Gro Mat alternatives am I nuts?

OK- I start all my seeds in the basement which is chilly- on a pair of shelves my DH built me behind my dryer. I want gro mats but the darn things are $$$. So I thought of a couple of alternatives please tell me if I'm nuts....

1. there are twin size electric blankets on clearance at WalMart for $15 with creative floding I could use one twin size blanket and heat all the shelves- would this work if I kept it on low?

2. would regualr heating pads you buy at Walmart work? they have these new ones you can even get wet for moist heat....

3. doing something craetive with the dryer vent with pvc to pump the warm air into the sleving unit (I cover the front of the whole thing with plastic to try to create a green house type effect.

Somebody please help- I am on my 3rd spring and am addicted.... LOL!!!!

Heather
Proud Mama of Wyatt and Rhiannon
Queen bee of the Banana tree (don't ask my kids made it up)

I think you may run into some fire hazards with an electric blanket or heating pad setup.

And - if I'm not mistaken - the newer electric blankets will heat up only if they sense something beneath them, not on top? At least the newest one we have works that way, and I'm pretty sure it came from WM. I'd definitely check the package details before buying.

Honestly, I've had very good luck with some inexpensive heating cables that I bought from Park Seed eons ago. (Not a heating mat, which would be wonderful, but they're pricey), but some cables that gently warm up. I can string them out on a shelf in any configuration, use a bit of masking tape to hold them in place, and they do a great job. The one caveat is to makes sure they don't wind up touching themselves - they dont generate much heat, but if they sit wire-to-wire for too long, they can melt the insulation around the wires. Not good!

I would definitely check into them before buying an electric blanket or heating pad to create a makeshift heat source. (If you already had those items in your house, I'd probably say go for it and keep an eye on 'em - nothing ventured, nothing gained, but I would check out the prices of some heating cables before plunking down money on the alternate items.)

A freind just mentioned another idea -- the heating pad from a water bed- they are able to get wet- if your bed leaks, they are meant to run constantly so much less chance of fire hazzard, and they can be set to low and possibly have a towel between them and the plant pots..

Hmmmmmmmmmm

Heather
Proud Mama of Wyatt and Rhiannon
Queen Bee of the Banana tree (LOL!)

If you have one handy, that might be a good solution. I've heard of other people using them ;o)

Mysticwill
I have been using old electric blankets to start seedlings for years.
Doubled usually works best. Cover it with poly sheeting to protect it from
moisture.
You will have to play around with the thermostat to get the desired temperature.
I am presently using three blankets with all plugged into a protected power
outlet.
Good Luck!
Bud

Heres a link to my thread regarding the heat box I built for propatigating seeds. It works great and costs almost nothing to build.
Paul

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/182057/