# General Husbandry and Supplies > DIY Forum >  So you think you can build a rack like Pwilliams58?

## Peter Williams

As requested by many, here is a step by step guide to how I build my adult racks.

_Materials needed:_

	Two (2) 5/8 4x8 sheets of white melamine
	Eleven (11) Sterilite 28qt storage tubs
	One (1) 10 ½ conduit pipe
	One (1) bag of ¾ conduit pipe brackets
	One (1) box of 100 8x2 particle board screws
	Six (6) feet of 17 flexwatt heat tape (20 watts per foot)
	One (1) box of  1 ¼ ringed underlay flooring nails
	One (1) roll of electrical tape
	One (1) roll of clear packing tape
	One (1) extension cord
	One (1) roll of solder
	One (1) Proportional thermostat

_Tools needed:_

	Soldering iron
	Sharpie permanent marker
	Iron
	Veneer trimmer
	Chalk line
	Two power drills
	Drill & screw bit set
	Six CDs (spacers)
	Pipe cutter
	Pencil

*Tubs:*

_Step 1:_ Buy eleven 28qt sterilite tubs. Make sure you buy them all at once, because you never know when your supplier will stop carrying them, or the design will change. I personally own three different generations of this tub, sterilite changes little things about them often. I found these at Wal-Mart.



_Step 2:_ Peel off the labels. My biggest pet peeve is seeing these left on, I think it degrades the final look of your rack. I like to save one label for a reference when buying more of the same tubs for another rack.


_Step 3:_ Melt your ventilation holes. I use a cardboard template cut out of a cereal box, Ive had this one since the beginning, and Ive used it on every one of my racks. I punched holes in it with a hole punch ½ apart. As you can see I have some slots cut into it to fit around certain plastic notches on the tubs. I use a sharpie, and put a tiny dot on the plastic, in every other hole of the template, so the dots are 1 apart.




_Step 4:_ Once you do all the dots on all the tubs, its time to start melting. I use a ratty old soldering iron, because doing this could potentially ruin the tip. Once youre done it should look like this. As you can see I have left a small spot in the middle at the front and back of the tub with no holes. This is so I can look in the tub and see the animal better.





Now youre ready to go get your melamine!

*Melamine:*

[I]Step 1: I get all my cuts done at Home Depot. This particular rack requires two 4x8 sheets of 5/8 white melamine. I dont know about elsewhere, but in my area, a 4x8 sheet, isnt really 4x8. It is 41x81 (49x97). So, get your two sheets, and get them to cut them to the following specs (this gets complicated so read carefully):

_First Sheet:_
1.	Cut 2 7/8 off one side. Keep in mind that the saw blade is 1/8 wide. This will leave you with a piece exactly 6x41. The 2 7/8 piece is scrap, but save it, because you can make the shelves out of it for another rack, but it is not needed for the rest of this rack.
2.	Cut a ¾ strip off the top of this piece. This strip will later act as your back stop for the tubs. This will leave you with a piece exactly 6x4 1/8.
3.	Cut straight down the middle lengthwise to give you two pieces, both exactly 6x2. These two pieces will be your upright side panels.

_Second Sheet:_
1.	Cut a ¾ strip off the top of this piece. This strip is scrap. It is only to get rid of the extra 1 on the sheet that most people dont know about. This will leave you with a piece that is exactly 4 1/8x8 1.
2.	Cut down the middle lengthwise. This will leave you with two pieces, both exactly 2x81.
3.	Stack these two pieces on top of each other, the saw should be capable of cutting through both simultaneously. Cut these 2 pieces into pieces exactly 16 wide. You should end up being able to cut into 16 six times. Because you doubled up on the sheets, this means you now have twelve pieces, all exactly 2x16.

If that confuses the hell out of you, which Im sure it did because it confused me, just know this, by the end of all these cutting shenanigans, you need to have exactly:

	Two (2) pieces that are exactly 2x6
	Twelve (12) pieces that are exactly 2x16
	One (1) thin strip exactly 6

_Step 2:_ Now you need to iron on your veneer strip. Another pet peeve of mine, if youre going to take the time to make the rack, just take that little extra time to make it look good, and put on the strip. Make sure its white, just like your melamine, and make sure its slightly wider than your pieces, so you can trim it. I found this huge roll at home depot. For the stand up panels, I iron the strip on one side and one end. This is all that is needed, because you wont see the bottom of the rack, or the back.





