Heat sources when you're not home...am I overly paranoid?

[edesign]

Dug around a bit via Google and the forum search engine, lots of heat source info but that's not quite what I am after. I have a huge fear of my home catching fire and burning down when I'm not home. It would be upsetting to lose the T's but I'd probably lose it if my two cats perished.

So I'm wondering for those of you with additional heat sources such as oil-filled radiant heaters, heat mats, heat tape, etc. do you turn those off when you're not at home or do you leave them on? I'm considering adding some heat sources, more for next winter as it's almost over here in CO (70+ today, garbage, it's winter time lol) and I don't have AC, I have an attic vent fan with some large trees and good insulation, even when 90F out it's comfortable inside so summer will be comfortable for the T's, but am afraid to leave them on when I'm not home.

I'm an electrical engineer so I'm sure I could rig up a system using smoke detectors with output contacts to kill power to specific circuits if I wanted to get fancy but that still wouldn't quell my fear unless I installed a fire suppression system (smoke detector may not pick up until a fire has started at which point killing the power source is probably too late). Yes, I overthink sometimes

Anyway, just curious if everyone who uses some type of supplemental heat source leaves them on when they're not home or not.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

There has been some cases of oil filled space heaters catching fire here, so the fire department has advised people to turn them off when they are not present. I have central heating and will only use a space heater if it´s more than -15 C outside. The electrical heating devices that is mounted on the walls are safe to leave on, unless you cover them with clothing etc. Most houses here use them with no problems. (I don´t know what you call them in English. This is what I am talking about: http://www.clasohlson.com/no/Adax-V...0;83825;6293&gclid=CJzxw_vBmMsCFWricgodmhwA2Q )

 

[cold blood]

Heat mats are no good for ts.

Before I heated my entire room with a space heater, I was equally as paranoid...Now I use a oil filled space heater, I leave it on from October till May without concern. Nothing gets so warm that I have much of any concern....even the carpet just inches below the heater remains much cooler than I expected.

 

[edesign]

There has been some cases of oil filled space heaters catching fire here, so the fire department has advised people to turn them off when they are not present. I have central heating and will only use a space heater if it´s more than -15 C outside. The electrical heating devices that is mounted on the walls are safe to leave on, unless you cover them with clothing etc. Most houses here use them with no problems. (I don´t know what you call them in English. This is what I am talking about: http://www.clasohlson.com/no/Adax-V...0;83825;6293&gclid=CJzxw_vBmMsCFWricgodmhwA2Q )

I have central heat but the air here is already quite dry in the winter most of the time and central heat just destroys any humidity that's there. I bought an oil-filled radiant heater so I could quit using my forced air ceramic heater by my computer desk. Even with lotion my skin was flaking. Although I'm also part camel and don't drink much water. Plenty of tea and limeade, but I digress. My oil filled heater has an auto shutoff if it tips over and a timer as well so I could minimize the time it's on as it provides heat for a bit after it's turned off. I wonder if the fires your area has seen are from short circuits in the wiring or from the heater actually catching itself or something else on fire.

Do those tie in to your water supply? We call those baseboard heaters where I've lived but those are specifically run along the bottom of the wall a few inches off the floor. That one looks a bit different. Let's just keep it simple and call it a radiant heater heheh

Heat mats are no good for ts.

Before I heated my entire room with a space heater, I was equally as paranoid...Now I use a oil filled space heater, I leave it on from October till May without concern. Nothing gets so warm that I have much of any concern....even the carpet just inches below the heater remains much cooler than I expected.

Yeah, wasn't planning on using mats, just listed it as a type of heat source. I do have an oil filled radiator I keep next to my computer desk in the finished basement and it gets hot enough to burn flesh but the cats don't seem bothered and the carpet only gets mildly warm (I'd put it on a non-flammable surface if I was to keep it on when I'm absent). Was debating a second unit for the T room but I've debated long enough it's almost time for spring lol.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

I have central heat but the air here is already quite dry in the winter most of the time and central heat just destroys any humidity that's there.

Do those tie in to your water supply? We call those baseboard heaters where I've lived but those are specifically run along the bottom of the wall a few inches off the floor. That one looks a bit different. Let's just keep it simple and call it a radiant heater heheh

No, what I have (what I called central heating) is a radiator that brings hot water around the whole building. They are also mounted on the walls, but they have pipes with water connected to them. Most larger apartment buildings have those, and they are completely safe, of course. You can even leave clothes on them to dry.

