Heat Mat

[leew1988]

Hi

Noticed yesterday my thermometer only reading 27 degrees instead of usual 31, I use a Habistat and havent touched it, Digital Thermostat was always around 29-32 reading.

Any idea? Im thinking my heat mat might be on its way out, but only 2 years old? If its struggling to get any hotter than that.. Ive just turned my habistat all the way to see if it gets any hotter

 

[leew1988]

Just plugged the heat mat directly into the wall socket instead of to the habistat and already its got to 30 degrees.

 

[leew1988]

Heat rised to 33 so heat mat must be ok.
Plugged heat mat back into the habistat, which seems to power up fine, but already it seems to be struggling to get into the 30s :/ Trust my luck to be the most expensive item that breaks, great

 

[JessJohnson87]

Do you have a warranty for the thermostat? I'm sorry its broken, that'a always my luck to

 

[leew1988]

Have no idea, probably not. Bought it on amazon about 2 years ago now

 

[leew1988]

Bought it from ebay actually

 

[JessJohnson87]

Yeah so no warranty, that stinks.

 

[leew1988]

Just got home, the digital thermostat is reading 26 degrees. The Habistat is on solid green so its trying to heat up but it just cant seem to be able to anymore I dont understand why.. dont know how these things work to understand though, but the heat mat works fine so I dont get it. Can not afford to buy a new one and it will be a pain in the ass replacing one as well as its fitted into my viv would have to take vivarium apart and reseal it etc.. A fix would be preferable!

 

[JessJohnson87]

I live in the US so I can't get a hold of one to take it apart to tell you how to fix it. It could be something simple as a open/shorted component on the circuit board or a blown fuse.

Have you tried contacting Habistat to see if they will replace it for you?

 

[leew1988]

I have emailed them mate yeah no reply yet though, my dad is good with stuff like this as I am not yet, I will get him to have a look asap then. I am trying to figure out if the heatmat is heating up at all when plugged into the habistat, I think it is so it isnt completely dead which is probably harder to diagnose the problem

 

[JessJohnson87]

Yeah. I have a degree in Electronics Engineering so I know a little bit, most of my knowledge has been replaced since I don't use it everyday. Hopefully they'll email you back.

 

[leew1988]

Guy from the eurorep replied, I feel I am not getting anywhere here though

 

[leew1988]

EUROREP:
Dear Lee,
I am very sorry to hear that you have experienced problems with one of our thermostats.
Most every single thermostat problem is caused by a heater short circuit, so it would be worth checking your heater and it’s associated wiring before returning the thermostat.
A big problem at the moment is poor quality heaters blowing and causing damage to the sensitive thermostat. Out of interest, what was the model of thermostat and the type and brand of heater?
If under 12 Months old, simply return the unit to us with a copy of the purchase receipt.
If over 12 Months old or without a proof of purchase, simply post it back with a £12 payment to cover the repair and return postage. We will test, repair and have the unit on its way back to you the same day it is received.
If you need any more help, please e mail me personally.
I hope that helps,
Best regards
Pete

ME
Hi
It's a habistat mat stat and I use a prorep heat mat.
The habistat powers up, red lights on. Green light remains on solid indicating it's trying to heat up to reach the set temperature but it struggles to get above 26 degrees, I need it to reach 30.
I tried playing around with the temperature gauge on the habistat but had no effect.
To test I unplugged the heat mat from the habistat device and directly plugged the heatmat into the mains and it quickly reached temperatures in the 30s so I can't understand what's wrong.
Would you any idea what could be wrong as I'd really prefer not to have to send it out to you. 1 because I'd have to undo my vivarium and then reseal it all again and 2 I don't have a spare and I have a reptile living in it currently

EUROREP:
If it gets to 26c then the thermostat has to be working. It is an on/ off thermostat so can only give the heater full power or no power. I suspect it is the placement of where the probe is sampling the temperature. With heat mats the probe needs to be fixed to the surface of the heat mat. To see the thermostat turning on and off simply plug a lamp into it and warm the probe up and cool it down and you will see the lamp come on and off.

ME:
It used to reach higher than 26 though. Without the habistat the heat mat hit 33 before I turned it off. With the habistat it only reaches 26, even when I turn the gauge up on the habistat to beyond 32 it won't budge past 26.
The probe from the habistat and my digital thermometer are attached to the floor in same position always have been
I agree it's working but the green light remaining on a solid green continously is trying to get hotter but some reason it's failing to do so

EUROREP:
If its heating to 26c then the thermostat is powering the heat mat, so is working fine. Most likely with the cooler conditions the mat is running cooler (as they do in colder conditions) and doesn’t have the capacity to heat more. If the green heat light is on then the heater is getting all the power it can.
Happy to check it for you but I am pretty sure its working fine.

ME:
Yes I understand but are you reading what I am saying, how is it that the heat mat can reach 33 degrees when its plugged directly into the mains (Not using the habistat) ?

EUROREP:
No idea but if the green light is on the thermostat is providing 230 volts to the heater. It’s the same as being plugged in to the mains.

 

[JessJohnson87]

Wow......There is definitely an issue with the thermostat but they're just not getting the bigger picture. I mean yeah it's working but the thermostat is preventing the heat mat from reaching the temperatures needed for some reason. Some customer service.

 

[leew1988]

Tell me about it. Wont be going ahead further wasting my time nor money with them

 

[acpart]

I'm reminding the posters here that according to the GF Terms of Service (TOS):

3. When posting negative feedback about an individual or business, the person that started the initial thread agrees to email or otherwise contact the person or business that is being given negative feedback here. This way they will have an opportunity to defend themselves, which is only fair.

Hopefully you have informed the company you're posting about that you're doing so here. If not, please do so.

Also, to post about a business, you are required to include your first and last names. I only see a first name for the poster that has been having the problem. Please fix this.

I will either close or delete the thread if this isn't taken care of by the end of the week.

Thanks,

Aliza (as Moderator)

 

[leew1988]

Why would I post my full name on a public forum? Dont be ridiculous

 

[leew1988]

I'm reminding the posters here that according to the GF Terms of Service (TOS):

3. When posting negative feedback about an individual or business, the person that started the initial thread agrees to email or otherwise contact the person or business that is being given negative feedback here. This way they will have an opportunity to defend themselves, which is only fair.

Hopefully you have informed the company you're posting about that you're doing so here. If not, please do so.

Also, to post about a business, you are required to include your first and last names. I only see a first name for the poster that has been having the problem. Please fix this.

I will either close or delete the thread if this isn't taken care of by the end of the week.

Thanks,

Aliza (as Moderator)

So you read through my entire post(s) and instead of giving any constructive positive feedback or help to my issue, all you can do is copy and paste a statement from your silly little rule book. Stick it up ya ass, I will go to one of the other 100 reptile forums, no loss to me.

No offence to you JessJohnson87 , appreciate your help.

But as for this moderator having a power trip, get a real hobby.

 

[acpart]

Sorry you feel that way.
Sorry I have to ban you but that's what happens when a person doesn't want to follow the rules and also is rude to moderators.
Sorry I have to close the thread, but there really isn't anything else constructive I can imagine anyone posting here.

Aliza