EcoGlow by Brinsea

[J.P.]

hi guys. have any of you tried this heating product? https://www.brinsea.com/p-375-ecoglow-20-chick-brooder.aspx

i do not like how CHEs heat a very small space. next to the CHE it's very hot, but drastic drop in temps as object goes farther. when my tortoises move away from it just a foot, there is considerable lower temps. i know all about thermoregulation, but i feel there is a lot wasted heat since my tortoises seldom stay directly under the che anyway.

the most practical product i've seen is this ecoglow brooder. the small one uses only 18watts of power and the big one uses 50watts, compare that to CHE wattages... small one can be used for housing one or two babies, the big one (at 22 inches) can accomodate a sulcata i think. from my understanding, it seems to get warm (not hot), but disperses this warmth over a larger surface area. radiant heating, and very gentle, the animal can touch the surface and still not get burned. another good thing about is the flat design, it can serve as a hide by itself.

it runs on 12V (transformer is provided), so hooking this up to a solar charged battery or to your car in cases of emergency is straight forward. good for power outages. good potentential for an outdoor nightbox.

there is also a Katkabin (it uses 5watts only), may or may not be enough to heat a tortoise)...still reading up on this.
i am really interested in this product. i hope you guys can help me decide.

 

[G-stars]

Let me ask you a question, do you have an open top? Or closed chambers? No matter what heat source you use it will escape as heat tends to rise.

 

[J.P.]

closed chambers

 

[J.P.]

my logic is why do i need a CHE that heats up to a hundred degrees which i have to place high enough off the substrate so my torts do not burn, if i can use something that uses less power to warm up to a desired temperature. since temperature is proportional to distance, i can set this ecoglow brooder lower and becomes their hide...by simple instalation of a thermostat, it's easy to maintain same temps as CHE i think.....only with less power

 

[Heather H]

Does it give off light? Can you attach the site you found it in please ?

 

[G-stars]

I'm not sure I understood. Do you have your CHE on a thermostat?

 

[Heather H]

Does it give off light? Can you attach the site you found it in please ?

Oops I see the site at the top.

 

[J.P.]

G-stars,
yes i do. my temps are ok and stable with current CHE, but it is not the issue.

let me explain further. what i do not like about the che is the wasted heat. the CHE gets so hot, that we have to raise the position in order to get temps at tort level just right. i feel that this distance is waste of energy. a lot of the heat generated rises to the top. whether open top or closed chambers, heat will rise, the closed chamber will only help by trapping the rising air, but it is still concentrated at the top of the enclosure, which is i feel is a waste since the tortoise we are trying to heat is at the bottom.

with the ecoglow heat panels, you'll get same temps at tort level even with less energy because it is very close to the ground. maybe it will clarify the matter if you read info from the link i provided.

 

[G-stars]

I checked out the link. It doesn't really say how it warms up. Is it similar to a heat pad or something like air warmth?

 

[J.P.]

similar to a heat pad i guess, but instead of heating under the animal, this ecoglow brooder radiates heat from above.

quoted from the website:
"Because the heat from the black underside of the EcoGlow is largely radiant, measuring the temperature with a thermometer is of little value. Radiant heat passes through air without warming it. Only a solid object will absorb and be warmed by Radiant heat. So a thermometer will register the air temperature but not the radiant heat and will usually show some 5 to 10°F lower than the effective temperature felt by the chicks."

good right? heat goes directly down to sleeping torts and does not rise up right away...i mainly plan to use this as a "burrow" to replace the CHE... there will still be a basking lamp.

 

[G-stars]

Interesting. If you do end up getting it let us know how you like it. I'm always open to new better ways of doing things.

 

[J.P.]

i will. but i would like to hear from experienced tortoise keepers if it's a good idea. it's a reasonable price, but shipping it to where i am would more than double the cost, so i need more thinking and convincing.

 

[Heather H]

i will. but i would like to hear from experienced tortoise keepers if it's a good idea. it's a reasonable price, but shipping it to where i am would more than double the cost, so i need more thinking and convincing.

They have them on Amazon also. I'm wondering if you used the side panels if it could be made into a humid hide for babies?

 

[Yvonne G]

I've never heard of that before. It might be worthwhile for one of us to buy one and test it out.

 

[Heather H]

Wonder how they handle humidity

 

[MikeCow1]

I didn't see where it says how warm it does make the animals under it. Does it make them hot enough is what I wonder.

 

[Maro2Bear]

Greetings. IMHO, i don't think this is a good product for a tort enclosure, because as the product describes, it only heats objects close to the element and does not radiate heat. I think the advantage of a CHE is that it provides bands or layers out from the center and your tort easily finds a good comfortable spot to thermoregulate. This product almost makes it sound like it's all heat, or no heat (away from the element) away from the source. Can't imagine it being a good overall heater. Emergency, on 12v DC, yes, but not day-to-day.

 

[wellington]

I agree with Maro2Bear. A CHE will help to heat the whole enclosure and areas around it, besides under it. This chick heater though might work good for heating a hide, specially for making it a humid hide?

 

[J.P.]

baby chickens need 90-95F, and this being a successful for brooding chicks may mean it heats appropriately.
i don't know for sure, your points are all valid of course. it's very nice to get inputs from others.

 

[Heather H]

I think it would be great for a hide. But still question if it could handle the humidity needed