heated mattress pad

[FH]

i bought a heated mattress pad for my bed... it has dual controls.... i did buy seperate timers so that it will go on at a certain time and go off at a certain time ( each one ) but i noticed when it goes off, it works fine,but when i set it to go ON, the heater box lights up, but the button that comes with the mattress pad doesn't light up ( in other words, it doesn't really turn on unless you manually push the button ). is there any way i can bypass this etc to make it go on?

[Edwin Pawlowski]

It is a safety feature to stop people from doing just what you want to do. Do you really want to have this thing heat up on a day that you are away? It is not all that hard to push a button to be sure you don't leave it unattended when you go away and forget to stop the timer. Or if someone piles the laundry on the bed for sorting and forgets about it. . Ed

[indago]

Yes, there are warnings galore on the internet concerning heating pads, electric blankets, and electric matress pads. Some people abuse these things to the point of fire hazard. I know one case where an old electric blanket, one without the heat sensors in it, was folded over a couple of times and used as a heat pad. The concentrated heat on the wiring melted down the insulation on the heat wires and the bare wires eventually burned through the material and started a fire in the bedroom while the occupant was in the kitchen. Definitely not a good idea to leave an electrical applicance like that unattended.

[L Beck]

We have one of these, too, and I don't find it at all difficult to wander into the bedroom about an hour before bedtime and turn it on. I also don't usually leave it on all night - just long enough to warm up my feet so that I can get to sleep. I generally get warmer as the night goes on, so don't really need the extra heat. But first climbing into bed I'm chilly. Once warmed up, I don't need the extra heat.

[HA HA Budys Here]

Find an older model without the electronic control. My blanket is 2-zone and if you unplug it to wash it and plug it back in, both digital controllers indicate "Fault" and won't let you use the blanket unless you disconnect to wall plug & reconnect it.

There are "pre-heat" buttons which turn the blanket on high for a specific time, then revert back to your selected temperature setting. It ranges from 1 to 30 and I keep it on 2. 30 must be "broil."

I got this at Sears, and they also had the older versions with 1 or 2 traditional conntrollers. They light up (I hate that) and the thermostats emit a loud (at least at night when you're trying to nod off) "CLICK" as it cycles the blanket on and off. These would work on a timer though, but the newer electronic ones won't as there's no mechanical way to leave the controllers "on" and let the timer do the switching for you.

[FH]

thanks everyone for your advice... i think i'll still use the timer, but only to shut it off automatically .

[Stormin Mormon]

YOu hear about the couple who got the controls switched one night? She was too cold, and kept turning it up. He was too hot and kept turning it down.