_Step 3:_ Once all your strips are ironed on, trim off all the excess. Make sure you buy the special tool for this, dont hack it up with an exacto knife. You should find the tool near where you find the veneer strip.




_Step 4:_ Take each of your side panels, and mark three vertical lines with your chalk line. Mark two 3 from each side, and one straight down the middle. You only need to do this on one side of each panel, make sure its the side you want to be the outside of the rack.




_Step 5:_ This is hands down the hardest step out of the whole construction. Ive found it is impossible to do this without an extra pair of hands and eyes. You need to lay the pieces down on the ground, and screw in your top shelf. It is critical that this shelf be level. Otherwise your entire rack will be screwed up. I use two drills to screw in the shelves, one with the drill bit, and one with the screw bit. If you only have one drill, youll end up going insane switching the bits back and forth. You must drill a pilot hole otherwise your shelf will split. Refer to the label on your box of screws for the correct pilot hole. To drill the pilot hole directly into the middle of the shelf, I put down another chalk line, this time horizontally. I eyeball the middle of the shelf and snap the line. Drill right where the two chalk lines cross.





_Step 6:_ Once your first shelf is screwed in, very carefully stand the rack up on end. I use six CDs as spacers. Lay down your CDs put a tub on top of them, and then put another shelf on top of your tub. Mark another chalk line and screw in that shelf.





Now repeat until you run out of shelves! Once youre done, you should have something that looks like this:




*Conduit Pipe:*

_Step 1:_ Buy a 10, ½ conduit pipe. If you can find them smaller thats even better, you only need 6.

_Step 2:_ Mark a line at 6 from one end of the pipe



_Step 3:_ Break out your pipe cutter and cut it at your mark.



_Step 4:_ Buy a bag of ¾ pipe brackets. You want ¾ so its not a tight fit, and you have some room to move the pipe. 

_Step 5:_ Screw the brackets in the center of the top and bottom shelves.




_Step 6:_ Put your pipe in the top bracket first, and then put it in the bottom bracket.



This pipe acts as a stopper for any really strong snakes that might push out. It is not completely necessary. However I have two large dogs and it gives me peace of mind when theyre around the racks. And yes, the idea came straight from Ralph Davis youtube videos.

*Heating:*

For this rack, Ive chosen to go with back heat for cost effectiveness and ease of installation.

_Step 1:_ Take an approximately 6 long piece of 17 flexwatt and wire it.



_Step 2:_ Tape the end of your flexwatt that doesnt have the cord attached to it, to the top of your rack. Pull it taught at the bottom and tape it there too, this is to hold it in place while your nail it on.



_Step 3:_ Take your flooring nails, and nail one through the clear plastic of the flexwatt on each side of the flexwatt, on each shelf. The nails are thin enough that no pilot hole is needed. The reason I chose these nails is because of the rings on them, it is nearly impossible for the flexwatt to come loose. Make sure you get your thermostat probe in there and taped down tight before you nail everything down for good. Try to put your probe as close to the middle of the rack as possible. (I do not show probe placement here, because this rack will be plugged into a helix already controlling a rack with an identical heat configuration).



_Step 4:_ Run a strip of clear packing tape all the way down the back edges so it completely seals in the back. This is in case for some crazy reason, if a snake ever did get out, it wouldnt be able to squeeze out the back and get behind your racks. The tape is a little bit unsightly, however, I do it because this rack will be between 2 other racks, and the back wont be visible at all.

_Step 5:_ Take the 6 long strip you had left over from your cutting, and line it up in the middle.



_Step 6:_ The 20 watts per foot flexwatt that I used, has small gaps every couple of inches. It should line up with about 5 of the shelves; this is plenty to stop your tubs when you push them back. Screw it into every shelve thats lined up with one of the gaps. Dont forget your pilot holes.



_Step 7:_ Tape your extension cord out of the way for easy carrying.



_Step 8:_ Put your rack in place, and mount your thermostat. 



Now fill those tubs! To build this rack should run you a little more than $200, not including the thermostat, or tools. Thank you for reading this and I hope this was some help to those of you confused about building a rack.

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## Mr. Constrictor

Great thread. I do have a question. How is it at holding in the heat with the back wide open?

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_Peter Williams_ (11-17-2008)

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## Peter Williams

> Great thread. I do have a question. How is it at holding in the heat with the back wide open?


