Temp issues in rack system

I just moved 3 of my BPs from tanks to a rack system. The rack system is AP and has flexwatt installed. I’m using aspen bedding and my humidity seems to be at a fine level, if not a tiny bit on the high side, but I can’t seem to get my temps in the tubs up. I keep the house at 75 degrees and just got an acurite thermometer/humidity gauge but it’s saying the temps on the cool side are only 73 and my infrared temp reader is showing the warm side at only about 80ish, which obviously needs to be higher. I have the flexwatt plugged into a thermometer hats set to 97 degrees at the moment. Should I just turn the thermostat up a bit higher? My snakes aren’t in there now anymore for the moment so would turning up the thermostat temp just be the best way to test if that will bring my temps up?

Yes, raising the temps on the thermostat is the correct move. Your hear tape will read quite a bit hotter than the temps in your tubs.

So I live in texas. How high is too high to turn the thermostat up before it melts the plastic tubs?

It depends on your tubs, but a regulated source of heat from heat tape shouldn't melt the tubs. The heat tape comes on in bursts to raise the temp, like a furnace for your house in the winter. The heat shouldn't be hot enough long enough to melt anything.

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Originally Posted by iceicebaby93

I just moved 3 of my BPs from tanks to a rack system. The rack system is AP and has flexwatt installed. I’m using aspen bedding and my humidity seems to be at a fine level, if not a tiny bit on the high side, but I can’t seem to get my temps in the tubs up. I keep the house at 75 degrees and just got an acurite thermometer/humidity gauge but it’s saying the temps on the cool side are only 73 and my infrared temp reader is showing the warm side at only about 80ish, which obviously needs to be higher. I have the flexwatt plugged into a thermometer hats set to 97 degrees at the moment. Should I just turn the thermostat up a bit higher? My snakes aren’t in there now anymore for the moment so would turning up the thermostat temp just be the best way to test if that will bring my temps up?

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If you have your thermostat set to 97 degrees and the hot side is only 80 degrees there is definitely a problem somewhere. Where do you have the probe? You should have the probe taped (with electrical tape) directly to the Flexwatt on the middle rack. As far as the cool side temperatures, I always keep my snake room 77 - 79 degrees to ensure that the cool sides of my tubs don't go below 75 degrees. The Flexwatt isn't going to do anything to raise the temperature on your cool sides. Just to be sure, you know the Flexwatt and the thermostat are only for the surface temperature and not the ambient temperature, right? Are you using a digital infrared thermometer to take surface temperatures?