32qt heat tape size?

Im building a new rack it will be 32qt tubs what size heat tape should I use? It goes straight from 4in to 11in... 4in is less than 1/3 of the tub and 11in is more than 1/3 of the tub.... Why dont they sell 6 or 8in heat tape?

I use 11" with back heat and it works great for me. I have 36 qt tubs in my rack. Best of luck.

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Originally Posted by roosterman2173

I use 11" with back heat and it works great for me. I have 36 qt tubs in my rack. Best of luck.

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I really prefer to have belly heat, Im not sure back heat would work with my racks that i build, they dont have a solid back on them...

I use the 3" kinda centered at one end.....works fine so far, even my adults are nice and cozy. I use cypress as sub so that helps with the smaller size tape I am sure.

You could always use two strips of 3" side by side to get 6", thats what a buddy of mine does.

I use a single piece of 11". Some use 2 pieces of 3 or 4" some use one piece of 4". they all work!

does the heat tape have to come in direct contact with the tubs?.

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Originally Posted by newport

does the heat tape have to come in direct contact with the tubs?.

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No, But when the tub is not touching the tubs, you will have to have the thermostat set higher to achieve good temps inside the tub.

My 41qt Sentec rack is like this, Tubs are 1/8th raised off the flexwatt. I set the thermostat at 93 and i get 90 in the tubs.

gotcha thanks!.

I would go with 4 inch if the 11 inch is more than 1/3 of the tub. You can put the 4 inch heat tape in the middle of the 1/3rd area, that way it's not on the back of the tub and the snake hardly has room to lay on it.

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Originally Posted by newport

does the heat tape have to come in direct contact with the tubs?.

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No it doesn't. Heat rises so anywhere under the tub is going to work, you of course don't want a lot of space between the tub and heat tape. My homemade racks are all belly heat, and I'm trying out back heat on a rack system from Reptile Basics. So far I'm loving it, and Rich has a great argument for back heat. If the heat goes crazy and gets way too hot, the snake isn't sitting on the heat and has much more of a chance to get away from all the heat.

I use 11" on my 32 quart tubs. My rack, which is a less-than-stellar homemade one, is open sided and backed and as such loses quite a bit of heat. Something else to consider is how hot you would have to run the 3" or 4" tape if you elect to use that. The nice thing with the 11" is that it's a higher wattage rating per foot and doesn't have to run at max capacity to achieve the proper temps. Just my two cents...

Good luck, whatever you decide!