Electrical Advice

[christopher gonyou]

When it comes to installing the heat lamp fixtures in large wooden cages whats the easiest and safest option? I bought clamp lamps and some porcelain sockets but I am not good with electrical stuff and I dont trust wiring something I cant closely monitor. Id prefer mounting the safest option.

The clamp lamps are from a hardware store and have a ceramic base. They are not reptile specific. Does that matter?

Thanks in advance.


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[Roadkill]

Having a ceramic base is only half the problem, the other is the gauge of the wire supplying the power. Even the ones "designed" specifically for reptiles are a safety hazard as they have over-rated their handling wattage for the gauge of wire they use. Every one I've had has "cooked out", the wire over-heats at the socket and gets brittle. If the wire on your lamp is kind of flat like you'd find on a normal reading lamp, then it's crap. If the wire is heavy like you see with outdoor rated extension cords, that's much better. When building a custom cage, I prefer going with proper porcelain sockets and rated housing/boxes as then you can control the gauge of the wire being used.

As for the safety of a clamp lamp, leaving aside the gauge of the wire, you still have to affix the clamp to ensure the clamp doesn't come loose. The clamps themselves are not that secure and it isn't worth it relying solely on them.