rack questions..

[DeesBalls]

Hey all, i am going to redo my rack and i had a few questions, but 1st...

i plan on adding 3'' to the height, so i can add a 7th tub. then im going to get all individual UTH for each shelf with rheostat for each 2 UTH's. and i plan on staining it to match my dressers (since its going in my bedroom.) my questions are....


after i stain it, how long should i let it air out before i put everything together and put them back in??

and what size of UTH's should i get for each shelf? im going to start buying them one at a time and i was wondering what size i should get...

i have (5) 41 qts, on 5 shelves.. and on my 6th shelf i have a 12 qt and a 28 qt for my baby corn and pastel ball....

however i plan on putting the UTH in the middle of the 2 NON 41 qt tubs...

thanks everyone for the help!

[stephanbakir]

Regarding the stain it varies based on the product.

The uth should be big enough for the animal in question to place himself on it with his whole body if he chooses, but small enough to allow a proper temperature gradient.

I wouldn't advise putting the uth in the center of the tub unless the tub is much larger because of possible temperature gradient problems, if you plan it right it should work but it wont be easy.

[DeesBalls]

Regarding the stain it varies based on the product.

The uth should be big enough for the animal in question to place himself on it with his whole body if he chooses, but small enough to allow a proper temperature gradient.

I wouldn't advise putting the uth in the center of the tub unless the tub is much larger because of possible temperature gradient problems, if you plan it right it should work but it wont be easy.

as for the stain, thanks for the info. as for the UTH thanks as well, but i mean ill put it on the middle of the shelf... so that 1 tub will get it on the right side, and the other tub will get it on the left side, until i get the big tubs on the shelf then i will move the UTH as the same tubs. sorry i typed it wrong, its supose to be in the center of the shelf, not the tub!

[stephanbakir]

No worries. You should be ok with that plan.

[DeesBalls]

No worries. You should be ok with that plan.

Thanks, sounds like a good idea for me now...


now if some one can tell me....

1. how long to let it air out b4 i put the snakes back in after i stain,
2. what size of UTH should i get? (10/20g)(30/40g) ect... keep in mind, i am using 41 qt tubs.

[stephanbakir]

to answer the first question check the stain itself, it should say on it, just double it or triple it to be safe?

[DeesBalls]

to answer the first question check the stain itself, it should say on it, just double it or triple it to be safe?

sounds good, thanks alot!

[stephanbakir]

No worries, good luck!

[sickvenom]

outgassing can take at least a week, depending on what type of stain or varnish you use. some people even wait a couple weeks.

you will want something like flexwatt to heat your tubs, and it should be applied towards the back of the tubs only. you want it to cover approx. 1/3 of your tub's depth. use a thermostat to control the heat. there are tons of tutorials online on rack making. there are some good ones on youtube.

[Lankyrob]

Just had a thought - when you apply heat to the rack you may restart the outgassing from the stain - might be worth running the heat for a while before adding any animals

[sickvenom]

Just had a thought - when you apply heat to the rack you may restart the outgassing from the stain - might be worth running the heat for a while before adding any animals

that's why it's suggested that you let painted/stained wood air out - so that outgassing won't occur when heated. only the manufacturer can advise on the appropriate amount of time, to an accurate degree. most of the time it will be between a few days to a few weeks.

[DeesBalls]

outgassing can take at least a week, depending on what type of stain or varnish you use. some people even wait a couple weeks.

you will want something like flexwatt to heat your tubs, and it should be applied towards the back of the tubs only. you want it to cover approx. 1/3 of your tub's depth. use a thermostat to control the heat. there are tons of tutorials online on rack making. there are some good ones on youtube.

i know this, thanks, i already have it built...

right now i have flexwatt, but the way i have it ran my snakes dont get belly heat, and i dont like that. they get like, i dont know... back of the tub heat?? its hard to explain. * it is ran on the back of the rack, where i have peg board.. on the back. its very hard to explain how it is, but its not set up like how people usually set up the tub. i have mine long ways, and not depth wise. if that makes sense..

here is another question, if i keep my flexwatt, can i cut it? and do that instead... it just dont seem like the flexwatt gets hot enough.. and i konw UTH would get warm enough for them. * I DO HAVE HEAT ON IN THE ROOM SO ALL TUBS ARE AROUND 90 FOR WARM SIDE..** my BRB however is on the bottom so it gets a lil less heat, around 85-88..

i just need to know how long to let it sit after staining. im thinking about waiting a week at least before putting the snakes back in. i will check with the company on the stain container and see what they say.

thanks for any more imput you guys can give...

