Kane heat mats question please.

[kambcba]

I bought a heat mat and rheostat as recommended. Tonight will be 70° but not until after midnight. If I put the mat on when I go to bed at 10.30pm it’ll still be 80° out and with the rheostat on low it’ll keep the mat at 100°, which is HOT!

Do I need to set up a timer so the mat doesn’t come on until 2am or if I turn it on at 10.30 will he not get on the mat if it’s too hot?

 

[wellington]

Why will the nat hit 100?
Also they should not be used on the floor for babies. When using for adults, there should be a heat source above it also in a thermostat.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'm not familiar with the Kane mats, but I don't think they're supposed to get hotter than 80°F or so. If you set the rheostat for 80° it shouldn't come on until it's cooler than 80° in there.

 

[Tom]

I bought a heat mat and rheostat as recommended. Tonight will be 70° but not until after midnight. If I put the mat on when I go to bed at 10.30pm it’ll still be 80° out and with the rheostat on low it’ll keep the mat at 100°, which is HOT!

Do I need to set up a timer so the mat doesn’t come on until 2am or if I turn it on at 10.30 will he not get on the mat if it’s too hot?

You don't need a rheostat. You need a thermostat. A rheostat adjusts the amount of electricity reaching the mat. Unless you want to sit there all day and all night adjusting the little knob up and down depending on ambient temps and box temps, you need to use a thermostat. The thermostat will kick the mat on when the temp drops below the set point, and turn the heat off when the temp is above the set point. I'd turn the rheostat all the way up and let the thermostat do its job.

How and where is this heat mat being used? If it is in an insulated night box, you will need more than just this mat once fall sets in.

 

[kambcba]

You don't need a rheostat. You need a thermostat. A rheostat adjusts the amount of electricity reaching the mat. Unless you want to sit there all day and all night adjusting the little knob up and down depending on ambient temps and box temps, you need to use a thermostat. The thermostat will kick the mat on when the temp drops below the set point, and turn the heat off when the temp is above the set point. I'd turn the rheostat all the way up and let the thermostat do its job.

How and where is this heat mat being used? If it is in an insulated night box, you will need more than just this mat once fall sets in.

I was advised on here to get a rheostat! I’m now realizing I need a thermostat which I have just ordered.

It’s an adult tort. The mat will only be used over night at the moment if the temp drops. It’s hotter than the surface of the sun in the day right now lol and currently 75 and above over night. But we have sone cooler night temps coming next week.

Insulated box is under construction and radiant heat lamp is ordered. 👍🏻

 

[kambcba]

Why will the nat hit 100?
Also they should not be used on the floor for babies. When using for adults, there should be a heat source above it also in a thermostat.

Not a baby.

The mat heats to 37° above ambient. If it’s 70° that makes the nat 107°. It caps at 140°.

Will only be used over night if the temp drops. Right now it’s hot here with hot night temps.

 

[Tom]

I was advised on here to get a rheostat! I’m now realizing I need a thermostat which I have just ordered.

It’s an adult tort. The mat will only be used over night at the moment if the temp drops. It’s hotter than the surface of the sun in the day right now lol and currently 75 and above over night. But we have sone cooler night temps coming next week.

Insulated box is under construction and radiant heat lamp is ordered. 👍🏻

Someone steered you wrong. It wasn't me.

What species and size tortoise? An adult male Russian might be 5 inches. An adult male sulcata might be 35 inches.

The heat mat needs to be set up in an area that is large enough for the tortoise to get off of it when it wants to.

Do you mean a radiant heat panel? Heat lamps are not suitable for larger tortoises, so it does depend on what species and size tortoise we are talking about... I'm just trying to help you get it right the first time, and not have to learn the hard way.

 

[kambcba]

Someone steered you wrong. It wasn't me.

What species and size tortoise? An adult male Russian might be 5 inches. An adult male sulcata might be 35 inches.

The heat mat needs to be set up in an area that is large enough for the tortoise to get off of it when it wants to.

Do you mean a radiant heat panel? Heat lamps are not suitable for larger tortoises, so it does depend on what species and size tortoise we are talking about... I'm just trying to help you get it right the first time, and not have to learn the hard way.

He’s a Sulcata. 13” carapace. Heat mat is 18 x18. His house is 48x36

Yes I meant radiant heat panel. Sorry.

 

[Tom]

He’s a Sulcata. 13” carapace. Heat mat is 18 x18. His house is 48x36

Yes I meant radiant heat panel. Sorry.

All that sounds good then. I prefer a 48x48 box and a 28x18 mat. You may need to go that way as he grows.

 

[Yvonne G]

When you say 37° I'll bet that's celsius, not farenfheit. Pig mats usually only get up to 80-85 F no hotter.

