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flexwatt placement on a rack system

Amanda E

Amanda E

Snake Addict!
Hi. I am getting 2 adults this spring and will be breeding them, so I need to build a rack for the babies.

I have plans, etc., etc., but I'm kind of unsure how I will end up heating the rack. I'm hoping someone can help.

I would prefer to run the heat tape (probably 11 inch) vertically along the back of the rack and then cover it with pegboard.

The thing that I am concerned about is what if I do this and then find out that the heat isn't radiating into the boxes well enough and the snakes aren't getting enough heat? I need to keep costs down, so I wouldn't want to scrap the expensive heat tape I already installed and buy yet more tape to run along the top of each shelf.

If I indeed find out that the heat tape along the back isn't transferring enough heat, if I switch out the peg board with a solid sheet of wood do you think this would keep the heat in better? Any other ideas?
 
By the way, I did see CAV's excellent post about rack building. I got a lot of info from that, I just need to know what to do if the heat tape on the back of the rack ends up not being enough heat.
 
Amanda,

You can actually buy some relatively inexpensive aluminum tape from Big Apple Herp (or some other source), and use it to transfer heat to the shelves of your rack. The tape readily transfers heat, and you can use one strip to fit into the angle where your shelf comes into contact with the heat tape (1" on the heat tape and 1" on the shelf), then another strip overlapping the first on the shelf itself. I wouldn't think a third strip would radiate enough heat to be worth the added effort/expense, but you could try.

Even so, by doing this, you can effectively bring the heat down from the back of the rack to the bottom of each container under the first 2.5" of your containers. For hatchlings, that would be more than sufficient, I would think.

However, I use a rack I built myself according to Dwight Good's pattern, using back heat only. I have never had a problem, except having to replace a thermostat that went bad. My snakes thrive in the rack as it is.

Hope that helps a bit!
 
Check out Clay Davenport's site

arbreptiles.com for some great blueprints. He a friend of mine and a sponsor of this site, so I am eager to send you his direction. His blueprints are free. Here's one I built for 50 hatchlings, with large shoeboxes. Bear in mind that you will soon have WAY to many for this to be useful, and it will become a yearling rack! :roflmao:
 

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I ran into the same situation you are. I built a rack similar to the one in the above picture running 4 in flexwatt vertically behind the boxes. I found that when the house started getting a little cooler during the winter the flexwatt could not transfer enough heat to the boxes to maintain the 84 degrees I had the thermostat set for. So I dissasembled the rack, routered a 1/8 deep 5 inch wide groove along the rear of the shelves and glued the flexwatt in there. It keeps the temperature a constant 82-84 degrees in the back 1/3 of the box and a few degrees cooler in the rest. It also seems to be a more efficient way to heat the boxes (our electric bills can get pretty steep in Ca.). Since you are using 11 in flexwatt you may be able to get enough heat into your boxes running it vertically, but under the boxes seems more efficient.
 
Can I ask everyone what the room temp is in your snake rooms? This will definitely make a difference, because your experiences will most definitely be different than mine if your rooms are colder or warmer than mine.

I would still really like to run the heat tape down the back, mainly because I wouldn't have to use as much of it and it would just be easier to install.

But...ulimately I want to do what's best for the snakes.

Thanks.
 
I have the flexwatt running down the back of my adult rack. It typically runs 10 degrees warmer then the room temp at the back of the tub. I've never had any problems with this type of set up. I used an empty shelf to incubate eggs this year and it worked great.

The room temp runs between 72 & 76.:spinner:
 
I have a question too about installing flexx watt. When you install it, do you run it on the inside of the back of the rack, or do you put a back on the rack and then put the flexx watt on the back of that? Or does it really matter. If you install it behind the back of the rack and not inside the back of the rack will it radiate enough heat through the back? Sorry this sounds so confusing.......;)

Adam
 
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