Rack queston, Which is better

I was wondering your opinion on the best PVC or ABS racks on the market. And the best heating options heat rope vs. heat tape and bottom heat vs. back heat.

Herp Enclosures makes SOLID pvc racks...you can climb those things...AP and RBI use an air-injected pvc, it keeps their cost down but aren't as sturdy.

I have AP and RBI racks and am very happy with them. One thing that drives me nuts about AP racks is they don't have any stacking hardware, so they tend to slide around when stacked, which is somewhat annoying. Other than that I'm very happy with them.

I have racks with heat rope and flexwatt.....I like the flexwatt a lot better, the heat is more evenly distributed in the basking area.

Belly heat all the way for adults, back heat is ok for hatchling racks as long as the room itself is heated.

What about making one? A heck of a lot cheaper!

I can't find PVC or ABS materials cheap enough. Its important to me that it is fire resistant.
But I'm reseaching it

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Originally Posted by erobinson

I can't find PVC or ABS materials cheap enough. Its important to me that it is fire resistant.
But I'm reseaching it

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Here is a link to a DIY rack that I built. The heat is flexwatt and is mounted inside metal channels so it is just about as fire retardant as you could make. If something like this might work just PM me if you have questions. :)

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Originally Posted by erobinson

I can't find PVC or ABS materials cheap enough. Its important to me that it is fire resistant.
But I'm reseaching it

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How about melamine? Here's a rack I built that holds 6 41-qt sterilite tubs and has a storage area at the bottom. Total cost including heat and tubs was about $125. You could build several of these for the cost of buying a comparable one. If you have any questions, shoot me a PM and I'll be glad to help.

http://img2.freeimagehosting.net/upl...7aa7a02145.jpg

I'm guessing that melamine isn't fire resistant...

I would definately go with belly heat... I have racks with both belly heat and back heat and I almost can't seem to get a good gradient at all with the back heat, nor a good basking temperature.

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

I have racks with heat rope and flexwatt.....I like the flexwatt a lot better, the heat is more evenly distributed in the basking area.

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I have had heat cable and now flex and I have to agree the flex gives a much larger heated area. And I would go belly heat all the way with a bp.

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Originally Posted by Rapture

I'm guessing that melamine isn't fire resistant...

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I don't think that would be much of a factor. If you are smart about using heat, I am no more concerned about a fire there than I am using other electrical devices.

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I would definately go with belly heat... I have racks with both belly heat and back heat and I almost can't seem to get a good gradient at all with the back heat, nor a good basking temperature.

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Yup, belly heat is the way to go. I've found that with back heat, the flexwatt has to run much hotter to achieve the same temps, which is pretty unefficient.