# Heat Mat Barely Even Feels Warm



## DeadLee (Apr 7, 2010)

I bought a Habistat 20W heat mat. It barely even feels warm when it's on. I was expecting it to feel pretty hot to the touch. Is this normal? I intend to use it to heat a dubia roach colony and I can't see it raising the ambient temperature at all.


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## plasma234 (Feb 27, 2013)

Your body temperature is ~38oC, your heat mat would have to be >38oC for it to feel "hot"

If you are in doubt, get a thermometer, even a cheap one, will confirm the temp of the mat. :2thumb:


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## DeadLee (Apr 7, 2010)

plasma234 said:


> Your body temperature is ~38oC, your heat mat would have to be >38oC for it to feel "hot"
> 
> If you are in doubt, get a thermometer, even a cheap one, will confirm the temp of the mat. :2thumb:


Thermometer reads 92F when touching the mat but the ambient temperature inside of the tub is the same as room temperature. Will it really make the tub warm enough for roaches?


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## buddah (Dec 23, 2009)

They don't really feel hot when you just hold them, if you put it in between two books or under a pillow for 5 minutes youll feel its warm then.


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## eightball (Jan 1, 2011)

Is it on a thermostat?
If so, then if the stat probe is on the mat and it is set to 30C or whatever then the temp in the tub is bound to be lower, You need to put the probe inside the tub or turn the stat dial higher until the temp is achieved inside the tub : victory:


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## DeadLee (Apr 7, 2010)

eightball said:


> Is it on a thermostat?
> If so, then if the stat probe is on the mat and it is set to 30C or whatever then the temp in the tub is bound to be lower, You need to put the probe inside the tub or turn the stat dial higher until the temp is achieved inside the tub : victory:


Yeah the thermostat is taped to the heat mat and turned all the way up. It never even reaches the max temperature of the 34C though so the mat never turns off.


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## Arcadiajohn (Jan 30, 2011)

hi,

just a tip..

heat matts as I understand it work on a type of infrared heat. so they do not get very warm themselves or shouldn't but they heat the thing in front of them. So the thing with the most resistance warms up. animal, rocks, substraight.

check out the habistat website, it explains it on there,.

john


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