed damper to adjust the amount of heat in the room.

 

[Pugsley]

Todd, have you made plans for where your son will sleep when he moves back home?

 

[the_edsta]

So far I have found that a space heater plugged into a programmable thermostat set at 80 is a pretty efficient method. I also keep two 55 gallon breeders split in half (screen) with a light at the dividing portion (the only lights in the room). The breeder tanks end up w. 83 on the high side and 79-80 on the low, and the other sterelites hover between 78-81. I am working in a 5x5 closet, though, so it isn't the hardest space to have climate controlled...

 

[epicdoom]

Todd, have you made plans for where your son will sleep when he moves back home?

LOL I actually acquired my snake room the same way, son moved out snakes moved in lol I fixed the room up,new drywall, fully insulated walls and ceiling, new electric, heat vents moved to the ceiling, sun blocked off all the windows, new carpet and wood work. He came over took a look and said, I wanna move back. I said NP the basement is cleaned out and ready. He's 27 and this is the first time on his own, I hope it stays that way.

 

[Toddsnake]

Thanks for the advise guys. The Space Heater method would have me worried also....I have heard the horror stories also. I was thinking maybe some kind of ceramic heating device might be safe, if they make one. I do have a AC/Heating vent in the room I can use to regulate it to some extent, we do keep it cool in the house during the summer..around 72. In the winter we keep the house around 76. If I did use some type of room heating device it would probably only run a few minutes every hour to keep the room at 82. If I don't heat the room I will have UTH and Flex-Watt plugged in everywhere!
I have heard a few horror stories about Flex-Watt also.

Not sure what to do at this point.......

Todd :cheers:

If my Son comes back home it will just have to go back to the way it was set-up....spread-out over 3 locations.

 

[Nanci]

Todd, why not just invest in nice racks? Although I think racks are safer than a space heater, you could install back-up thermostats and there you go- twice as safe as a single thermostat.

The thing I think people miss out on when using whole-room heat, whether very important or not, is having temperature zones. How can the snakes thermoregulate if the air temp is a perfect 80F?

 

[epicdoom]

As Nanci said racks are great and simple to build you could link the flex tape to keep cords to a minimum go to the DIY section I built a rack and posted it there its for small snakes but you can just build larger as needed for adults mine holds 18 5 Quart tubs and the whole thing only take up a foot more space then a 20long tank. I chose to have each shelf on its own thermostat but I could have linked them and used just 1

 

[diamondlil]

Todd, have you made plans for where your son will sleep when he moves back home?

Ah but the beauty of having a new snake room is that the kids just can't move back!

 

[the_edsta]

Todd, why not just invest in nice racks? Although I think racks are safer than a space heater, you could install back-up thermostats and there you go- twice as safe as a single thermostat.

The thing I think people miss out on when using whole-room heat, whether very important or not, is having temperature zones. How can the snakes thermoregulate if the air temp is a perfect 80F?

Its def true that heating the room doesn't give as good a temp gradient, but if the thermostat is located near the heater, it does produce SOME gradient, e.g. it is warmer on the side of the tubs that face the heater. I use a laser to check temps and I am usually happy (most tanks 79 on one side, 81 on the other, some a touch cooler (the lower ones), some a touch warmer (the higher ones), but generally all in a healthy range). "Stories" about nearly anything don't really make me nervous, especially as this particular heater does use a ceramic base, has 4 stars on amazon with 1100 reviews, and costs $22! That and a $28 separate thermostat (I know this one has one built in, but it isn't precise) and you've got an effective heat setup with two shut-offs for as many snakes as you can fit for only $60!

Lasko 754200 Ceramic Heater with Adjustable Thermostat

(Didn't mean to sound sales-pitchy there... I just like this setup!)

 

[epicdoom]

Ah but the beauty of having a new snake room is that the kids just can't move back!

I second that lol
I do own a space heater and it is a very good one. I use it in my shed to heat up my motorcycle for cold day rides, starts up easier. Its the only time it gets used. I just don't trust them inside the the house and for sure never running more then a half hour. I know folks that use them all the time tho with no issues I'm just not willing to take the chance. My brother says the biggest problem is being knocked over and failing to shut off second problem is its a large resistor the cord heats up in turn heating the receptical and wiring in the wall. Over time the insulation breaks down becomes brittle and falls away from the conductor and the wires short. Some say not a problem in houses with circuit breakers they will trip. That's true but when the wires short they arc and sparks come off along with Molten copper if its a good arc if that falls on dust behind the wall you got a fire. Using an extension cord with them compounds the problem. I was literally sitting on the bed in my now Wife's room she had a space heater running with an extension cord the cord got so hot it melted sparked in a big ball of fire the set the carpet on fire in a nano second. This is why I hate extension cords, I don't even own one.

 

[the_edsta]

I second that lol
I do own a space heater and it is a very good one. I use it in my shed to heat up my motorcycle for cold day rides, starts up easier. Its the only time it gets used. I just don't trust them inside the the house and for sure never running more then a half hour. I know folks that use them all the time tho with no issues I'm just not willing to take the chance. My brother says the biggest problem is being knocked over and failing to shut off second problem is its a large resistor the cord heats up in turn heating the receptical and wiring in the wall. Over time the insulation breaks down becomes brittle and falls away from the conductor and the wires short. Some say not a problem in houses with circuit breakers they will trip. That's true but when the wires short they arc and sparks come off along with Molten copper if its a good arc if that falls on dust behind the wall you got a fire. Using an extension cord with them compounds the problem. I was literally sitting on the bed in my now Wife's room she had a space heater running with an extension cord the cord got so hot it melted sparked in a big ball of fire the set the carpet on fire in a nano second. This is why I hate extension cords, I don't even own one.

Did you check the link? I don't think a brand new one of those (w. a lifetime warranty by the way) could easily short. They've come a long way! I keep mine on the 'low' setting as well, just to avoid the high current draw (and because it is a walk-in closet, not a full room).

 

[epicdoom]

yeah its not the unit its self that im worried about shorting its the cord that gets warm or hot that is my concern. Having been in a house fire I can tell you that a small flame can become an inferno in a flash. My fire started in a shorted outlet that spat sparks onto the back of our sofa I wend to the kitchen to get a pot of water I was gone mere seconds when I returned the whole sofa erupted in flames the pot of water didn't even make a dent. Thank god for smoke detectors and the summer kitchen I built the year before or my wife 2 kids and I would have had to jump from the second floor window. several snakes and the family dog weren't so lucky. I'm just not willing to take a chance on thing I hear horror stories about every year.JMO

 

[the_edsta]

Jeez... w. that experience under my belt, I would likely be extremely cautious as well! That is rough. I guess, as mine only seems to cycle on for 10 minutes or so and then shut off, i've just never had a wire even get warm. I suppose a small room in FL just doesn't keep it on long enough.

 

[Toddsnake]

I am planning to build or buy some more rack systems but extra money right now is focused on Christmas for my family.:santa: Here is a few pics of what I have now and they all have their own heat source.
A Wire Rack for my 20 gal longs.
A home-built shelf unit from shelving I got at Walmart.
A Reptile Basics Iris MCB-S 12 quart rack with a VE-100 Thermostat. I plan on getting a second one and stacking it on-top of the first one.

Still researching types of room heaters but with such HORROR STORIES like that don't know if there is one out there I can trust.:awcrap::sidestep:

Todd

 

[the_edsta]

I always talk about how powerful narrative can be, but this is such good, concrete evidence of that: 1-2 horror stories > 1,000 positive ratings/reviews.

 

[Nanci]

No one wants to be the one horror story, though...