Leaving a gap between heat and tubs DIY rack

What are the reasons most professionally made racks leave a space between heat tape and the bottom of the tub?

Second question. What's the best way (in your opinion) of achieving this gap when building a DIY rack?

1. So the sliding of the tubs doesn’t wear on the heat tape.

2. Router


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The heat tape itself comes with instructions to leave an air gap for safety, so it doesn't overheat, short out & be a fire danger. Don't want to melt the tub either- ;) -not all plastics are the same.

DIY, depends on the materials you're using, many ways to do that.

In both my DIYs and purchased racks, I have the tape run up the back or on the sides.
Same with cage stacks for boas, I run the tape up the back.

Thank you guys. I was aware that heat mats say that the tub should be in direct contact. Although I know this Is not practiced in the majority of racking systems I've encountered.

AbsolutelApril so you provide back heat as opposed to belly heat? I thought ball pythons in particular needed or at least seemed to prefer belly heat?

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Originally Posted by IrishBalls

AbsolutelApril so you provide back heat as opposed to belly heat? I thought ball pythons in particular needed or at least seemed to prefer belly heat?

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no belly heat for my boas or ball pythons (or colubrids or blood python) - haven't had any issues and have successfully bred boas and BPs in these set-ups, have had some of my BPs since 2011 and boas since 2000s like this.
I do keep my ambient home temps (and snake room temp when I used to heat just that room) in the low 70s.

I have two DIY racks and the reason I didn't get the gap right is because I bought cheap wood. If you buy melamine I believe that is the good stuff don't buy composite wood.

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Originally Posted by JacksReptiles

If you buy melamine I believe that is the good stuff don't buy composite wood.

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Melamine board is a composite wood...