Well, the back may be open, but its almost right up against the wall with all my other racks giving off heat right beside it. I keep the helix at 100, to achieve a balmy 92-94 inside the tubs.

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## Bruce Whitehead

Is the cool end a room temp? Or does the hot end make that happen...?

Great thread.

Gonna get me a few of those.  :Smile:

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_Peter Williams_ (11-17-2008)

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## tmartin2347

WHAAAAAAAAAAT!


you rock!

everytime I think about making a rack I always end up just buying one. nice racks you got there, how much to send me one?

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_Peter Williams_ (11-17-2008)

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## AaronP

Very nice setup.  What's teh biggest snake you keep in those racks?  28Qt is a tad too small for say a 2000G girl.

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_Peter Williams_ (11-17-2008)

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## Peter Williams

> Is the cool end a room temp? Or does the hot end make that happen...?
> 
> Great thread.
> 
> Gonna get me a few of those.


I heat the room to around 75 and the flexwatt ups it to about 80 on the cool side.




> Very nice setup.  What's teh biggest snake you keep in those racks?  28Qt is a tad too small for say a 2000G girl.


In my experience I don't think they are too small for a 2000g girl, but most of my big girls are right at 2000g right now and they still have plenty of room. FYI, Corey Woods keeps all his adult females in 27qt rubbermaids.

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## Inknsteel

AWESOME guide. I'm going to be helping a friend build a rack in the very near future. I'm going to show him this thread and may use these exact plans...  :Good Job:

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_Peter Williams_ (11-18-2008)

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## starmom

This is a great show of exactly how this type of rack is made- great job!!  :Good Job: 

One question: How do you get the pipe out of the way of the tubs? It seems like you need to have a 20ft. ceiling or something!  :Razz:

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_Peter Williams_ (11-18-2008)

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## Royal Morphz

> This is a great show of exactly how this type of rack is made- great job!! 
> 
> One question: How do you get the pipe out of the way of the tubs? It seems like you need to have a 20ft. ceiling or something!


you just lift it out of the bottom holder and pull to either side and let it fall out of the top holder

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_Peter Williams_ (11-18-2008)

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## Clear

For step #3 I wouldn't waste time with that tool, a sharp razor blade works the best. Do not try to cut with a huge down angle and keep the blade flat with the wood. 

Good looking racks tho!

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## starmom

"you just lift it out of the bottom holder and pull to either side and let it fall out of the top holder..." 

Oh yeah... duh  :Embarassed:

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## Peter Williams

> For step #3 I wouldn't waste time with that tool, a sharp razor blade works the best. Do not try to cut with a huge down angle and keep the blade flat with the wood. 
> 
> Good looking racks tho!


haha, its only $5, and has lasted me 4 racks...I think it's a worthwhile investment.

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## Jyson

That is an awesome rack system! Looks just like the ones you see for sell online.

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_Peter Williams_ (11-18-2008)

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## Drew87

ITS ABOUT TIME!!!!! haha very cool thanks man  :Salute:

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_Peter Williams_ (11-18-2008)

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## Kryptonian

I don't get the purpose for the cds?

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## daaangconcepts

> This is a great show of exactly how this type of rack is made- great job!! 
> 
> One question: How do you get the pipe out of the way of the tubs? It seems like you need to have a 20ft. ceiling or something!


I was thinking the same thing.   :Embarassed: 

They look awesome though.  Thanks for sharing!




> you just lift it out of the bottom holder and pull to either side and let it fall out of the top holder


LOL. Duh.  :Nerd: 

Your racks rock!

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_Peter Williams_ (11-18-2008)

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## Peter Williams

> I don't get the purpose for the cds?


I don't like to have to put my foot on the rack, and use 2 hands to pull the tub out, with the CD's it gives the perfect amount of space to slide perfectly.

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## Peter Williams

> Your racks rock!


No Susan, YOUR rack rocks! (wait, that came out wrong...or did it? :Razz: )

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## MDB

very nice racks :Good Job:

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## Lateralus_Love

This might be a newbie question, but how do you get those perfect little spaces on the top and bottom?



lol

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## Peter Williams

> This might be a newbie question, but how do you get those perfect little spaces on the top and bottom?
> 
> 
> 
> lol


In 100% honesty, those are completely eyeballed.

