Kane mat question.

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
I am having a hard time wrapping my head around how to use these for some reason. I am putting them in an insulated night box that will be built this month. I understand I attach it to the floor and put nothing on it. I will hook it up to a thermostat, but where do I put the probe, and what temp do I set it for? Isn't it just going to turn on n off constantly and not hold any heat?
 

mike taylor

Well-Known Member
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Oct 28, 2012
Messages
13,461
Tom puts the on the walls and puts the probe on them I think . If you look in the sulcata section he has pictures of his boxes .
 

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
I found one with the mat. Looks like one thermostat runs the radiated heat panel and the mat. The probe is on the cool side of the electric shoe box. @Tom is this correct? So if the mat is just on until the temperature is right in the box, how does it not burn them if it's cold and the heat is on most of the time? We are going to super insulate ours, but nights are very cold in spring and fall. Even in summer it cools off a lot here.
 

Yvonne G

Old Timer
TFO Admin
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 23, 2008
Messages
93,390
Location (City and/or State)
Clovis, CA
My Stansfield mats don't have a probe. You buy a controller (a rheostat that plugs into the wall socket), then you plug the pad into the controller. You adjust the temperature on the controller and the pad goes on and off and maintains a certain temperature.

Dudley's Rebuild 2-1-15 a.jpg

The black cord is going down to the pad and is plugged into the controller.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
I found one with the mat. Looks like one thermostat runs the radiated heat panel and the mat. The probe is on the cool side of the electric shoe box. @Tom is this correct? So if the mat is just on until the temperature is right in the box, how does it not burn them if it's cold and the heat is on most of the time? We are going to super insulate ours, but nights are very cold in spring and fall. Even in summer it cools off a lot here.

Here is how I run them:
1. Kane mat: Mount it on the floor and turn the thermostat that comes with it all the way up and plug that into your thermostat.
2. Radiant Heat Panel: Mount it to the roof and plug it into your thermostat.
3. Thermostat: Plug it in to the wall and set the temp where you want it. I hang the probe away from the mat and RHP, so it can measure the air temp in the box and not be directly affected by the heat sources.

Neither your mat or your RHP can get hot enough to burn them. The Kane mat actually has a secondary safety thermostat built into the mat that will not allow it to get too hot even if the rheostat or thermostat fails. If the air in the box is cold, yes, the devices will stay on all the time, which is fine and exactly what you want. With the door closed the air in a well insulated and sealed box should get warm and toasty and the thermostat will kick on and off as needed.

In summer when we are having days near or above 100 every day, I set my boxes to 72-74 or unplug them. In winter when the days are going to be colder and they can't quite get warm enough in the sun outside, I set them to 86ish. When we have our warm winter spells with daily highs reaching 80+, I set the thermostats around 80. This has worked well for me for several years now.

With my level of insulation and sealing I'm able to keep my temps where I set them with nights that occasionally drop into the 20's, but are more typically in the 30s all winter long.
 

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
Here is how I run them:
1. Kane mat: Mount it on the floor and turn the thermostat that comes with it all the way up and plug that into your thermostat.
2. Radiant Heat Panel: Mount it to the roof and plug it into your thermostat.
3. Thermostat: Plug it in to the wall and set the temp where you want it. I hang the probe away from the mat and RHP, so it can measure the air temp in the box and not be directly affected by the heat sources.

Neither your mat or your RHP can get hot enough to burn them. The Kane mat actually has a secondary safety thermostat built into the mat that will not allow it to get too hot even if the rheostat or thermostat fails. If the air in the box is cold, yes, the devices will stay on all the time, which is fine and exactly what you want. With the door closed the air in a well insulated and sealed box should get warm and toasty and the thermostat will kick on and off as needed.

In summer when we are having days near or above 100 every day, I set my boxes to 72-74 or unplug them. In winter when the days are going to be colder and they can't quite get warm enough in the sun outside, I set them to 86ish. When we have our warm winter spells with daily highs reaching 80+, I set the thermostats around 80. This has worked well for me for several years now.

With my level of insulation and sealing I'm able to keep my temps where I set them with nights that occasionally drop into the 20's, but are more typically in the 30s all winter long.
Thanks. Your winter is my spring n fall. Lol. I will bring them in for winter. I just wanted to be sure I understood the correct use for these mats. Thanks again.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
Thanks. Your winter is my spring n fall. Lol. I will bring them in for winter. I just wanted to be sure I understood the correct use for these mats. Thanks again.


Absolutely. Please ask as many questions as you need.
 

Prairie Mom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
4,340
Jodie, this is a very helpful post. Mind if I ask questions about these mats on your thread? :)

@Tom and @Yvonne G
I'm unfamiliar with these mats...
-Could Kane mats and radiant heat panels be used inside a large closed chamber rather then CHEs (substrate over the mat & high humidity throughout)?

