heat panel question

trailblazer295 · 03-10-17, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sattva

Excuse me for butting in here... Hey Trailblazer... You seem to like Pro heat panels over Reptile Basics Radiant Heat Panels, which is what I was planning on buying for George... Do you think these are better? I can't find any prices on them... Their web site is awful!

I prefer pro product panels because they are safety tested UL ULC CE listed. Which means they have to meet industry standards of safety. Up here the law requires that all products be tested. The USA does not have such a law as a result most US based companies might not test their products for the small Canadian market. That being said in the pet trade up here it's still easy to buy untested equipment locally in chain stores. BUT lets say in the terrible case something shorts and burns your house to the ground and the cause is what is essentially an illegal product your insurance company will be giving a wave goodbye (you can fill in the rest). There was a news story out west years ago about an aquarium heater that shorted and caught fire. Luckily the person was home at the time. It was purchased at a Big Als I believe which is a popular aquarium store chain.

So for my personal piece of mind and insurance reasons I stick with tested equipment. I know many members have used RBI for years without an issue.

As for their website that is done on purpose to prevent people ordering the wrong panels. Bob told me people kept ordering the wrong panels. They make such a range of sizes and wattage. Bob has told me this himself. I've talked to him many times. Email or call him, he'll ask you questions on what cage, material, animal it's for, ambient room temp etc and recommend the model number of the right panel and give you the cost no problem.

GyGbeetle · 03-10-17, 02:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by trailblazer295

I prefer pro product panels because they are safety tested UL ULC CE listed. Which means they have to meet industry standards of safety. Up here the law requires that all products be tested. The USA does not have such a law as a result most US based companies might not test their products for the small Canadian market. That being said in the pet trade up here it's still easy to buy untested equipment locally in chain stores. BUT lets say in the terrible case something shorts and burns your house to the ground and the cause is what is essentially an illegal product your insurance company will be giving a wave goodbye (you can fill in the rest). There was a news story out west years ago about an aquarium heater that shorted and caught fire. Luckily the person was home at the time. It was purchased at a Big Als I believe which is a popular aquarium store chain.

So for my personal piece of mind and insurance reasons I stick with tested equipment. I know many members have used RBI for years without an issue.

As for their website that is done on purpose to prevent people ordering the wrong panels. Bob told me people kept ordering the wrong panels. They make such a range of sizes and wattage. Bob has told me this himself. I've talked to him many times. Email or call him, he'll ask you questions on what cage, material, animal it's for, ambient room temp etc and recommend the model number of the right panel and give you the cost no problem.

Is there any sort of sensor or power strip or plug in device that can prevent a short, and turn the product off if there's any arching or electrical issues? I'd care less about the insurance (yes, it would suck to have to rebuild a burnt down house), and more about the pets I'd be losing.

trailblazer295 · 03-10-17, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GyGbeetle

Is there any sort of sensor or power strip or plug in device that can prevent a short, and turn the product off if there's any arching or electrical issues? I'd care less about the insurance (yes, it would suck to have to rebuild a burnt down house), and more about the pets I'd be losing.

Most power bars are designed to protect devices from power surges coming from the outside in not shorts in circuits. That's what the breakers/fuses in your power panel do. But circuit breakers aren't designed to save appliances they protect the wiring from overheating. Even a single arc could light something on fire in theory so even shutting power off after that it's like blowing out the match after your campfire is going. A good surge bar that will trip if over amped is the only product I'm aware of. That's really all you can do outside of not overloading circuits, too many plugs in one bar etc.

Big_V · 03-10-17, 03:00 PM

Pro Products (promist@comcast.net) That is Bobs contact, he will talk your ear off but is the man when it comes to these products. He came up with these after losing a cabin in a large fire years ago. Ive been using these since I a teenager and my first unit still looks brand new 15 years later.

There is no comparison in having peace of mind your investments are safe and secured with tested products. I do also believe Bob ramps up the power to extremely high levels to test each unit before it leaves his place.

Most good thermostats have fuses on them and you can by replacements.

Dont mess around with inferior products that use flexwatt, here in BC Canada there was a very large law suit against them.

Ryan