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## XGetSome

Ive watched a few of your videos, I honestly can say u build nice racks. :Good Job:

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## Dragnbaron

Question:
Instead of using unsightly packing tape to hold the back flexwatt in place so the snake can't slip out, do you think Aluminum Tape would work well? I know it's not going to melt the adhesive from the heat. Any suggestions on that?

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## snakewrangler

Fantastic thread!  Thanks!

I just want to know though...how much of a pain is it to get the Home Depot folks to make those cuts for you?  Are you standing around for two hours wondering whether or not the pieces will be the right size?

The Home Depots/Lowes 'round these parts are kinda weak...you're lucky if you can get someone competent to help you out...

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## Peter Williams

> Question:
> Instead of using unsightly packing tape to hold the back flexwatt in place so the snake can't slip out, do you think Aluminum Tape would work well? I know it's not going to melt the adhesive from the heat. Any suggestions on that?


Aluminum tape would work fine...however that seems like it would be more unsightly? Haha.





> Fantastic thread!  Thanks!
> 
> I just want to know though...how much of a pain is it to get the Home Depot folks to make those cuts for you?  Are you standing around for two hours wondering whether or not the pieces will be the right size?
> 
> The Home Depots/Lowes 'round these parts are kinda weak...you're lucky if you can get someone competent to help you out...


Ya, it is a huuuuuge pain, sometimes I feel like telling them to walk away and let me do it myself!

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## takagari

i live in canada. and goto ron. they have an AWESOMe device for cutting.

takes me about 2 mins and no argument and i usually get it for free sinc eI know them. and it's all cut  :Very Happy: 

way eaiser then using my table saw  :Very Happy:

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## azpythons

Do you think one strip of 11' flexwatt would work along the back??
I have built one and one half of the back  have pieces of wood to brace it, and was hoping to put trhe 11 inch flexwatt on the other side, do you think this would get the temps high enough? i really dont wanna lay a piece on each shelf....

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## Peter Williams

> Do you think one strip of 11' flexwatt would work along the back??
> I have built one and one half of the back  have pieces of wood to brace it, and was hoping to put trhe 11 inch flexwatt on the other side, do you think this would get the temps high enough? i really dont wanna lay a piece on each shelf....


11" would probably do you just fine. The 17" I used is same wattage per foot as the 11", both 20 watts per foot.

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## azpythons

oh i didnt even know they made 17 inch flexwatt...jus assumed yours was the 11, thanks tho

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## zombie&lemons

yeah  but im not no pro  but  i could be over time

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## bigfatsmellycat

what size tubs are in the 2 smaller racks to the left?

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## Peter Williams

Rubbermaid 6qt's.

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## Wh00h0069

> yeah  but im not no pro  but  i could be over time


I'm confused, what is the meaning of this post?

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## southb

I think I can....and using better materials.  I only bought the screws, thermostat, and flexwatt also.

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## Smith285

Hey Peter, bringing up an oldie but goodie thread here... just wondering what temp you keep your room at?  How well does the melamine keep the temps on the cold side?

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## novato

This should be a Sticky.  :Good Job:  :Good Job:  :Good Job:  Awsome work.

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## Peter Williams

> Hey Peter, bringing up an oldie but goodie thread here... just wondering what temp you keep your room at?  How well does the melamine keep the temps on the cold side?


At present I keep my room around 76F, while keeps the cool side at around 80.




> This should be a Sticky.  Awsome work.


Thanks!

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_Smith285_ (04-08-2009)

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## Wh00h0069

> At present I keep my room around 76F, while keeps the cool side at around 80.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks!


Hey Peter, thanks for the plans. I just built a rack like yours last weekend. I added a melamine back with 11" flexwatt taped to it. My hot spot is only reaching 87 F, and my ambient room temp is at 77 F. I noticed that you did not add a back piece. What temp is your hot spots?

Thanks!

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## Nima1234

Hey pete, ive been looking everywere for those 6q rubbermaid tubs. Were did u get them from?

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## The Beast

> This should be a Sticky.  Awsome work.


X2

awesome post.

I have already bought all the supplies to make myself a rack like this, although I am making it to hold half as many tubs.

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## Peter Williams

> Hey Peter, thanks for the plans. I just built a rack like yours last weekend. I added a melamine back with 11" flexwatt taped to it. My hot spot is only reaching 87 F, and my ambient room temp is at 77 F. I noticed that you did not add a back piece. What temp is your hot spots?
> 
> Thanks!


