Animal plastic rack question ...

Hi, I was given an animal plastics iris 900 series rack that is 8 high, I was wondering if anyone uses this style rack? The rack doesnt have tubs or heat. It has the cut out for either the 11" dual side radiant heat or the heat cable. I wanted to know whats better for heating? I also want to know where the probe for the thermostat goes? I will be keeping ball pythons and some boas in it. I also wanted to ask if people thought this was a good rack, it appears to be very solid. I just dont want to deal with it bowing like some of the plastic stuff does. I usually build all my stuff from wood, I thought I would give this a try since it was free all I had to do was drive an hour and a half and dig it out of one of my uncles vacant buildings. Ill try to post pics of it later and any info on this style rack would be great. Thanks

Rick

I have 2 AP racks and love them! My oldest is only 2 years old, but I haven't noticed any bowing at all. I keep empty tubs in any shelf that doesn't have an animal, just to avoid possible sagging. Each shelf has a cut out for a stat probe...I don't use it though. I use foil tape to affix the probe directly to the FlexWatt (in my case) on a middle shelf. I think Nanci swears by the heat cable, but I haven't used either of your heating options before. Good luck!

I have heat cable in my AP racks. FlexxWatt is supposed to be more reliable, according to Allie of AP. But I like heat cable. They can replace the heat for right around $50, I think. She is very helpful- she'd probably know the bin number to order, too.

I have the stat probe right on the heat cable, and the thermometer probes in the top bin. One right over the heat cable, one about an inch in.

With FlexWatt, I have a 4*F difference from top to bottom...top being cooler. So I put the stat probe in the middle of the rack. I figure if it's 83* in the middle, the hotter and cooler parts of the rack are still within the acceptable limits.

My thought was I wanted to know what the max temp was.

Which is a valid point. Is the heat cable hotter at the end or closer to the stat?

I don't know the answer to that. I know the upper bin is the warmest. I guess it would be pretty easy to figure out with a temp gun.

Hey Rick,

First take Nanci advice and call Allie with AP with any questions.

I have a AP that is 5 years old. It is a Sterilite 1756/1754 that holds 10 1756 tubs or 20 1754 tubs and there is no sag. On the hatchling tubs(1754), I use a lid because a very small hatchling can escape threw the gap that is for air movement at the top of the tub. The rack uses heat cable and the only problem I have had is the first month I had the rack the heat cable went bad but Allie sent me a new one right away and it has been working for five years now. The T-stat probe is right on top of the heat cable and I was a temp gun to check temps in the tubs and the T-stat has a temp reading also.

I really do like the AP rack that I have.

Love the Fatman

Hey Josh,

On my AP rack, my top tub is the coolest. I think it is because my heat cable only heats one side and then the bottom of the top tub. All the rest of the tubs get a little heat from the top self heat cable and then all the heat from one side and the bottom because of the way you have to loop the heat cable there it. I would tell you the temp differences but I do not remember them.

Love the Fatman

Hey thanks for the replies. I for sure gonna call AP on monday and just pick their brains a bit. I have plenty of the 11' heat tape so I was thinking of going with the dual side radiant heat coming down the two sided on the back part of the rack. I was wondering if the probe would go on one of the sides of the heat tape or in the middle of the shelf. I dont know if that makes sense. Either way thanks for the replies. Im gonna look into the cable heat on monday. Thanks

Rick

In that case, I would put the stat probe on one side of the heat tape and monitor each side with its own thermometer...just in case.

airenlow said:

In that case, I would put the stat probe on one side of the heat tape and monitor each side with its own thermometer...just in case.

Click to expand...

Thats what I was thinking. Either way Im gonna call Ap on monday. I want to ask about casters also. All my other racks are on casters I just like being able to move the rack if needed.

Rick

I don't know if they make casters or not, but I have my AP racks that are on carpet on those plastic slider things (when I build the racks, before I put snakes in, I put them under it) and I have one on linoleum that is on the fuzzy slider things. They work GREAT!! And if you buy a pack of the largest sliders from Lowes or wherever, you get four plastic and four fuzzy. The fuzzy sliders make _perfect_ hides for hatchlings! They love cuddling into them.