I felt this was much safer than the heat lamp. The temperature setting was WAY off from what it said, but using the regular thermometer, I got it where I wanted it, and then just adjusted it one degree lower each day as the chicks grew. It says not to wash it, and that was not a reality. The chicks started hopping up on it and it needed to be washed - I just waited until they no longer needed it and of course it was unplugged and cooled off and I did not immerse it in water. I also saved the cover for the remote battery and put it back in when I stored it. I hope to get many more years of use out of it.