Advice.......again...(did warn you there would be questions)

[d_virginiana]

I would think a hardware socket would be fine so long as the wattages match up. I used a floodlight type outlet with a heating bulb in it to keep the roaches my frog eats warm for quite a while, and never had any technical issues. You may want to wait for someone else to chime in on that. I don't know much about that sort of thing, so I may have just been lucky.

[chris-uk]

As long as you don't plug a bulb into the socket which gets too hot you should be fine. I'd imagine most bayonet fittings are designed for up to 100W bulbs, and you shouldn't need anything that hot in your viv.
The most important thing is using an appropriate guard to stop your garters getting close enough to burn them.

[mark cope]

Thanks again you guys.....
Man I love this site
Mark

[nitrogen15]

Sounds like a cool idea, please post pics! You could look into an exterior use non-toxic paint or lacquer to add water-resistance.

[Didymus20X6]

Which is why you don't put the bulb IN the tank, but overhead or to the side.

[ConcinusMan]

And yet I keep seeing enclosures with sockets/bulbs hanging from the ceiling inside the enclosure. I don't get that. It's no problem if they're on top of a screen with a ceramic socket lamp and deflector. I do that.

[mark cope]

I have thought about it ...I don't really want to put a bulb in, I would rather use a heat mat .....spoke to another guy and I'm thinking of adopting his idea ....which is put the heat mat in the viv ....then secure a piece of 3mm hard board on top of the heat mat ....then set stat probe above that to make sure it never gets too hot.

[d_virginiana]

Wouldn't putting the heat mat on the side/bottom of the viv be easier? I've only used the very little ones for my frog, since my house never gets cold enough for the garters to need extra heat, but it doesn't get hot enough to burn. The larger ones might though, idk.

[mark cope]

Wouldn't putting the heat mat on the side/bottom of the viv be easier? I've only used the very little ones for my frog, since my house never gets cold enough for the garters to need extra heat, but it doesn't get hot enough to burn. The larger ones might though, idk.

Heat has to 15mm of furniture board and through substrate if i put it on the outside
Inside it would only have to pass through 3mm hardboard and substrate,....the hard board and stat would stop snake from getting hurt

[d_virginiana]

Heat has to 15mm of furniture board and through substrate if i put it on the outside
Inside it would only have to pass through 3mm hardboard and substrate,....the hard board and stat would stop snake from getting hurt

Sorry, I was thinking about a glass aquarium when I wrote that