burnt tubs?

Hi guys i have a home built snake rack using heat tape and tubs sterlite and flexwatt. but i noticed today that the tubs are melting where they are in contact with the tape. Can anyone recommend better tubs the heat temps are on par and i am using a thermostat

We use sterilite all the time. It is hard to envision 85 to 90 degree heat melting a tub. That would mean the tubs would melt on a hot summer day here in the south. You might want to check those temps again. This time use a different instrument because the one you are using may be wrong.

im using a tempgun ans i also have digital thermometers

It may be possible that the controller you are using allowed the temp to spike and melt the tub then return to normal. Sterilite tubs will not melt unless defective for some reason at 90 degrees. We have many many animals. All of them in sterelites and all of them on flexwatt. If we had ever even seen a sign that a tub was even pretending to get too hot the tubs would have been removed.

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Originally Posted by Donald M

im using a tempgun ans i also have digital thermometers

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So your not using a thermostat to regulate the temperature on the heat tape? Heat tape unregulated goes to 125*+

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Originally Posted by Tidus10

So your not using a thermostat to regulate the temperature on the heat tape? Heat tape unregulated goes to 125*+

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Yes sorry I missed the omission. Flex with out a regulator will climb to a point it will burn the animal and melt the tub. It needs a helix or herpstat to come under proper control.

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Originally Posted by Donald M

Hi guys i have a home built snake rack using heat tape and tubs sterlite and flexwatt. but i noticed today that the tubs are melting where they are in contact with the tape. Can anyone recommend better tubs the heat temps are on par and i am using a thermostat

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What kind and where is the probe?

A thermostat controls temps while a thermometer reads them so the question is do you have one of both?

If your tubs are melting this means either your T-stat does not work or allows heat spike, and in that case if the only thing that happens is your tubs being melted you will be lucky.

If your tubs are melting this means your animals are probably burnt if they were on that side.

Nothing to do with the tubs!

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Originally Posted by Donald M

Hi guys i have a home built snake rack using heat tape and tubs sterlite and flexwatt. but i noticed today that the tubs are melting where they are in contact with the tape. Can anyone recommend better tubs the heat temps are on par and i am using a thermostat

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What type of thermostat are you using?

I have tested my rubbermaid tubs with a wide open 4" inch tape for 2 hours to find the maxed out temps (empty tubs...) and I hit 140 or so and the tubs were hot but not burnt or melting. I'd guess that the tubs should be the least of your worries.

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Originally Posted by tonkatoyman

We use sterilite all the time. It is hard to envision 85 to 90 degree heat melting a tub.

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It's about all I use and there is no way a sterilite tub will melt under those temperatures.
I've tested them to over 120 degrees without melting them... :confused: