heat lamp fires

[Dubya]

Hi, all! Can anyone post pictures of fires and burns in their enclosures due to hanging their heat lamps from the power cords? Myself and others have repeatedly warned of this danger but it seems to be a very common way to mount the lamps. The fire may not happen at all or it might happen tomorrow. Dying in a fire is not healthy for you or your pets. But maybe I just don't know what I am talking about.

 

[james.w]

I know of many people who have hung lights by the cord as have I. Never heard of or had any fires.

 

[Dubya]

If wiring is loose or comes loose from movement after a while, it can short out and cause a fire. Ask any electrician and he will tell you. On second thought, forget I even posted this. Everyone just hang your lights from the cord. I may not be an expert on reptiles, but from my automotive experience, I can say that electrical wires should not have tension on them.

 

[james.w]

Why would the lights be moving. I'm not saying it can't happen, just that I've never had nor heard of it happening.

 

[Skeetzy]

Why risk it? Mounting them properly is neither hard, nor expensive.

 

[frost]

one could just use a metal cage like fixture to place the bulb in or make a slot in the top for it to sit in.

 

[james.w]

Why risk it? Mounting them properly is neither hard, nor expensive.

Just because you don't agree with it, doesn't make it improper. It's not a risk at all in my opinion. My house has a better chance of getting struck by lightning.

 

[Skeetzy]

I'm not the only one who thinks it's improper. Look around Google. Every site that advises the use of heat lamps(chick's, reptiles, other farm animal sites, etc) says not to hang by the cord. But to each his own. As long as you're not my neighbor, not my house that will risk a fire. I just don't see the point of not buying some cheap chain to hang the light properly, and eliminate the risk all together. And you bring up the risk of lightning, as if it doesn't happen. My aunt and uncle lost their entire house and everything they owned because of their house being struck by lightning. Bad things do happen, why increase the chance?

 

[Dubya]

The lghts can move if the lizard jumps at them or when you clean the cage. They should not have weight pulling down on the socket anyway. Why do you think that the deep dome lamps have a hanger attached to the housing? Or why do other reptile lamps come with a clamp attached to the socket? Just because you haven't seen a fire doesn't mean it will never happen. I am not talking about opinion here, I am talking about electrical safety.

 

[james.w]

Fire can happen from a faulty socket, faulty, outlet, or by someone who doesn't know what they are doing wiring their own sockets. I personally have hung lights from the wire and know plenty of others in the industry who do the same. How many fires have you seen/heard of from hanging the lights from the cord?

 

[kim86]

My tegu decided to jump directly into the MVB bulb when I took the screen off of his enclosure... I think he wanted to burn my room down. He will also jump at the screen top and try to rip it open right underneath the MVB bulb. I use the Exo Terra light hangers that stick onto the side of your enclosure, because of that very reason. I also almost caught a t-shirt on fire when I set my CHE over it, while it was turned off. I couldn't figure out where the weird smell was coming from until I went to put the dome back on top of the screen and saw that my t-shirt was dark brown and burnt. Whoops

 

[BatGirl1]

On this subject I haven't finished my big enclosure for niles yet...still needs doors, basking 'furniture ' and heat lamps (has uvb mounted on back wall) ... I was wondering what the best way would be to mount the heat lamp. The enclosure is like 3 or 4 ft tall ( not home so can't check exactly)... are there ways to mount from side wall or ceiling that are safe ...? Also I've heard of making 'cages ' around them so no risk of burns... right now screen top prevents that... but enclosure has wood top.thanks

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[james.w]

The cages around the bulbs cause more burns than no cage. A lizard can't hold onto a bulb, but they can hold onto a cage.

 

[Roadkill]

I've had one major fire albeit not from this sort of occurrence. In this case something knocked a clamp lamp off and the bulb went into tortoise tub full of coconut coir. Thankfully I didn't lose any animals.

That being said, I've frequently seen the cords get brittle and fractured solely from the heat. I've always bought fixtures rated for 250W and I've never burdened them with anything greater. For this reason I will never hang one from the cord, nor will I ever fork over money for any of those Zilla/Zoo-Med/Exo-Terra domes ever again. They're an inferior build and not worth the cash.

 

[Dubya]

On this subject I haven't finished my big enclosure for niles yet...still needs doors, basking 'furniture ' and heat lamps (has uvb mounted on back wall) ... I was wondering what the best way would be to mount the heat lamp. The enclosure is like 3 or 4 ft tall ( not home so can't check exactly)... are there ways to mount from side wall or ceiling that are safe ...? Also I've heard of making 'cages ' around them so no risk of burns... right now screen top prevents that... but enclosure has wood top.thanks

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Batgirl, if you are mounting it inside the cage, get a high wattage socket from the electrical section of home depot and wire it to a heavy duty power cord. It is only 2 wires. Sometimes 3 if there is a ground wire. Screw it to the top with wood screws or nuts and bolts. If using wood screws, put a blob of sealant in the hole and on the threads to help keep the screws tight and moisture out.

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Fire can happen from a faulty socket, faulty, outlet, or by someone who doesn't know what they are doing wiring their own sockets. I personally have hung lights from the wire and know plenty of others in the industry who do the same. How many fires have you seen/heard of from hanging the lights from the cord?

A brand new reptile lamp could have a faulty socket due to cheap Chinese build quality. I don't care how much people in the reptile industry know about reptiles, this subject has nothing to do with reptiles. It is about wiring. I doubt any of your associates know anything about electrical work. I am not putting my opinion out there, I am just telling what I know about wiring.

 

[BatGirl1]

Thanks for the info. Now considering the height, 3 or 4 ft, how far from basking area is appropriate for optimum heat? Like how high would I need to make that area so niles will get the right temp to bask?

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[james.w]

Thanks for the info. Now considering the height, 3 or 4 ft, how far from basking area is appropriate for optimum heat? Like how high would I need to make that area so niles will get the right temp to bask?

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Trial and error. You will most likely have to move the basking spot up or down to achieve the proper temps.