Heating a rack - Page 2

Norm66 · 12-20-11, 08:38 AM

I wound up ordering 10 28quart Sterilite tubs from Target.com shipped for $86. $8.60 per tub doesn't seem too bad to me.

I'm going to build a 3'-4" or so tall rack 3' wide out of melamine pieces 23 1/4" wide. If I'm doing my math correctly I should need 4-8' long pieces so the total should be about $100 for wood. I like the melamime because I can put it together and it'll be ready to use immediately rather than having to wait on primer, paint and polyurethane to dry sufficiently to where it's safe to trust the fumes with the snakes.

I figure the 28 quart isn't big enough for full grown animals but it will do me for a while and will serve in the future as a growout (fish term, do reptile folks use it?) rack for juvies to adolescents. Plus it's pretty cheap and easy to get running quickly.

I'm off to order Flexwatt now.

spots · 12-20-11, 09:23 AM

Cool Norm, I'll look at Target.com today as well. Ebay had a good price on flexwatt.
As for the water base lacquer I'll be using with in 2 days max's there will be no fumes to worry about, and it will look like a piece of furniture in my house

Also are you insetting your flexwatt into the shelves?

Post some pics when you start.

Norm66 · 12-20-11, 09:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spots

Ebay had a good price on flexwatt.
As for the water base lacquer I'll be using with in 2 days max's there will be no fumes to worry about, and it will look like a piece of furniture in my house

Also are you insetting your flexwatt into the shelves?

Post some pics when you start.

I'm buying my Flexwatt from Reptile Basics. They'll cut it and attach the wires free.

I'm just going with white. I really wanted black to match my homemade fish tank stands but they don't have melamine in anything but white. In the future when there's not as much of a rush I'll probably use plywood and water based laquer like you're doing.

No, I'm not insetting the Flexwatt. I'm just going to use aluminum tape and keep a close eye on it.

And of course now I'm not building this weekend. The tubs won't be delivered until late next week so it'll probably be next Saturday. I am going to buy materials Saturday so everything will be ready.

Right now I'm deciding between the 6 watt/ft and the 10 watt/ft and wondering if I might be able to get away with one row of the 10 watt/ft. It would cut my heat tape costs $50 or so. Hmmmm.....

Norm66 · 12-20-11, 11:01 AM

I'm committed now. I ordered 10 sets of 3' long x 3" wide x 6 watt/ft Flexwatt. The plan is to installone strip on each shelf and see if it's sufficient to heat the tubs properly. If it is, fine I've got Flexwatt for my next rack down the road. If not I'll install the other strip. My thinking is I'll need both, but I had them wired separately so I can only use one in the summer as needed.

So now it's down to getting the melamime, having it cut, some screws, and a 1/4" piece of plywood or something for the back. WooHoo!

**millertime89** · 12-20-11, 12:17 PM

I don't feel like reading the entire thread right now, but here's what I'm doing.
I ordered the flexwatt from reptile basics as well and they were super helpful.
I'm using the heat under the tubs, from what I've gathered from breeders and other keepers of rack systems, use the SAME amount of flexwatt under the exact SAME tubs with identical setups and put the thermosensor for the thermostat between the flexwatt and the tub on the middle tub, monitor temps to ensure they're uniform, you shouldn't see more than a few degrees difference (if any) between the top and bottom, and that's a product of heat rising.

Norm66 · 12-22-11, 06:25 AM

By tomorrow I should have everything and be ready to build. The tubs weren't supposed to be in until 12/29 but they arrived last night. The heat stuff is due tomorrow. I'm leaving work at 12:30 tomorrow to head to Home Depot for the materials so if all goes well by Saturday the snakes will be living in their new, much easier to take care of, home. Woohoo!