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Are tubular heaters safe? Sorry, another heating thread!

lilbun

lilbun

Warren Veteran
Although my outdoor bunnies have a little electric heatpad in their playhouse (which they love :love:) It is still freezing in there at the moment. I've been toying with getting a little tubular heater similar to this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TUBULAR-HE...LFYW/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292959258&sr=8-1

with a guard like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/1ft-Heater-...QFU4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1292959313&sr=1-2

Apart from keeping the cable away from norty bunny teefs, are there any other safety concerns- e.g. is there a risk of fire if hay/straw falls on it? I will run it from the mains via an RCD adapter

Any advice please :wave:

Eta: I wasn't sure if this should be in housing or chat. Mods feel free to move :)
 
Perfectly safe if they have the guards - I am just fitting them as we speak in the dark!

One of my friends has them in all of her boarding accommodation and has never had any problems.

Very low wattage so just keeps the housing nice and warm without causing breathing probs or condesation.
 
I've used them for a few years and havent had any problems with them. They are great, esp when I had my piggies in the shed. x
 
Just being a bit dumb here but do you have to get someone in to fit them? My bunny shed is some distance from the house, how do you connect it to the power? I Might get one for our buns if we can work out how to fit it.
 
Kittykat23uk said:
Just being a bit dumb here but do you have to get someone in to fit them? My bunny shed is some distance from the house, how do you connect it to the power? I Might get one for our buns if we can work out how to fit it.
Click to expand...

To get the power to the outside you do need it to be carried out by a qualified electrician. I got a professional to do this bit - have armoured cable and an RCD in the house to protect the supply and act as a cut off. The electrician has put outside sockets in the shed/accommodation with more armoured cable and I have done the rest (not permanent wiring) None of the cabling is accessable by rabbits so there are no safety issues.

The heaters can be used anywhere when the mounts are moved and are moveable so can be plugged in with a normal plug being fitted and that is what I am doing. The lead to the heaters goes directly through the hutch side and plugs in outside (but that is inside a big garden building).
 
I've got one of these in each bunny shed and they're brilliant! Cheap to run and very safe (as long as you keep the cables away from bunny teefs!).

My OH fitted them for me and ran the electrics from the house (but he's pretty DIY savvy and knew what he was doing). The hardest part was uncoiling the armoured cable in freezing temperatures.

I mounted my heaters just above the height of the water bowl so that the bowl could sit right alongside it and almost underneath it. This ensures the water never freezes and even when it was -11 degrees here the other night, the water was still liquid in the morning.

These heaters are designed to go in greenhouses so are safe if they get sprinkled with water. I've got the guards fitted round them because they do get quite hot.

But all in all I highly recommend them. With insulation in the sheds too, there's a noticeable difference in temperature between the inside and outside of the sheds.
 
Brilliant thread. I have just been looking into investing in these too - for a 10x8 shed what sort of size heater do most folks go for? Just need to convince my other half that they are cost effective to run so any ideas of daily costs?
 
Piggiesgalore said:
Brilliant thread. I have just been looking into investing in these too - for a 10x8 shed what sort of size heater do most folks go for? Just need to convince my other half that they are cost effective to run so any ideas of daily costs?
Click to expand...

They cost about as much as a light bulb depending the the wattage. I've got the 1ft (65w) ones in the hutches and the hutches are 7ft long. Not sure what you'd need for a bigger shed.
 
I got an electrician to fit one in my GPs hut. Simple, in this case, as the hut is up against the outside of my living room wall. The tube is about 2 foot long and has a thermostat connected so I can regulate the temperature. The hut is on 2 levels, so I've got the tube above the top level, high enough so that no hay or anything can touch it.

It's lovely and warm in there! :D
 
Piggiesgalore said:
Thanks Helen, will have a look at the sites posted.
Click to expand...

My OH David has done a ready reckoner that all four of ours wil cost about 10p per 5 hours or thereabouts.

Just an aside, I have actually saved myself loads of money today and made my own cages (bought ones were anywhere between £12-30). I have just cut and rolled into a cylinder some weld mesh and attached to the wooden hutch sides with u shaped clips. Job done!
 
This is my buns shed - do you think one of those heaters would be any good in a shed? (You can see the shed in the middle of the clip!)

 
I've got a 3ft heater in my 8ft x 6ft (insulated) shed and a 2ft heater in my kennel/run. The enclosed kennel end is 5ft x 4ft (insulated). I would highly recommend insulation too as it makes a huge difference to the amount of heat retained in the shed. Both my sheds are done with 25mm thick polystyrene sheeting.

In terms of cost, I believe the heaters amount to around 80 watts per foot. So if you've only got a 1ft heater, it's going to cost you less than a lightbulb to run.
 
bensonlola said:
Oh I must have read too fast - I thought folks were putting them in hutches!! I must go to Homebase or B&Q tomorrow and see what they've got!!
Click to expand...

Yes, some people HAVE got them in hutches and others have got them in sheds. Mine just happen to be in sheds.
 
Mackers said:
Yes, some people HAVE got them in hutches and others have got them in sheds. Mine just happen to be in sheds.
Click to expand...

Well if they work in yours, they're bound to work in my little shed - it's only 6x4. This could end my paranoia and obsession with keeping bunnies warm!! Does it stop the water bottles freezing?
 
bensonlola said:
Oh I must have read too fast - I thought folks were putting them in hutches!! I must go to Homebase or B&Q tomorrow and see what they've got!!
Click to expand...

I have put them in hutches and my friend has them in all of her hutches too but they are meant for places like conservatories, portacabins and the like.
 
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