Flex watt heat tape questions

My wife and I have two ball pythons in terrariums at this point, so we are beginners with the whole rack system ideas. Our questions revolve around the heat tape itself.
First. Can the tubs actually sit on top of the heat tape itself? will the weight and friction of sliding in and out damage the heat tape at all?
Second. Why do some rack system owners use back heat rather than belly heat?
Thanks for the answers.

Tubs do sit directly on the heat tape and after 3 years my original heat tape is still working great with just minor scratches on it. It's pretty tough stuff.

I'm not sure why people go for back heat, I use nothing but belly heat on all of my racks and wouldn't have it any other way.

no typically the tubs do not damage the flexwatt. I have on old rack and just recently replaced the tape (no exact reason other than the wire was old and of poor quality) There was no abrasions scuff marks but that was all.

The back vs belly is a open topic of debate, to my mind there is no clear method that is superior. They are just different. Belly is direct so it takes less power to reach the desired temperature. Back is indirect heat, it takes more power but in the event of a T-stat failure terminal temperature will happen slower if at all.

From what i understand, some rack systems use back heat because the tubs are so snug within the rack system that the heat transfers rather well into the entire tub. But in cases where the rack is a little more spacious, belly heat is preferred to aid with the digestion and direct heat into the desired area. It all depends on the system

I don't let my tubs slide over the heat tape. I only had my rack going for a year with the tubs sitting on the flexwatt and it rubbed them to the point that I got shocked when I touched the flexwatt, not good! Any rack you purchase that uses flexwatt has a cut out for the flexwatt so the tubs don't rub on them, I'm thinking that's for a good reason.... Anyhow, it's a simple solution and if you are building a rack, IMO there is no reason not to avoid tubs rubbing if you have the chance to fix it. This is what I used. http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...n-the-flexwatt

I believe belly heat is to avoid the problem of tubs rubbing on the flexwatt. I'm not sure what other purpose it serves, tubs get just as warm with belly heat. It's also not very cost effective, there is a lot of heat loss using back heat compared to the tubs sitting directly on top of the flexwatt. Just my opinion on the matter :)

I use back heat because I can reach a nice 90-94 degree hot spot that is spread out more evenly than if I use belly heat through cypress, which leads to temps being different above and under the substrate. Alot of factor play into what works best, material used for the rack, rack design (enclosed or open), type of substrate, size of tubs, ambient temp of the room.... you get the idea? im sure there's more. just gotta figure out what works best for you.

some how theres a rumor going around that belly heat aids in digestion, but I can't find any sort of evidence of this at all, im pretty convinced its a "fact" based off of nothing but hearsay, but I can tell you all my back heated animals eat, digest, and poop just fine lol.

as far as using more power... i wouldn't see a difference, i mean it is controlled by a thermostat, and honestly I have my back heated set a little lower than my belly heat, so it might use less power.

from the RBI FaQ for their racks, I was gonna post their belly vs back heat blurb but then noticed the question above it http://www.reptilebasics.com/rack-faq.html

Quote:

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How many watts of power do the racks use?

Back heat racks use between 40-60 watts of 11" flexwatt heat tape. One 500 watt thermostat will operate 8-10 units. Belly heat racks use between 70 and 140 watts per rack.


Do these racks use belly heat or back heat? Which is better?

RBI Plastics Shoebox and Sweaterbox racks come standard with back heat. Which is better? We have found back heat to be every bit as effective, if not more so, than belly heat. The back heat in these racks will easily warm the back 1/3 to 1/2 of the boxes to a cozy 88-90 degrees. Actually it will get hotter than that if you don't use a thermostat or rheostat which is why one is required. The heat tends to be more even than belly heat which is usually in a more concentrated 3"-4" wide strip across the bottom. The heat gradually tapers off to about 80-82 in the front of the box. Our animals very easily thermoregulate with this setup and we have switched over to entirely back heated rack systems here.

Is belly heat bad? We dont think so, we just like this better. If you will be setting up the 32 Qt. Sweater Box Rack in a room that is regularly below 74 degrees you may want to consider the belly heat option. On the Shoe box and MCB-S tubs the back heat will provide great performance in all but the coolest of rooms (below 65 degrees). One note, with belly heat racks you MUST place your thermostat probe on the heat tape itself. NOT inside one of the tubs. On the CB-70 rack we install belly heat standard. The extra long CB-70 makes back heat ineffective. To help give your animals a more even heat and a larger basking area we use two independently wired strips of three inch heat tape (80 watts each) placed about 6 inches in from the back. NO HEAT CABLE is used, only flexwatt heat tape. The heat tape is recessed into the shelves for years of maintenance free use.

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I am not sure if they mean their belly heat units (the cb-70) use that much power and the other units use less, or if thats on the same rack, so that might need clarification

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SlitherinSisters

I don't let my tubs slide over the heat tape. I only had my rack going for a year with the tubs sitting on the flexwatt and it rubbed them to the point that I got shocked when I touched the flexwatt, not good! Any rack you purchase that uses flexwatt has a cut out for the flexwatt so the tubs don't rub on them, I'm thinking that's for a good reason.... Anyhow, it's a simple solution and if you are building a rack, IMO there is no reason not to avoid tubs rubbing if you have the chance to fix it. This is what I used. http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...n-the-flexwatt

I believe BACK heat is to avoid the problem of tubs rubbing on the flexwatt. I'm not sure what other purpose it serves, tubs get just as warm with belly heat. It's also not very cost effective, there is a lot of heat loss using back heat compared to the tubs sitting directly on top of the flexwatt. Just my opinion on the matter :)

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I think that is what you meant to say....


I use belly heat on my Lowes rack... SMOOTH bottomed tubs directly on it for years. No issues. I also have an RBI rack that uses back heat. No issues.

I think they are the same difference. I would pay attention to the flexwatt to make sure it isn't getting damaged tho.