I keep my heat tape at 100F to get a 90 hotspot, i will soon be covering the back with rolled insulation.




> Hey pete, ive been looking everywere for those 6q rubbermaid tubs. Were did u get them from?


I got mine from a grocery/department store up here in Canada known as the Real Canadian Super Store.

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## Wh00h0069

> I keep my heat tape at 100F to get a 90 hotspot, i will soon be covering the back with rolled insulation.


Thanks Peter, that is what my hot spot is up to now.

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## Nima1234

Ye I went to the one in Newmarket but they only carried the 12quart and the 28 quarts. Which location did you get them from?

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## Peter Williams

I got them in my city, London, Ontario.

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## Nima1234

Do you know if they still carry them?

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## reptidude1

hey dude nice rack  :Smile:  what is the biggist breeder female you could keep in a tub that size? (if she is being paired with a male

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## withonor

I think it's funny that there are stickies with a picture of a rack someone built and virtually no information on the construction but this thread with step by step details and pictures is not a sticky.

Here's to hoping my post looks stupid later when this is a sticky.

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## withonor

Actually, maybe a moderator can make one sticky titled, "Racks built by members" with links to all the posts and have them categorized by the ones that are just examples and the ones that have good instructions.

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## Peter Williams

> I think it's funny that there are stickies with a picture of a rack someone built and virtually no information on the construction but this thread with step by step details and pictures is not a sticky.
> 
> Here's to hoping my post looks stupid later when this is a sticky.


I agree.

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## seeya205

I would just add foam insulation board on the back to cut operating costs!

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## Alice

Hey Peter.  Awesome rack! Do you have the cut measurements for the hatchling racks in the left of your pic?  I would really appreciate you posting that info.

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## SilverBlaze

I know this is an older post and everything but I had a question. I was wondering that instead of having Melamine sides if I could use like boards kinda like what was done here with the baby rack. http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...6qt.-Baby-Rack
It would be a lot larger of course. Would it even be worth it to cut all the extra boards needed or should I just stick with Melamine?

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## King's Royal Pythons

Just out of curiosity, why does everyone build the racks for tubs with no lids? I use 32 qt tubs with locking lids, and just made the space between the shelves 7" apart, that way IF they stop making the particular tub that I am using, there are plenty more that are out there that fit into the 7" slot, plus, I can use smaller tubs of different heights in the same rack for babies. The locking lids also do not allow condensation to collect directly on the melamine, which will eventually degrade it.

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## spitzu

> Just out of curiosity, why does everyone build the racks for tubs with no lids?


Because it would be a pain in the ass to pull the tub all the way out and take the lid off every day, especially when you have more than just a handful of snakes.




> The locking lids also do not allow condensation to collect directly on the melamine, which will eventually degrade it.


I'd rather replace/refinish the melamine every couple years than mess with lids, but I don't see that being an issue.  Mine have only been in use for 6 months or so, but still I don't see even a hint of the plastic coat degrading.

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## Mark910

I have 37 balls and 2 boas, the whole point of the rack is to not have to deal with tops. Why the hell wd I spend $360 on 9 sheets of custom ordered black melamine and then 2 days to build 2 monster racks, just to pull the bins out and deal with tops individually?????? Are you crazy. If you only have 3,4 or maybe 5 snakes sure use the tops. But you cd also just sit ur bins on the dresser with under the aquarium heat pads too. And save alot of time and effort.
Just saying.

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## mdfreak2

i built a rack just like that but only having 5 shelves and it weighs a ton i would have used something other then melamine since you went with that many shelves and it probably would have been a little bit cheaper to use something other then melamine i know it costed me around 150 at home depot just for the melamine board my next one im going to build im going to try for someting i little less expensive and lighter. but great looking racks only if i could fill all the slots i would have many just like them. :Good Job:

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## SilverBlaze

I used your plan to build my own rack and I had a question bout flex watt. Should I use belly heat on each shelf or run a back piece like you did. I'm using the rack for geckos so I have a little flexibility then if I was using it for ball pythons but the rack is in a room that is prolly round 65-70 degrees without my eden pure running. So I'm wondering if I should use back or belly heat?

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## Dillonjacob01

Looks awesome! I might consider building one of these! Much better then $650 before shipping from somebody I know in NY. What thermostat do you use for the racks??

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