# Warning About Reptile Basics and Other Heat Panels



## TribalMethods (Nov 28, 2016)

Hello everyone,

I wanted to share this information with as many people as possible as I feel it is crucial to get the word out about certain heat panels which have started fires in the past, and could potentially kill your snakes, destroy your home, or even kill you or your family in certain situations.

I recently purchased 2 heat panels from Reptile Basics. An 80W panel which I thought would be enough for my 70"X24"X15" cage with a fairly stable room temp of 75F. However after running the panel for a week or so I noticed that it was using A LOT of power to keep the temps up. It also would shut itself off when being supplied 100% power after only a few minutes.

I then bought a 120W panel. When I removed the 80W I noticed the plastic had "warped" from the heat. The 120W panel did not make much of a difference. The same exact thing happened with the warping, and also shutting off due to high temps. I contacted reptile basics and provided pictures of my setup/installation and they confirmed everything was correct.

After requesting a refund of the panels, reptile basics has refused and stated that "I am the only one having issues." I did some digging around online and found out this is not the case at all. They use the same heating element that has caused many other heating panels to catch fire over the years. Hence why they need the thermal fuse to keep them from overheating. However, this fuse does not make them safe either, hence why they cannot get UL/CL listed.

Here is an email from Bob over at Pro Products concerning the various heat panels made by Reptile Basics and other companies:


ProProducts said:


> Marc,
> These panels are not ours; rather it is the same panel that is sold by many other vendors under several different names, including Bean Farm, Helix, Avetec and others. They do out-gass strongly due to the fiberglass, plastic and epoxies used to make them and as with many products sold in our industry, there are no and never will be any actual clinical studies performed to see if the product may be detrimental to a reptile in a confined space, so our animals end up being guinea pigs. These panels are not properly designed and defy standard practices regarding how a proper radiant panel should be constructed.
> 
> 
> ...


I hope this information helps to keep others from wasting hundreds of dollars on inferior and unsafe heat panels as I have.

The 120W panel from reptile basics is $109.
The panel that Pro Products recommended from my exact setup + temps was only $135 with shipping. And it only uses 88W of electricity.

The only reason I went with Reptile Basics over Pro Products was I expected the price to be around $300 for one of their panels, and many people have not had an issue with their panels (yet.)


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## wagg (Feb 6, 2014)

Cheers thanks. I brought a electrical radiator from currys recently warm up the reptile room iver the winter months. Cost 50 poundish and has 3 power inputs and a thermostat and timer build in. Works well and i havent had a problem with it in the last 3-4 weeks. Only cost around 20 pound a month to run. You cant put in a viv but good for heating a whole room.


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