The wall mounted electrical heating device I was talking about is what people who live in houses use. They come in all different kinds of design. You just mount them on the wall and plug it into a power outlet. They contain a thermostat so you just type in how many degrees you want the room to be, and it will do the job by itself. There´s no water involved. The only danger with those is if you leave clothes on them or have curtains too close to them. They do make the air really dry though, but they are really effective. The town I grew up in often had temperatures below -20 C (-4 F) for prolonged periods of times during winter. The house was always nice and warm from one of these per room. Maybe you don´t have them in America, but that will be a bit strange as you have areas with similar climate to ours. I saw them in shops in Serbia when I lived there. They called them "Norveski radijatori" "Norwegian radiators", but as I said, I have no idea what they are called in English.

 

[cold blood]

Mine has a 600W, 900W and 1500W options. I ONLY use the 600W and even then I keep it at 3 or 4 (out of 6) and my room stays right about 80 much of the time...when temps are brutal it still keeps it at 72...when temps are milder I turn it down to 2.

It does still dry the air out considerably....I keep a 10 gal bucket of water for my watering needs and 2 aquariums in the room to keep the air from drying too much. I also dry my clothes in the room.

 

[peterUK]

So I'm wondering for those of you with additional heat sources such as oil-filled radiant heaters, heat mats, heat tape, etc. do you turn those off when you're not at home or do you leave them on?

Ive had the same oil filled thermostatically controlled radiator on permanently for the last 14 years. I have the room lights on a timer and an extractor fan linked through a thermostat which kicks in around 80F
During busy times at work (wintertime) i can go for upto a week without looking in on the spiders, everything is automatic so I dont have to bother checking everything on a daily basis.

 

[TownesVanZandt]

It does still dry the air out considerably....I keep a 10 gal bucket of water for my watering needs and 2 aquariums in the room to keep the air from drying too much. I also dry my clothes in the room.

Drying clothes inside the apartment is a good "trick" to rise the humidity, but I don´t wash clothes on a daily basis. What I do during winter is to boil some water for some time without turning the kitchen extractor on. As I have a small apartment, this helps tremendously in raising the humidity to a level where I can be comfortable. If you´re bored on cold winter days, you can also just throw the boiling water from the window when you finish and instantly make some more snow . It´s actually quite fun:

 

[cold blood]

I've done that...on really cold days water literally explodes into the air.

 

[tonypace2009]

I believe most heater fires are from people running them at full wattage and having them plugged into cheap extension cords or having something flammable falling against them. I totally agree with cold blood set heater at lowest wattage setting (the higher the wattage the more it is going to dry the air) if you find yourself having to crank up the wattage I would try to put my spiders in a smaller area or address the insulation in that room so I can use the lower wattage .Heater have square foot that they heat efficiently wich should be written on heater or box. Be careful here some heaters only list maximum square footage not low setting square footage. If the heater says it will heat a 600 square foot area and you put it in a 800 square foot area it will eventually heat this area but your heater will run longer and your electric bill will increase. I like for my heater to run for the most minamal time necessary to avoid drying the air out to much.definitely recommend humidifier or some way to keep moisture in your room especially if you have slings. If you have slings I like cold bloods water bath aquirum heater design. I wish I could use his aquarium heater for all my spiders but I have to many spiders and I keep them on the top shelf of my closet (fabrication issues).

 

[viper69]

, heat mats, heat tape, etc..

I have 3 products that are basically flex-watt, the product is UL-listed, so I keep them on 24/7. If they weren't UL-listed, I wouldn't be being this.

 

[Chris LXXIX]

This is what I am talking about: http://www.clasohlson.com/no/Adax-V...0;83825;6293&gclid=CJzxw_vBmMsCFWricgodmhwA2Q )

I love your language! "Fri Frakt" ah ah i love how sounds in Italian, seems Totò (actor) trying to speak German ah ah he used to say "furstel" instead of wurstel

 

[edesign]

Thanks everyone!

They called them "Norveski radijatori" "Norwegian radiators", but as I said, I have no idea what they are called in English.

I might look in to something similar next winter. I asked if the one you linked was water heated because of the large connector on the bottom right but sounds like it's actually for connecting electrical conduit.

i can go for upto a week without looking in on the spiders, everything is automatic so I dont have to bother checking everything on a daily basis.

Nice! Did you happen to install a temperature alarm in case the extractor fails? By alarm I mean even just a simple visual indicator like a remote mounted LED where you often pass by.

If you´re bored on cold winter days, you can also just throw the boiling water from the window when you finish and instantly make some more snow . It´s actually quite fun:

I grew up in the central part of Alaska. That is a fun thing to do sometimes. Rarely gets cold enough down south here in Denver, CO though.

I believe most heater fires are from people running them at full wattage and having them plugged into cheap extension cords or having something flammable falling against them.

My suspicions too. I keep my slings in the bathroom I shower in once or twice a day and keep the door closed to help with humidity.

