Freedom Breeder Rack Help (bottom tubs not heating)

[Skandalakis]

This is driving me insane. I recently bought a Proline 1020-70 rack from Freedom Breeder. Everything is perfect, except for the fact that the tubs on the very bottom layer will not heat up. All other tubs hit their temps no problem. The panels are insulated and I’ve insulated the sides. I’ve had racks for years. I understand there will be a temp fluctuation from bottom to top. But these tubs are literally just staying room temperature. Here are the things I’ve tried to troubleshoot this issue.

- Swapped the panels around. I did this three times, with three different panels, and had the same issues every time.
- Swapped the power strips. I’ve used two different types of power strip, and again, no difference. Both power strips were bought off Amazon, and aren’t the most expensive. But I didn’t think it would be a huge issue. They aren’t the ones with surge protectors either, so just throwing that out there too.
- Swapped out thermostats. I had a spare VE thermostat that I tried instead, and same issue. Although the temperatures were more consistent overall with this thermostat.
- Moved the probe directly onto the bottom panel. This one was really weird because the reading on the thermostat said that the probe had reached its desired temperature. But when I checked the tubs with my temp gun, they were still reading at room temperature. So it’s like the panel was heated in the middle but not on the sides. All other tubs were at the appropriate temperatures.
- Plugged the thermostat directly into the wall. I read where another person tried this and it fixed their problem, but it didn’t work with mine.

Have any of y’all experienced this? I’d appreciate any insight into this issue. I don’t think it’s a problem with the rack. I really feel like it’s user error, but I just can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong.

[Armiyana]

I suppose it's a given, but I'll ask... Have you tried calling Freedom Breeder?

I don't have experience with their racks, only tubs. So sorry I can't be of more help. Their customer service seemed pretty good though when I made a call once.