heatmat lifespan?

[Remi]

just bought a little exo terra heat mat for my h.trog i'm wondering how long they last for. i'm just hoping it isnt gonna crap out on me after a month or two.

 

[Gigas]

well i got one of these

and its been with me for over 3 years, well i have more than one now but its my oldest

*edit* they're the habistat heat mats

 

[fusion121]

Mine have lasted for many years, they do wear out eventually but it takes a long time.

 

[Remi]

they also had these ceramic heat emitters that screw into a light socket. It was more money but he said that it would last for a long time. i'm guessing those last for pretty damn long time then.

 

[Gigas]

ceramic heaters in theory last forever, but they take up more space/have more wiring than heatmats

 

[ScorpDude]

Ceramic heaters are great, but they are very expensive. You need special heat proof fittings and a stat to run them safely.

My oldest heatmat is 12 years old and has been used on/off for that time

 

[GanjaTaz]

ceramic heaters in theory last forever, but they take up more space/have more wiring than heatmats

I just bought an Exo Terra Small Heat/Light Wire Cage Clamp fitting for the Creamic heater/Bulbs. The Clamp cost £19.99 and the Infra Red bulb cost £6.99 (100W). It heats a large Exo Terra Vivarium (60x45x45) much better than the 7W heat mat I had on the side, as you would obviously expect, but you also gain the benefit of being able to night view with ease.

I am guessing the Infra Red bulb I purchased won't last anywhere as long as one of the creamic heater bulbs, or probably a Heat mat, but it was more for the night viewing element I went with the Infra Red option. I will prolly get one of the Ceramic bulbs closer to winter and as an investment in the future for the main colony.
(Must look like a brothel from outside at the moment with the big red glow coming from the dining room window, heh.)

One of the Heat mats I have (Currently on the Maternity ward Vivarium) was given to me by a friend when I first got my Emps, she used to use it for her snake and has had it for years and it still fired up nicely and works well even after over a year in storage.