I have 3 products that are basically flex-watt, the product is UL-listed, so I keep them on 24/7. If they weren't UL-listed, I wouldn't be being this.

As long as the production quality is there on the specific units one obtains yeah, UL (or Intertek, or whatever the third national certifying agency is, I forget) approved is a required label a consumer should look for with heating products. There's always that sub-1% or less that aren't up to snuff and aren't caught by QA/QC processes...but like I said, I'm pretty paranoid, sometimes irrationaly Probably a better chance of being hit by a meteor while flying in a jet airliner.

 

[cold blood]

My suspicions too. I keep my slings in the bathroom I shower in once or twice a day and keep the door closed to help with humidity.

I wouldn't recommend this....just keep the substrate damp, its as simple as that.

 

[edesign]

Care to elaborate on what's wrong with it? Seems to be working fine for the last 4.5 months since I moved in to this house I neglected to say that was not the only method I was using, debated mentioning I use actual water too but, as you can see, I didn't. I should have been more clear. However the temperatures in there compared to the rest of the house stay higher longer after a shower and the humidity in the air hangs around for a few hours. It's not hurting and I haven't been the most diligent with substrate wetting until more recently. The pair of A. versi slings I have are doing ok. They're the only two that I really worry much about humidity due to their still quite small size (1/2-5/8").

 

[Belegnole]

edesign, I live in a 115+ year old house. Though there have been numerous updates to it I am more worried about the wiring than a portable heater. I often use two mica heaters to create some zone heating during cold spells. As I don't currently have any T's that require high temps I am not using them for my T's. Out of habit and a wish to save a dollar or two I do turn them off when I leave for the day. I have to agree with the idea of not cranking them up. Running them under 1500 watts keeps them cooler and also keeps my wiring cooler. Both of which reduce chances of fires.

Another thought is that since these heaters are not the primary source of heat they do not need to be as hot. So once again keep them on a lower setting.

Also for humidity (I have sinus issues and guitars) I have a humidifier in my bedroom which by chance is where my T's are as well. I have tried all sorts of basic humidifiers and found that for my needs the evaporative models are the best. They do not disperse particulate matter, nor are they a pain to clean. The filters need to be replace after a bit, but the mineral deposits can be cleaned out a few times before they need to be replaced.

Care to elaborate on what's wrong with it? Seems to be working fine for the last 4.5 months since I moved in to this house I neglected to say that was not the only method I was using, debated mentioning I use actual water too but, as you can see, I didn't. I should have been more clear. However the temperatures in there compared to the rest of the house stay higher longer after a shower and the humidity in the air hangs around for a few hours. It's not hurting and I haven't been the most diligent with substrate wetting until more recently. The pair of A. versi slings I have are doing ok. They're the only two that I really worry much about humidity due to their still quite small size (1/2-5/8").

My thoughts;

First you are potentially creating wild humidly swings which is not good if you think about it. Second you are increasing the stress on your T's by moving them around when it's not needed. Cold Blood's comment to just keep the substrate damp is a very common suggestion from experienced keepers. Many often only use a decent sized water dish to help create the correct micro environment in the enclosure.

 

[edesign]

Running them under 1500 watts keeps them cooler and also keeps my wiring cooler. Both of which reduce chances of fires.

Good idea if you haven't had it rewired (how old is the wiring?). My house is about 40 years old but I know the previous owner (most of those years) was an electrician and ripped out all the aluminum wiring and redid the main breaker panel. But yeah, running most thingslower than max capability is not a bad idea.

Also for humidity (I have sinus issues and guitars) I have a humidifier in my bedroom which by chance is where my T's are as well. I have tried all sorts of basic humidifiers and found that for my needs the evaporative models are the best.

Nice, I have a guitar and sinus issues too ha! Also use an evaporative humidifier.

First you are potentially creating wild humidly swings which is not good if you think about it. Second you are increasing the stress on your T's by moving them around when it's not needed. Cold Blood's comment to just keep the substrate damp is a very common suggestion from experienced keepers. Many often only use a decent sized water dish to help create the correct micro environment in the enclosure.

Figured humidity change was part of it. I'll move them out. I'm not moving any of them around except to drop in crickets but no worse than moving them off a shelf. I'm familiar with keeping substrate damp. I kept T's years back for a bit I just haven't been active on the forums much since around 2009-ish (maybe earlier).

 

[Belegnole]

Good idea if you haven't had it rewired (how old is the wiring?). My house is about 40 years old but I know the previous owner (most of those years) was an electrician and ripped out all the aluminum wiring and redid the main breaker panel. But yeah, running most thingslower than max capability is not a bad idea.

Unfortunately I am renting at this point. But its not tube and knob, nor is it cloth insulated. Looks like they updated sometime in the 70s or later, but possibly in stages.