# Need Battery Powered heating pad



## mobtech (Nov 23, 2010)

I live on an acre lot and my sulcata is on the back side of the property. I can run an extension cord to the cage, but would rather have a battery powered heating pad. My sulcata finally got big enough that it is not appropriate to keep him inside. Spanky Z needs heat. =)


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## Livingstone (Nov 23, 2010)

Short of electric socks you are going to have a problem. But since the tort is only going to get bigger, I would suggest biting the bullet and running a permanent feed to that area so you can make use of it forever. Even if battery power was a solution, the animal would again outgrow that and you would be left in the same situation. 

Run some conduit with 12/3 in it, and put it on its own circuit. That way you can power whatever you need. 

There are alot of DIY articles on the web for how to do this.

Good Luck


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## Yvonne G (Nov 23, 2010)

I don't think there is such a thing. Can you move his den closer to your house to where an extension cord IS feasible? 

Before I retired I had an electrician run lines for some of my habitats, and I know it can be expensive. Now that I'm retired and on Social Security, any new habitats I build are fed by a heavy duty extension cord. Not the best solution, but it works. You just have to keep an eye on the cord and replace it as it weathers. Don't try to go too far..only one cord length. I put the cord inside a PVC to protect it a bit from the elements.

But I think your best bet is to figure out how to get his den closer to your electric source.


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## Terry Allan Hall (Nov 23, 2010)

Livingstone said:


> Short of electric socks you are going to have a problem. But since the tort is only going to get bigger, I would suggest biting the bullet and running a permanent feed to that area so you can make use of it forever. Even if battery power was a solution, the animal would again outgrow that and you would be left in the same situation.
> 
> Run some conduit with 12/3 in it, and put it on its own circuit. That way you can power whatever you need.
> 
> ...



Agreed. This is the only realistic solution that won't eventually result in a very cold sulcata!


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## Turtulas-Len (Nov 23, 2010)

You may want to try solar, you will need enough battery storage for it to run all night and a power inverter. Harbor Freight has their 45 watt system on sale for $159.99. It's a simple system to setup. Len


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## Maggie Cummings (Nov 23, 2010)

I agree that for the winter his den needs to be moved closer to the house, also that makes it easier for you to enjoy him...


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## Madkins007 (Nov 23, 2010)

There is a reason that few heating systems run on batteries- they would just drain too quickly to be practical.

If you need more heat but cannot move it or wire it up, you might consider a thermal heat sink- dark-colored thick slab of concrete well-insulated on the sides, that would warm up during the day and release heat at night.


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## mobtech (Nov 24, 2010)

Thank you for all your help he is staying warm in the house right now, but I have a busy school schedule at the moment so he is just out to long in the cold. I may bring his house closer, but most likely going to try and hook up electricity.


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## Laura (Nov 24, 2010)

they make cords in many lengths.. measure to see how far it is.. and run it thru pvc pipe to protect it.. or if you know an electrician.. even better!
If there is a college near you that offers electrical classes.. they may need a project to do. 
its cheap labor! you just pay for the parts.. we had our garage built that way.. slower, but cheaper!


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## Terry Allan Hall (Nov 25, 2010)

Laura said:


> they make cords in many lengths.. measure to see how far it is.. and run it thru pvc pipe to protect it.. or if you know an electrician.. even better!
> *If there is a college near you that offers electrical classes.. they may need a project to do.
> its cheap labor! you just pay for the parts.. we had our garage built that way.. slower, but cheaper!*



Excellent idea!


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## chairman (Nov 25, 2010)

If you wanted to run on battery power you'd probably have to use normal heating devices running off an AC inverter. In terms of batteries, you're going to need to install several 24v deep cycle batteries (not car batteries, they're not designed to be drained and recharged). The exact quantity of batteries you'll need depend on the load you'll have on the system and how long you need it to last before it needs to be recharged. You'll also probably need to have a duplicate set of batteries so that you can have one set running the heat while the other set is charging. For the cost of an inverter, batteries, and chargers for the batteries, you could probably pay to have an electrician run power outside a couple times over.


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