New to racks and have a few Q's

Hey guys!

I got a new rack (AP) and got it put together but I have a few questions for you pros!

1. The cord for the flexxwatt is not long enough to reach the top of the rack, where I would like to keep the herpstat. Can I use an extension cord? it would be from the flexwatt to the thermostat NOT the thermostat to the wall.

2. Do you keep thermometers (like an acurite with a probe) in each tub? I would love to see some of your tub/rack setups.

3. What are your herpstat settings?

4. Is your thermostat probe taped directly to the flexwatt (w/ heat tape) on the middle shelf?

5. A few of the sterilite tubs I have purchased have a strong chemical smell, have you encountered this? how did you resolve it?

Thanks a million guys!



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You can use only one thermometer if all the flexwatt, heat tape, cable or whatever else you'd ever want to use is all the same. When I built my rack, everyday I put the thermometer in each bin on the hotspot just to double check the consistency of the temps. Also I used foil tape and taped my thermostat probe directly to the heat cable(i use cable not heat tape). But put the actual thermometer right on the hotspot on the bottom touching the plastic as that will be the hottest. And then just adjust your temps to what u want the hotspot at. Just turn the thermostat up a little at a time, maybe start at 95 and see what that puts the inside of tub at, and adjust from there.

Oh I had one more question. Do you save all your sterilite lids? Or do you just not grab them at the store?


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i save all my lids because you never know when your going to need them. plus why throw away good money right lol.

Wash the tubs out with water and a drop or two of dish soap. If it still smells, repeat with some baking soda. Rinse well, air dry. The extension cord is fine. My probe is taped down with stucco tape on the middle shelf (easy to remove, doesn't get all gummy). I have a thermometer with probe in my bottom, and top bins. Tells me ambient and hot spot temps for bottom and top bins, middle ones will be somewhere in between. Mine's home-made, and I don't have a herpstat(yet) just a hydrofarm. I saved my lids, i used them the other day when I re-did my heat tape (wired it in parallel instead of one long strip), and I will be using them again to add a second 4" strip, which will be unplugged in the summer.

Thanks guys!

I've got another one, what the heck do I do with all the extra thermometer probe wire?! It's making the "drawers" hard to open :/

Here's a pic of how I've been setting up the tubs.
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/22/qa9y4u4a.jpg


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