What is the lifespan of a UTH?

[jerrymb]

My UTH is a little over a year old. Should I buy another one just to have it in case the one I'm using burns out? Or am I good for awhile?

 

[acpart]

I've had some of mine going for 6 or 7 years with no problem. On the other hand I've gotten some used ones that didn't register correctly with a watt-meter. It never hurts to have a back-up. If you keep an eye on ebay you'll find them for a good price.

Aliza

 

[kaws]

Unless you live in the middle of nowhere and need a few days to get one, I wouldn't worry about it. 1 could last you a lifetime or it could also shit out on you in a day.

 

[Designer Geckos]

It's always good to use a 24/7 thermometer over every heat pad, and of course always plug them into a thermostat. In our terrarium setups, we use reptile carpet as our substrate, place the UTH in one of the rear corners, tape the probes for the stat and LED thermometer with a small piece of masking tape to the carpet over the UTH and under the warm cave....

That way we are always monitoring the temp of the UTH/warm hide to be sure all's working correctly. I like the Exo Terra LED thermometers. Very accurate and about 10 bucks.

 

[LLLReptile]

I've got some at home that are 10 years old and going strong, and within the stores they regularly last for years and years, and that's with rough use - we regularly slide cages on top of them and over them, which can really shorten their life span. Even with rough use, they still last easily 5 to 10 years (pretty sure in our 17 year old Oceanside location, some of the original heat pads are still being used!!).

-Jen

 

[ceduke]

I've only once had one burn out, but I keep a spare on hand anyways. Mine are all between 5-8 years old

 

[Dimidiata]

Probably just the individual pad its self. Im sure some brands have a average lifespan but i mean, as its been said, Some may last forever, and others only a day.