Hello, I'm in the process of putting together a little shelf/rack system for my snakes, as space is at a premium (that happens when you are getting new ones every couple days!). I just ordered 20' of 4" flexwatt heat tape, which will come cut into (5) 4' lengths with a 10" spread. I am planning on putting that on a shelving unit much like this: http://www.amazon.com/Whitmor-6060-...HD1K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1313519610&sr=8-1 It's identical to that except it's actually a five shelf unit with 48" shelves. The heat tape will be hooked up to this, which I also ordered: http://www.reptilebasics.com/johnson-controls-thermostat-pre-wired I ordered the 10" spread as my sterilite tubes range in size... I'll just have to keep them under 10" in the future that's all, lol. Also, how do you guys usually attach the flexwatt? I'm thinking of getting aluminum foil tape, but didn't wanna order it online as I'm sure I can find it cheaper in a local store. So, does it look like a good plan? Anything I should change or add? It's not gonna be purty, but it will work I believe.
That looks good! Are you planning on putting the flex-watt right onto the sides/bottom of the bins or are you affixing it to the rack/shelves? If you're placing it on the shelves I'm not sure if tape would be your best bet... Seeing as how it is not a solid surface are you planning on putting down cardboard or wood on the shelf itself or keeping it as metal that your tubs will be set upon? Just going by ease of attachment and best conductivity between the flex-watt itself and your tubs I would suggest maybe putting down cardboard sheets on the shelf, then attaching the flex-watt to the cardboard with aluminum tape and then placing the tubs on top of the flex-watt. The cardboard is cheap (wood might be better) but it would help keep the heat from the flex-watt insulated and most of the heat going in the direction of the tubs instead of the open air under the wire shelf. Also just a tip when wiring up a rack you should tape or wire-staple the wires in a place that they won't be abused by the tubs being slid over them all the time. Its difficult to tell when a solder joint has come undone and one of your snakes is cold while the rest are nice and toasty warm, lol. Good luck!
That should work just fine for a rack, although I prefer those that keep me from having to take lids on and off. It sounds ridiculous, I know...I guess once I became accustomed to simply opening bins for a water change like a drawer I got a bit spoiled =P I think this will answer the majority of your questions regarding the heat tape, mounting, etc in addition to Lauren's comments: http://www.proexotics.com/FAQ2.html#hus_1 (under: "How do I mount and use the Flex Watt heat tape?) The only other issues you may come across is appropriately heating everything to it's species specific needs. If they all fall within the same general temperature needs you should be golden, where the thermostat will keep everything fairly universal; but if some species like it hotter than others it can be difficult to vary temperatures. This isn't a problem with your rack, but an issue that can pop up with any rack. Should be good! = ) I can't help but look at shelving units and storage devices like that in stores and think "What could do with that to accomodate herps..." One other minor detail - you'll have to play around with this once everything is actually set up and potentially season by season depending on how consistent your home's temeratures stay through the year, but heat tape will only attain a maximum temperature. If things are chilly and the heat tape isn't quite attaining high enough temps, you might want to consider insulating the rack. It would be a simple fix, like placing plywood or even affixing styrofoam boards to the back and sides of the rack, but you probably won't even need to worry about it unless things get unusually chilly from time to time in the home.
Thanks for the replies, much appreciated! I was planning on putting the tape directly on the wire shelves. It'd be better to go with putting cardboard or such down first though? I guess that would makes sense as one doesn't want the heat to travel anywhere but up into the bottom of the cages, lol. Guess I'll be looking for some cardboard! Most of my species like the temp about the same, so I'm not too worried about it. I mean, I do have a couple corns that don't like it quite as warm as say... the dumril or burm (the burm wouldn't even be on the rack for long, so that doesn't even matter), but they're not too different. The temps in the room where I keep my herps are around 70-72 in the winter and 80+ish in the summer. So it does drop a little bit in the winter, but not terribly so and I've got a small space heater I can use to bump it up when needed. Not sure if I'd need to insulate the rack or not...