[Jenn_06]

you can cut flexwatt but only on the doted line anyway else you broke it.

[sickvenom]

You can cut flexwatt to any length you want. Just make sure any bare contacts are covered. If your flexwatt isn't getting hot enough, you are either using too little or your connections are not secure. I solder my flexwatt instead of using crimps. Do you have photos of your set up?

[sickvenom]

Ok, I just read your last post again. Your fexwatt is back heating your tubs. I personally hate this method, and now you know why. It doesn't tend to be as effective as belly heat.

[DeesBalls]

You can cut flexwatt to any length you want. Just make sure any bare contacts are covered. If your flexwatt isn't getting hot enough, you are either using too little or your connections are not secure. I solder my flexwatt instead of using crimps. Do you have photos of your set up?

yes, i will go grab some..... post in a few min.

[DeesBalls]

you can cut flexwatt but only on the doted line anyway else you broke it.

I may try this... if i mess it up, ill just order more heat tape i suppose.


here are the pics, the 1st one is the over all look of the rack, and the 2nd one is where you can see the heat tape on the right side proving back heat...

my flexxwat is 118-122 degrees, OUTSIDE TUB
my flesswat is 93 for my balls, and bottom rack i have it at 86 for BRB.

so i suppose its working, i just want belly heat instead...

pics:

http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy336/DGilliland22/IMAG0927.jpg
http://i805.photobucket.com/albums/yy336/DGilliland22/IMAG0928.jpg

[sickvenom]

Just take it off the peg board and tape it to the shelf, then put the tub on top of it. Are you going to stain melamine???? If so, that is another discussion in itself!

[DeesBalls]

Just take it off the peg board and tape it to the shelf, then put the tub on top of it. Are you going to stain melamine???? If so, that is another discussion in itself!

i was going to do that, but its a 4 or 5 foot continuous piece... and No its Aspen wood. thats why i use the lids, to keep humidity in... i do want to stain the wood though.

[sickvenom]

Ok sorry, using my phone right now. Is the wood painted? If so, I'm not sure the stain would absorb into the wood.

You can cut your flexwatt to any size you want. Seal off the bare contact and wire them in a series.

[DeesBalls]

Ok sorry, using my phone right now. Is the wood painted? If so, I'm not sure the stain would absorb into the wood.

You can cut your flexwatt to any size you want. Seal off the bare contact and wire them in a series.

Nope, it is plain aspen, not painted... how do i seal off the bare contact? and wire them in a series... lol sorry, thats why i had reptile basics do it :)

[sickvenom]

check out this file: http://www.beanfarm.com/heating/Flexwatt_parallel.pdf

when you cut the flexwatt you will have bare contacts showing on the end that won't have wires connected to it. you will have to insulate that bare metal. it is also wise to soldering your wirest to the tape, instead of using crimps. that should also be insulated. some people use electrical tape, but i use something called 'liquid tape.' it's awesome.

[DeesBalls]

check out this file: http://www.beanfarm.com/heating/Flexwatt_parallel.pdf

when you cut the flexwatt you will have bare contacts showing on the end that won't have wires connected to it. you will have to insulate that bare metal. it is also wise to soldering your wirest to the tape, instead of using crimps. that should also be insulated. some people use electrical tape, but i use something called 'liquid tape.' it's awesome.

thanks alot, i will look into this tomorrow, as for now im going to bed. lol thanks alot!

[sickvenom]

Wiring Flexwatt Heat Tape (http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/flexwire.shtml)

[DeesBalls]

Wiring Flexwatt Heat Tape (http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/flexwire.shtml)

this is very helpful. i am going to try to do this, i just need to know where i can get some clips at?

[sickvenom]

i wouldn't use clips. skip down to the part where it shows how to solder the wire directly to the flexwatt.

[DeesBalls]

i wouldn't use clips. skip down to the part where it shows how to solder the wire directly to the flexwatt.

i just seen that part, thats what i would like to do, i just never used s solder iron though.