Dedicated Snake Rooms - Heating Question

[MCB]

The wife has finally toppled and given in to me extending our garage to make a dedicated snake room. As I live in the UK our garages are brick / block built and we don’t have the luxury of hot summers. Where I live, the summer months if lucky average between 18c - 24c, winters have been mild of late, 5c - 10c.

My plan is to fit a large sky light / velux window in the roof for the main room vent along with closing air brick vents incase of high temps and for good air flow, but its ambient room temperature that i wanted advice with. Would you guys recommend a greenhouse heater, on a stat regulator of course. Oh yeah, the room size will be 10ft x 11ft. Planning on having fitted racks against two walls and leave a wall free incase I fancy breeding sometime.

Still at the planning stage but wanted a clear picture of the route I want to take before plans are drawn up.

Any advice along with the heating would be welcomed

[smy_749]

A portable air conditioner and a portable heater on thermostats. Too hot, air turns on. Too cold, heat turns on. Just make sure its well insulated. It doesn't get colder than 5 c over there? You have it good...haha

[MCB]

Originally Posted by smy_749

It doesn't get colder than 5 c over there? You have it good...haha

Nothing like you guys though we are currently being hit by 110mph winds and half the country is under water with flooding but at least its mild

[Donnie]

Insulate everything, walls, floor and roof.

[MCB]

Originally Posted by Donnie

Insulate everything, walls, floor and roof.

It'll have good cavity wall insulation that's for sure. Looking forward to it, bit of a project that should keep me from under the wives feet for a while

[Aaron_S]

Honestly? I have never wanted to heat an entire room. If it's built correctly with the proper insulation then you won't need to.

I only have only one species in a rack system right now and I simply heat them individually with heat tape.

It's just another option is all I'm suggesting.

EDIT: I may have mis-read things but I wouldn't put a skylight in. You don't want/need the sun accidentally turning your room into a toaster oven. It has happened in similar situations before (cooking $20,000 worth of animals in the process).

[Mikoh4792]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

EDIT: I may have mis-read things but I wouldn't put a skylight in. You don't want/need the sun accidentally turning your room into a toaster oven. It has happened in similar situations before (cooking $20,000 worth of animals in the process).

I've seen accidents like this happen several times now... with garages in particular. Definitely wouldn't want to risk overheating.

[Donnie]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Honestly? I have never wanted to heat an entire room. If it's built correctly with the proper insulation then you won't need to.

I only have only one species in a rack system right now and I simply heat them individually with heat tape.

It's just another option is all I'm suggesting.

EDIT: I may have mis-read things but I wouldn't put a skylight in. You don't want/need the sun accidentally turning your room into a toaster oven. It has happened in similar situations before (cooking $20,000 worth of animals in the process).

Originally Posted by Mikoh4792

I've seen accidents like this happen several times now... with garages in particular. Definitely wouldn't want to risk overheating.

With the amount of Sun we (don't) get in this country it would be a pretty low risk

But seriously it is a risk and a roof fan might be a better idea for assisting with ventilation in the summer.

[Aaron_S]

Originally Posted by Donnie

With the amount of Sun we (don't) get in this country it would be a pretty low risk

But seriously it is a risk and a roof fan might be a better idea for assisting with ventilation in the summer.

It is low risk but why take the risk at all?

I like the roof fan idea better.

[Donnie]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

It is low risk but why take the risk at all?

I completely agree, my first sentence was made in jest regarding our awful summer's we have. If the risk can be removed then that would definitely be the best route to take.

[MCB]

Originally Posted by Aaron_S

Honestly? I have never wanted to heat an entire room. If it's built correctly with the proper insulation then you won't need to.

I only have only one species in a rack system right now and I simply heat them individually with heat tape.

It's just another option is all I'm suggesting.

EDIT: I may have mis-read things but I wouldn't put a skylight in. You don't want/need the sun accidentally turning your room into a toaster oven. It has happened in similar situations before (cooking $20,000 worth of animals in the process).

I thought of the skylight due to letting some natural light in. I'll struggle to place a decent window in there due to the location of the planned extension. I know you can get special solar reflective glass to eliminate a lot of heat entering but I guess it'll be expensive.

[Donnie]

Originally Posted by MCB

I thought of the skylight due to letting some natural light in. I'll struggle to place a decent window in there due to the location of the planned extension. I know you can get special solar reflective glass to eliminate a lot of heat entering but I guess it'll be expensive.

Just have some lights in the garage hooked up to a timer and give them there day/night cycles controlled by that.

[MCB]

Originally Posted by Donnie

Just have some lights in the garage hooked up to a timer and give them there day/night cycles controlled by that.

You are probably right I seem to have a habit of over engineering projects and making problems that don't exists yet

[Terranaut]

I heat mine with a 1500watt radiant heater on a cheap baseboard heater thermostat. Works great. I also use a geanhouse fan controller on 2 vics humidifiers to keep my humidity at 50%.