Ceramic heat emitter

[georgekathe]

I am fed up with replacing heat lamps so frequently & am thinking of purchasing a ceramic heat emitter as everything I've read says they last way longer, despite the increased cost.

Will a cermaic heat emitter put out more or less or the same heat as a heat lamp of the same wattage?

Also, a really basic question & likely a dumb one - what is wrong with using a basic incandescent bulb of the same wattage (please don't ridicule - my wife thinks they will heat the enclosure the same as a heat lamp/CHE & I really don't know the answer).

Thanks for response in advance, George

 

[Tom]

RE: Cermaic heat emitter

I have CHEs that I have been using for 20 years. Still going strong.

Any incandescent bulb gives off roughly 20% light and 80%heat for the energy used. A CHE gives off 100% heat, so it produces more heat for the same wattage.

Any regular incandescent will work just fine to heat your enclosure. Just be mindful that they do nothing to meet your tortoises UV needs. If your tort gets sunshine regularly this is not a concern. If you live in the frozen North, you will need to provide a UV source. Just don't let the pet store people tell you to use a coil type cfl florescent bulb. They can damage their eyes. The long tube ones are fine though.

 

[Yvonne G]

RE: Cermaic heat emitter

Because all of my tortoises have free access to the great outdoors, with the exception of a very few habitats, and even those are outside and I can prop the lid open on sunny days, I have very few MVBs (Mercury Vapor Bulbs). I mainly use regular old 75 or 100 watt incandescent bulbs to heat the houses. I have had, on occasion, a few spot light bulbs that were given to me with tortoises, and I've used them, but I really prefer the regular bulb.

 

[Madkins007]

RE: Cermaic heat emitter

As long as we are talking just heat, the downside to both heat bulbs and regular bulbs is that to get the needed heat, you pump out a LOT of light- possibly too much for shade loving or smaller animals, and maybe even too much for adults in some cases.

CHEs are just more manageable overall. Long lasting; easily regulated by moving it, getting different wattages, or using a thermostatic controller; more resistant to splashes or accidental sprays; and they are just as useful at night as they are during the day.

 

[terryo]

RE: Cermaic heat emitter

I have been using the same CHE in my CH's enclosure for the last 4 1/2 years. She started out with a 55 gal, then upgraded to a 95 gal, and now she's in a 125 gal. I added another one last Fall. (needed two in the 125) The original one is almost 5 years old without changing it.