Flexwatt on different size cages

I have my newly built cage and I'm about ready to put the flexwatt in and hook it up to the thermostats, but I was thinking...

I was told to have a different thermostat for the different size enclosures because they will become different temperatures and I've got a new opinion on it.

My three level cage has two equally sized cages on the top and two smaller ones on the bottom. On all three levels there will be an equally sized piece of flexwatt (the bottom level just has a divider to make two cages) I will be placing the probe for the thermostat directly on the heating element. The three levels should heat and cool at the same rate, therefore the three pieces of flexwatt should be the same temp. So the "belly temp" should be the same on all three levels (all four cages)

Now where I think there may be a difference in temps is ambient temp created by the flexwatt. I would think the smaller cages would be slightly higher ambient temps than the larger cages. However, if the difference in belly temps in all of the cages are equal, and the ambient temps vary, but only by a couple of degrees, then I don't see a reason to run them on more than one thermostat. Make sense?

I would think that simple rack systems with the flexwatt running vertically, the upper tubs would have a slightly higher ambient temp just because heat rises, am I correct? So a few degrees of ambient temp difference from larger and smaller cages shouldn't affect much.

This is my hypothesis, I will be conducting a test to find the results :sunny:

Should work as long as you us a divider if you try to got to a smaller tub here is what you might run into . Depending on the size differance. The smaller tubs will have less air to heat they will heat up the quickest. If the probe is placed on the substrate of the smaller tubs then your thermostat will cut off before the larger tub heats up. and vise virsa. If the probe is in the larger tub then the smaller tubs will heat up to hot. Many rack makers deal with this by figuring the total surface area of the tub in contact with the Flexwatt. This is why you see multi sized rack systems with some of the smaller tubs turned sideways. And also why some makers don't offer a single heating unit, multi size system. Many makes do offer a divider so your good to go. Let me know how it turns out.

Yea, I will test it and see how the temps look. Heres my cage to get a better idea.

http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ad.php?t=38786