Building a rack. Some questions to come...

I know I want more snakes. I imagine that a 6 snake rack with room for 41qt tubs will be "enough" for a few years while I fill it up with what I acquire and, hopefully one day, my own hold backs.

The plans I was thinking about mimicking were these here: LINK

Do you know of/have you used a better plan?

Is 41qt too big or the way to go?

What is the benefit of insulating? I live in a warm climate for the most part. Is this step for people in cooler parts of the World? Or is it to save money long term with the use of your thermostat?

I don't think I'll add the wheels. Will I regret that? (I guess I can always add them later).

Thanks for reading
And thanks for any input.

I have no input on the building of this, but it looks like a great plan! And the base is capable of having wheels added any time you want.

Having built all of my own racks, based on similar plans, I do have some suggestions. Yes, add the wheels. Melamine is very heavy, and you will eventually want to move the rack around. Get two locking wheels for the front so it doesn't pull forward every time you pull a tub out. 41qt, to me, is a bit of overkill for corn snakes. I have my largest in a 34qt tub, and that size does nicely. I also have some racks of 28qt tubs, but those might be tight for a really big adult. (41qt is good for Pituophis) More room is not bad, just unnecessary. Insulation is good, even if you live in a mild climate, because electricity is not free. I boxed all my racks with sheets of foil-lined styrofoam from Home Depot, and my heat tape really doesn't have to work hard to keep everyone toasty. (and the snakes feel more secure and less exposed that way) Another idea, but a bit more work, I heated each level with a separately wired strip of heat tape, each with it's own cord running to one of those outlet strips. This way I only have to heat the occupied tubs. The true fanatics among us will seldom have unoccupied tubs, but I like to be efficient, so all of my tubs are heated independently. Lastly, I really tried hard to find a substitute for melamine. It's just so heavy, and not really cheap. I used thinner, coated materials and have regretted it. Coatings rub off, and thinner boards warp or flex. I now need to rebuild all of my racks. Just go ahead and use the melamine. It will give a nice flat slick waterproof surface and won't warp unless you try to span too far unsupported. Just keep in mind how heavy that stuff is. Don't try to make a double wide 12 stack. (I made a 96-slot hatchling rack, and it weighs as much as my car)

Awesome tips. Thank you so much. I'm at work right now but will read through them in detail later and make some notes.

You bring up a lot of good points about heating. I don't plan on having it full for a couple years, so what's the best. Heating plan? If I have separate heat pads do I need seperate thermostats? Should I maybe heat in sets of 2 so I can add as I need?

I have one good thermostat (Vivarium Electronics), running to heavy duty extension cords, each ending in 6-outlet plug strips: one for each 6-tub rack. Separate plugs power each tub, so I just plug in what I need. One thermostat handles 6 racks, or 36 tubs. You just gotta match the wattage of the thermostat to the total output of all the tubs. Don't overload it! The only downside is that my thermostat has only one temp probe (or zone), so I put it in the middle tub, in the middle rack. An infrared temp gun is really handy to periodically check on temps.

Originally Posted by backafter30

I have one good thermostat (Vivarium Electronics), running to heavy duty extension cords, each ending in 6-outlet plug strips: one for each 6-tub rack. Separate plugs power each tub, so I just plug in what I need. One thermostat handles 6 racks, or 36 tubs. You just gotta match the wattage of the thermostat to the total output of all the tubs. Don't overload it! The only downside is that my thermostat has only one temp probe (or zone), so I put it in the middle tub, in the middle rack. An infrared temp gun is really handy to periodically check on temps.

I have one room for everyone (sans the ones in quarantine) and would love to have a t-stat that can run 6 UTHs. I have 14 vivs, so I really only need 2 (the others can be plugged in on their own), which model do you recommend? And what are the prices? I see none on the page.

I have a VE-100, and a VE-200. Never had an issue with either one, but I've only been doing this for a couple of years so far. They have a great reputation, though. Just match your wattage to the unit. You might be able to do everything on one, but that's also having all your eggs in one basket. They go up to 900 watts with 2 zones, and run around $80-$200. Google for distributors (TSK, ReptileBasics, Pangea) or Amazon/Ebay. Pick the model that best suits you. TSK has a nice chart comparing models, but I've never ordered from them, so can't say one way or the other.

Very similar to a design I did several years ago: http://blueappleherps.com/page13/page13.html

The melamine is going to weigh at TON. Even with the wheels it will be a chore to move. I designed mine with XPVC, but others have used the design with 3/8 plywood. The disadvantage with the plywood is you'd have to seal it (or use XPVC, but its pricier). But it will weigh a heck of a lot less.

I used to build with melamine, but for me it was just too heavy and too much of a pain that I moved on to other materials. Plenty of people use it with success, but for me the benefits did not outweigh the cons.

My rack will probably be only 5-7 tubs high. I imagine this will help with the weight. Also, I might take the advice to not use 41 size tubs. I figure both those might save me some weight. Great advice so far. Thanks everyone.