Heat tape rubbing

[gusanr14]

Hello,

I am planning on purchasing a rack from this place, not well-known to public. They attend shows and have great reviews. Price was pretty much the same compare to others.
Anyways, my question is about tub rubbing against the heat tape. I saw how c serpents makes recessed heat tape so that tub won't touch the tape, but the one I am buying it from, they have direct contact with the tub. I believe there are some well-known racks like this. how long do heat tapes last if they end up having to rub against the tub? Any experiences or feed backs?
The reason I am trying to buy from this place is because, they can use 6 inch heat tape which I liked about with V-70 tubs, and c serpents is 4 inch heat tape, which I feel like isn't enough for V-70 tubs.

[gusanr14]

and how well does 4 inch heat tape create hot spot for V-70? seems like it is 1/8 of the tub .

[CALM Pythons]

Go with larger, recessed Heat Tape. Why gamble on something you know will get worn from sliding on it when prices are comparable? You want 1/3rd for a Hot Spot and your snake is growing.
Don't sacrifice cost or going with a reputable company for anything.
All you have to do is read all the posts where people went with new or unknown companies & you'll find thousands of horror stories where basically threw their money out the window.
A Smart man researches and gets info. A Wise man follows the advice of everyone else that already learned their lesson.


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[CALM Pythons]

Here are some posts I found from using the search. I see 2 other threads from you on this Heat Tape subject without any replies because you keep asking the same type questions when all the info is already in stickies or under comparable threads. . .
Usually if you Google it will find links/threads to this Forum or you can research by Searching on this forum.
Some people use small strips/shims on each side of the tape to raise the tub too so you dont slide on it.
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PAST REPLIES FROM THIS FORUM:

The concern is that friction from sliding tubs may wear through the laminate over time. It is thickest at the point of the buss bars, and you certainly wouldn't want that exposed. You don't have to wear all the way through the laminate to necessarily damage the buss bar area, and since that is the part carrying the current, you do want to be protective of it.

Ideally, your rack setup would have a very slightly recessed area for the heat tape to run, but I understand that is often not the case.

It is always wise to inspect your heat tape setups at least once a month. Check for proper probe placement and security, heat tape wear, creases, make sure it is secured to the rack well (taped down), etc.
We have used heat tape at Pro Exotics for 20 years, it wasn't unusual to replace different sections/runs each season. Not the same sections, just throughout the facility, a few times a year you would find a section that had been damaged or otherwise compromised, and would need to be replaced.
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Here is a POLL about Heat Tape i found using Search. You can use common sense comparing the size tub/rack your using to compare with what others use in their tub size. There is tons of info on here.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/show...heat-tape-size



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[Stewart_Reptiles]

Yes if the tub are sitting directly on the heat tape over time it will rub and cause damage, which means you will have to keep a close eye on that rack.

As for heat tape 4 inches is pretty standard when it comes to PVC rack and more than enough, if it wasn't no one would buy those racks.

All my V70 have 4 inches in the back so yes it is working just fine.

When people recommend to have heat covering 1/3 of the enclosure it's for less efficient enclosure such as tank where there is a massive heat loss.

If your room is not below 75 a 4 inch hot spot will work fine and 2 more inches will not offer much help when it comes to the cool side as this need to be regulated based on the overall ambient temp of the room or a secondary heat source.

[CALM Pythons]

Yes if the tub are sitting directly on the heat tape over time it will rub and cause damage, which means you will have to keep a close eye on that rack.

As for heat tape 4 inches is pretty standard when it comes to PVC rack and more than enough, if it wasn't no one would buy those racks.

All my V70 have 4 inches in the back so yes it is working just fine.

When people recommend to have heat covering 1/3 of the enclosure it's for less efficient enclosure such as tank where there is a massive heat loss.

If your room is not below 75 a 4 inch hot spot will work fine and 2 more inches will not offer much help when it comes to the cool side as this need to be regulated based on the overall ambient temp of the room or a secondary heat source.

Deb his Room is cooler and he had to run a Electric heater during the winter.. If he was to use a larger heat tape could he do away with the electric heater during warmer months like summer or if his room goes below 70 will he always need an electric heater?


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[Stewart_Reptiles]

Deb his Room is cooler and he had to run a Electric heater during the winter.. If he was to use a larger heat tape could he do away with the electric heater during warmer months like summer or if his room goes below 70 will he always need an electric heater?


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It's unlikely that 6 inches would affect the cool side in a V70 if the room is too cold , back when I used to have my snake room in the basement I ran a oil filled heater year round to maintain the ambient temp at 75.

[gusanr14]

Go with larger, recessed Heat Tape. Why gamble on something you know will get worn from sliding on it when prices are comparable? You want 1/3rd for a Hot Spot and your snake is growing.
Don't sacrifice cost or going with a reputable company for anything.
All you have to do is read all the posts where people went with new or unknown companies & you'll find thousands of horror stories where basically threw their money out the window.
A Smart man researches and gets info. A Wise man follows the advice of everyone else that already learned their lesson. iPhone using Tapatalk

I won't say it is unknown company. They come to shows, and have facebook page called Brace Exotics. Reason I know them is that they were in my states before but moved away. Saw good reviews on facebook page but couldn't find any other info anywhere else. I won't be buying rack till later this year since my snake is still small to be in 15 qt. Trust me, I have researched 3+ hours just for the heat tape and rack. I probably saw all the post here and there, then replies where they say, "I don't understand why people use 3 4 inch heat tape on 41 qt tubs etc.. and some say it is fine. But places like c serpents uses 4 inch on them and was wondering how well they work since it covers like 1/8 of the area. Couldn't really imagine it with big tubs since one, I have 0 experience yet, two, my small snakes are perfect fit on 4 inch, bigger snake could maybe lay tail on there lol jk. But true, if it doesn't work, no one would buy it.

It's unlikely that 6 inches would affect the cool side in a V70 if the room is too cold , back when I used to have my snake room in the basement I ran a oil filled heater year round to maintain the ambient temp at 75.

I am not looking for larger heat tape for cool side. Just a bigger range of hot spot for big snakes. Cool side will be maintained by space heater anyways during winter. My summer gets hot about 80~83 degrees in the room so I shouldn't need a heater in during summer.

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