 

[kambcba]

When you say 37° I'll bet that's celsius, not farenfheit. Pig mats usually only get up to 80-85 F no hotter.

It’s F not C. I’m in the US. The instructions say 37°f above the ambient temp. I’m looking to see if there is a max in the details.

 

[kambcba]

All that sounds good then. I prefer a 48x48 box and a 28x18 mat. You may need to go that way as he grows.

It’s a temporary box. (He came to us rather quickly, I had to take the poor thing, he was a sorry state). Insulated box will be ready by the time it gets cooler. And yes I fully expect to buy a bigger pad as he grows.

I’m terrified about the warnings on the heat pad. Don’t put anything on it? How hot do they get? Surely if they are used fir pigs and chickens etc they are always going to have shaving or sawdust or hay on them. There must be a max high.

Thank you.

 

[Tom]

It’s a temporary box. (He came to us rather quickly, I had to take the poor thing, he was a sorry state). Insulated box will be ready by the time it gets cooler. And yes I fully expect to buy a bigger pad as he grows.

I’m terrified about the warnings on the heat pad. Don’t put anything on it? How hot do they get? Surely if they are used fir pigs and chickens etc they are always going to have shaving or sawdust or hay on them. There must be a max high.

Thank you.

He builds a couple of fail safe thermostats into them that shut them down over 108F. The heat will absorb up into the tortoises body and dissipate. If you put shavings or something like that on it, it will act as an insulator and certain pockets away from the built in thermostat could over heat.

I just screw mine to the floor and use plain dry yard dirt as substrate in the box. This makes clean up really easy, and its no problem if poop or some dirt gets on the mat. Just don't use hay or straw or anything like that in the box.

 

[vladimir]

When you say 37° I'll bet that's celsius, not farenfheit. Pig mats usually only get up to 80-85 F no hotter.

I have the same Kane mat, when turned on it heats to 37F above ambient. I have the thermostat set so that it only kicks in when the ambient temp is really low.

 

[kambcba]

I have the same Kane mat, when turned on it heats to 37F above ambient. I have the thermostat set so that it only kicks in when the ambient temp is really low.

So you have the temp probe outside and it turns on when the ambient temp is cold enough?

As apposed to having the temp probe on actual mat

 

[Tom]

So you have the temp probe outside and it turns on when the ambient temp is cold enough?

As apposed to having the temp probe on actual mat

Temperature probe should be hanging about half way down the wall farthest away from any heat source. Don't worry about the temperature of the surface of the mat. Worry about the air temperature inside the box. When the air temp on the cooler side of the box is too cool, the heat mat gives the tortoise a way to warm up ABOVE the ambient temp of the box. You don't want a surface temp of 80. You want it much warmer than 80 so that your tortoise can warm up well above the set point of the thermostat.

 

[vladimir]

Temperature probe should be hanging about half way down the wall farthest away from any heat source. Don't worry about the temperature of the surface of the mat. Worry about the air temperature inside the box. When the air temp on the cooler side of the box is too cool, the heat mat gives the tortoise a way to warm up ABOVE the ambient temp of the box. You don't want a surface temp of 80. You want it much warmer than 80 so that your tortoise can warm up well above the set point of the thermostat.

The probe for the Kane mat thermostat in my case was about 12" above the surface of the kane mat.

 

[Tom]

The probe for the Kane mat thermostat in my case was about 12" above the surface of the kane mat.

Did that maintain the desired air temp in your heated shelter?

 

[kambcba]

Temperature probe should be hanging about half way down the wall farthest away from any heat source. Don't worry about the temperature of the surface of the mat. Worry about the air temperature inside the box. When the air temp on the cooler side of the box is too cool, the heat mat gives the tortoise a way to warm up ABOVE the ambient temp of the box. You don't want a surface temp of 80. You want it much warmer than 80 so that your tortoise can warm up well above the set point of the thermostat.

So help a dumb blonde out here.

If I set the temp probe up on the farthest wall and set the temp to, say 80. If the temp in the box drops below 80 the mat will turn on. With no rheostat it’ll heat to 37° above 80 or to its cut off point which you said is 108°. Is that not too hot if he’s on the mat? Even with a rheostat on low it’ll heat to 100° if the thermostats is set to 80°.

 

[vladimir]

Did that maintain the desired air temp in your heated shelter?

There was an oil filled radiator as the primary heat source, so this was just a basking area. You can see the setup at the time here:

Planning new indoor enclosure

Thanks Jay [emoji846] this is the first thing I've ever built aside from software [emoji16] I'm excited to get it ready for moving day. Still hoping that will happen this month.You are very welcome. It is quite an accomplishment for your first build, it should serve your tortoise well.

www.tortoiseforum.org

5 years later, an 8x16 indoor enclosure is too small, and we're upgrading to an insulated shed with access to the yard year round.