-Another question...
Several times a year, we have to leave the state for lengthy medical travel. We've brought our sulcata and other beasties with us. We have a great car tortoise setup using a comfortable very large Storage Tupperware (takes up the whole trunk of the van), humid hides, extra padding for bumpy roads, typical substrate, power inverter (something like this http://www.amazon.com/Bravo-View-INV-250-Inverter-Charging/dp/B004E8NL7I/ref=sr_1_48?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1424498264&sr=1-48), and we even set up a secured CHE to keep the tortoise at the perfect heat and humidity in the long distance car rides. It's like a nice little tortoise motor home:) Could I use a smaller Kane mat with the large storage tote? Would it melt the plastic?
 

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
From everything I have been told, you do not put anything on the mat. Tom uses the mat and a radiated heat panel in his insulated night boxes. So yes you can use this instead of a CHE. They come with a thermostat, so it wouldn't melt the plastic. Warm plastic puts off fumes though, so I am not sure about that.
 

Prairie Mom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
4,340
From everything I have been told, you do not put anything on the mat. Tom uses the mat and a radiated heat panel in his insulated night boxes. So yes you can use this instead of a CHE. They come with a thermostat, so it wouldn't melt the plastic. Warm plastic puts off fumes though, so I am not sure about that.
Thanks, Jodie:D From what you're saying it doesn't sound like I could use the cane in a closed chamber with substrate. (?) Under the tank mats have the warning not to use them with plastic, so I wondered if this was the same with the kane mat. -I'd be interested to test it out. Thanks for the response. Please post how yours works out for you if you go this route:)
 

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
Thanks, Jodie:D From what you're saying it doesn't sound like I could use the cane in a closed chamber with substrate. (?) Under the tank mats have the warning not to use them with plastic, so I wondered if this was the same with the kane mat. -I'd be interested to test it out. Thanks for the response. Please post how yours works out for you if you go this route:)
Well, I thought about using it in an enclosure. I was going th build a platform for the basking area, and put the mat there. You could put the mat on a piece of thin plywood, and then put that in the bin. I am going to use them in my outside boxes. I am using Tom's design.
 

Prairie Mom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
4,340
Well, I thought about using it in an enclosure. I was going th build a platform for the basking area, and put the mat there. You could put the mat on a piece of thin plywood, and then put that in the bin. I am going to use them in my outside boxes. I am using Tom's design.
Great ideas:)
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
-Could Kane mats and radiant heat panels be used inside a large closed chamber rather then CHEs (substrate over the mat & high humidity throughout)?

Yes they can. I'm planning two threads demonstrating just this for a couple of new growth experiments in another month and a half or so.
 

Tom

The Dog Trainer
10 Year Member!
Platinum Tortoise Club
Joined
Jan 9, 2010
Messages
63,269
Location (City and/or State)
Southern California
-Another question...
Could I use a smaller Kane mat with the large storage tote? Would it melt the plastic?

Yes you could and no, it will not melt the plastic. Kane heat mats have double thermostat protection now. If the primary thermostat fails there is an embedded one in the mat that will not let it over heat.

You cannot put any substrate on top of a Kane heat mat.
 

Prairie Mom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
4,340
Yes you could and no, it will not melt the plastic. Kane heat mats have double thermostat protection now. If the primary thermostat fails there is an embedded one in the mat that will not let it over heat.

You cannot put any substrate on top of a Kane heat mat.
Good to know. I'll be eager to check out your new experiment. I'm very interested in using heat sources other than CHEs that can stand up to the high humidity.
 

Levi the Leopard

IXOYE
10 Year Member!
Joined
Oct 1, 2012
Messages
7,958
Location (City and/or State)
Southern Oregon
...I'm literally asking btw ;) it's a question I've had in my mind and have yet to see the answer for. Plus, I chose NOT to use a mat specifically because I wanted to use substrate..
 

Prairie Mom

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
4,340
...I'm literally asking btw ;) it's a question I've had in my mind and have yet to see the answer for. Plus, I chose NOT to use a mat specifically because I wanted to use substrate..
I could tell you were serious in you inquiry and am interested in the responses. I wonder if substrate would make it less effective as a heat source? Would the substrate trap the heat below like a blanket? Could these be mounted on a side wall? I'm eager to see @Tom 's experiment with these, because I'd really like to try a different method of providing heat rather than using CHE s as I have been.
 

Jodie

Well-Known Member
5 Year Member
Joined
Jul 11, 2014
Messages
4,359
Location (City and/or State)
Spokane Valley WA
I don't know why either. I had enough people say it that i was taking it on faith. Curious to see an answer.
 
Top