New rack & heat tape issues

So I just got my new 16 tub hatchling rack from Reptile Basics and it came with ~3 feet of 11" flexwatt already wired up and affixed to the back of the rack, top to bottom. I read somewhere that flexwatt can have a +/- 5 degree variation in temps along the length of the tape, but this is worrisome.

The tstat is set at 85 degrees and I'm showing 82.2 degrees in the bottom tubs at the hot spot and 89.3 degrees in the top tubs. The middle 2 rows are ~87 +/- 0.5.

Is this heat tape defective? If not, how am I supposed to compensate for that to keep everyone happy?

That sounds a little off to me. I have no experience with reptile basics racks. I build my own with melamine and use 4" flexwatt belly heat. I usually only have a 1 to 2 degree variation between the top and bottom, so I would say something is off with your set up. I'm sure someone will chime in that has more info on these racks... good luck.

I don't think its the rack so much as the tape itself. I was thinking maybe its too long or defective, but I have no idea since I've never used the stuff before.

Maybe I could cut it in half and rig the 2nd half up as a separate piece or something?

On my rack I had 14 feet of flex watt and this was happening to me. So I split the rack into 2 sections and it helped a lot. But I don't see how 3 feet of back heat would cause this.
Try keeping the ambient temp in the room the same so not to effect the heat tape. Space heater or keeping the fan will help.

I guess this is just a daily reminder of how retarded I am. Straight from RB's heat tape FAQ:

Quote:

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Let the system warm up for a couple of hours (this is important!) and check the results.

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It seems as if it's leveling out a bit better now. Never mind me ;)

You can try adding more or less holes in the back of the tubs to compensate for the temp differences. i.e. More holes on the rear of the lower tubs to allow more heat in and less holes in rear of the top tubs. I have not done this myself as I don't use back heat but I do recall reading this from one of the major rack producer's websites.