heat cable

[paulsreef]

Has anyone used the heat cable that zoo Med has available? I was thinking of routing out a couple of slots in the shelves in the same location that the 3" flexwatt would go. Each shelf would have 2 cables running parallel, like train tracks. The cables would sit in the slots therefore not interfering with the rubbermaids. The cables are UL certified, but don't get a false sense of security, they should still be regarded as a fire hazard if not used as instructed. Anyways, can someone comment on this idea?

Thanks, Paul.

[peterm15]

its a good idea but if your wanting to use cable get the roofers stuff at hardware stores.. ALOT more for a pretty good price... i think each zoo med heat cable is like 30 bucks and for 60 you get 20 feet( i believe) of roofers stuff...

ive never used it but a breeder in newmarket i was talkin to uses it for his racks

[paulsreef]

I bet It's the same stuff. I'm going to look into it.
Thanks, Paul.

[peterm15]

the zoo med heat cable ( if i remember) is for aborials to climb on right...

[Steve]

Is the roofing stuff as safe as the zoo med thought? I've been debating that for awhile. I mean the roofing stuff is made to have ice and snow on it...so this keep its temperature down a bit. I want to start testing it soon to get my own opinion on it

[Stockwell]

Roofing cable is not suitable for indoor use with herps. People have done it but there are some real concerns.
To start with eves and downpipe defroster cable tends to come in very long lengths. Unlike heat tape, you can't cut this stuff down, as the watts is a function of the over all length as it's generally one big series circuit, just like old fashioned Xmas tree lights.
Cutting a chunk out and reattching it, means you've removed some of the resistance, so what's left, actually gets hotter, and uses more watts, than the full original length.
Some of the ones on the market, have thermostats built in, and they come on only near freezing. Not much good for herps.

Cutting the thermostats out, I have done, but be warned it's problematic because the wire inside is very thin and is a metal that can't be soldered... Thats a huge problem, plus any extra length, needs to be wrapped around a frame of pipe or something that wont burn, since you can't cut it shorter.

They make a plastic stinky smell when they heat up, which nobody would care about when they are used outside,
and:
One last thing... They are CSA and UL approved, only for outside use. Bringing them inside, modifying them and using them on wood and wrapping them around stuff, constitutes abuse... You're on your own, if they cause a fire.

[Steve]

Thank you Roy....basically what I thought(just a little less technical)

[paulsreef]

Back to the old drawing board!!

[bighillreptiles]

Pet smart in Ottawa has the heet cable in 25 foot at fifty bucks i thionk .i am useing it on my baby rack and think it is a great idea and works realy well with a dimmer switch

[paulsreef]

Paul,
How do you rig it up on your rack? Bottom or back heat?
Thanks, Paul.

[diablodragon]

i am using the zoomed cable in my snake rack right now. I have had no problems with it at all. Its hooked up to a zoomed reostat to ajust the temp accordingly.


the only thing i dont like about it was having to router the grooves for the cable to fit in.

[Siretsap]

I am using the roofing cable and it works fine for me. What I did was build the rack so it would use the 100 foot cable, and built an other rack that uses the 60 foot cable.

As for the certifications, if you do not modify the cables, then they won't cause any problems for your insurance either, since they are UL and ESU approved.

I know of a few breeders who have been using the heating cables for over 10 years without any problems (just don't cut your wire or modify it).

But it is important to use a thermostat and not a rheostat.

The problem with the zoo med heating cables, is that there is a 6 foot extension that doesn't heat on it. So if you buy a 15 foot heating cable, then you only have 9 foot that will heat on that cable... So your 25 foot cable actually is a 19 foot heating cable.

EDIT:
if you want, I can send you pics of how it is made. I did the exact thing you wanted to do. One of my rack uses 100 foot of cable heating. I made grooves on the shelves (2 parallel lines with a gap of 2 inches betwen the lines). I use a thermostat to control the temps.

Here is a pic of the rack once it is finished.

[paulsreef]

Pictures would be appreciated, please email them to

pauls1@sympatico.ca

Thanks, Paul.