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Post by Alisha on Jul 10, 2010 19:49:01 GMT
I just bought a heatmat off eBay, it was a bargain, £13.50 and is 26"x11" (don't know if that makes a difference?) But I wanted to know how to insulate it properly, it will be for my Tigers, so needs to stay warm. How do you insulate your heatmats? All suggestions welcome  Thanks |
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Post by AlienSnail on Jul 10, 2010 21:41:02 GMT
I either get a suitably-sized plastic chopping board, or some card board. Then I wrap it in a layer of bubble-wrap, then on top of that a layer of aluminium foil. Then I place the wrapped board behind the heatmat, and press the exposed side against the tank, and push the whole lot against a wall to keep it secure. the good thing about not securing it with tape is that you can adjust the heat by having the whole lot against the tank wall, or have some of the hat poking out into the air (a bit wastful I know) to have it slighttly cooler, or you can easily swap heat mats to suit cooler or warmer weather  Unless you have a thermostat...... then you may as well just stick with the large mat. |
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Post by stixandsnailsyork on Jul 10, 2010 21:48:48 GMT
I use a thermostat with my tigers they have 1 mat on the tank and i have 2 mats on the margies but i cant seem to get it warm enough for them so theirs are on all the time. x
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Post by crossless on Jul 10, 2010 22:00:03 GMT
I used styrox and aluminium foil. |
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Post by Alisha on Jul 11, 2010 8:38:39 GMT
Yeah, I've got my eye on a thermostat on eBay, I read a thread once about how hot a heat mat can get without a stat, so I'm not going to risk it.
I think I might have an old chopping board, and by aliminuim foil I assume you mean silver foil? Like you wrap sandwiches in?
Thanks
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Post by stixandsnailsyork on Jul 11, 2010 15:20:16 GMT
I either get a suitably-sized plastic chopping board, or some card board. Then I wrap it in a layer of bubble-wrap, then on top of that a layer of aluminium foil. Then I place the wrapped board behind the heatmat, and press the exposed side against the tank, and push the whole lot against a wall to keep it secure. the good thing about not securing it with tape is that you can adjust the heat by having the whole lot against the tank wall, or have some of the hat poking out into the air (a bit wastful I know) to have it slighttly cooler, or you can easily swap heat mats to suit cooler or warmer weather Unless you have a thermostat...... then you may as well just stick with the large mat. I am going to give this a go on my margie tank I went to weigh them earlier and thought that it was losing weight looked and he had sealed up again but the other one was out, I have 2 mats on the tank 24 hours a day and that isn't enough, If the brat goes to bed at a decent time i will clean them out and give it a go tonight see how they are tomorrow. Chris has built me another level for my big viv so i will have to empty the whole viv then lift the 3 stack ontop of the new one then see if the tank fits I hope it does it has cost £44 just for the wood lol. x |
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Post by aerliss on Jul 26, 2010 16:01:11 GMT
I've got a big chunk of bubble wrap, folded over and over, stuck to one mat and polystyrene, about 2 inches thick, stuck to another. That seems to do the trick for me.  AlienSnail's got a good idea with a moveable insulator though. |
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Post by choco on Jul 26, 2010 16:47:14 GMT
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Post by Alisha on Jul 26, 2010 19:35:23 GMT
Thanks for all the help guys, I'll tell you how I get on.
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Post by bugtastic on Aug 1, 2010 10:37:34 GMT
I'm gonna reinsulate mine later on now. Any chance of some more pics of your tank Aerliss? It looks brilliant. |
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Post by aerliss on Aug 1, 2010 17:15:14 GMT
Blarg. I have guest round at the moment watching films. I'd have my behind in their way taking pics XD I can get some after work tomorrow, if you still want some.
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