To build or to buy, that is the question

I (and by "I" I mean the hubby with me assisting) built this rack:

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...UW-Big-Time%29

With a bit different dimensions. It turned out looking like this:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a2...6/PC050845.jpg

And I really like it but man it's HEAVY!! It was also very time consuming (hubby's drill kept dying) and more expensive. I think we spent over $250. I was really concerned about sagging so the extra melamine was cut down and I use to as spaces between the rows to provide some extra support. I ended up finding Sterilite 12qts, 28qts and 41qts that will all work interchangeably in the rows (the 12qts have a bit of space at the top so I can't put like a small cornsnake in there, but my 200g bp and 40g cornsnake stay just fine).

So for our 2nd rack we (see "I" above) built this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLDxk2yp2Vs

And it turned out looking like this:

http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a2...6/bd2a81d5.jpg

And I really like it. It's lighter (although still quite heavy...but I can scoot it around without too much issue), went together quicker (we did it over 2 evenings), and was cheaper. Also, I think I am going to buy another set of shelves and add 2 more rows onto it (again...see "I" lol). Hubby calculated that it will work for 41qts and 28qts so that's good too. I'll probably end up building another one turned sideways for 41qts. I don't mind the open sides, as one side is up against the other rack, the back is against the wall (we actually used the leftover pegboard (eucaboard) and screwed it to the back. It pretty much completely covers. So there's really only 2 sides exposed. My snake room is kept warmer so the flexwatt doesn't have to work as hard. The thermostat has a % readout telling me how hard it's working and I very rarely see it at anything but 10% or 20%.

I would love to buy a rack...but they're just so gosh darn expensive and, like the OP said, I can make twice the rack that I can buy for the same price. I'm always trolling craigslist for someone selling a used one, but have yet to score one.

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Originally Posted by Simple Man

I used Professional Plastics. And before you say it, the prices on the site are NOT what I pay locally. There aren't anywhere close. I think that's just a generic site. If you search Google for plastics suppliers and manufactures you will get a call list. I spent about half an hour calling the local places until I found the one I use now. They are great and since I've done enough business with them cut the plastic to my spec included in the price of a sheet of XPVC. I can get any color or thickness option I need. I use 1/2" for my racks. I have a 50 x 6qt hatchling rack that uses 1/4". I'm paying ~$85 a sheet cut for 1/2" white. Black is ~$90. The 41qt uses 2 sheets. The 15/32qt tub uses a single sheet. You don't have to be a math whiz to realize the savings in that.

Regards,

B

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So they will cut the xpvc for you? Or no? Or they didn't at first and now they do? I would LOVE to build one out of plastic...

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Originally Posted by KatStoverReptiles

So they will cut the xpvc for you? Or no? Or they didn't at first and now they do? I would LOVE to build one out of plastic...

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The first two times I ordered from them they charged me something insignificant like $15 or $20 to cut to my specs. I provided them a cut sheet for the racks I built. After the first few times I bought plastic they just waived the fee and now I pay the price of material only. I can provide the cut sheets for all the racks that I've made. The 15/32 is available in the thread I linked earlier and if someone wants to make a 41qt they can PM me. I have the hatchiling sheet somewhere also. I would highly recommend XPVC. It's lightweight, easy to work with, easy to clean, waterproof, mold/bacteria resistant, and fire resistant! It's the perfect material for a snake rack IMO.

Regards,

B

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Slim

I'm getting the impression that you are safety adverse to using heat tape. Personally, I've never found it to be unsafe, but I am curious about your apprehension in using it.

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I've used heat cable before for a dubia colony I use to have and I used in unregulated, pugged right into the wall and it ran just fine and never melted the tub or cooked any roaches. From what I've been reading it sounds to me that an unregulated piece of heat tape will without a doubt melt the tub and kill the occupant...

I would never run any kind of heat unregulated with my reptiles but at the same time if something were to fail I would much rather have the warm and angry snakes, little burn mark on something, or toasted plastic instead of a full on fire and dead animals....

But I'm not completely against using it. I would just run a double thermostat or something so I could sleep well at night.

While I'm asking rack questions, who heats their reptile room and how?




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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scubaf250

I've used heat cable before for a dubia colony I use to have and I used in unregulated, pugged right into the wall and it ran just fine and never melted the tub or cooked any roaches. From what I've been reading it sounds to me that an unregulated piece of heat tape will without a doubt melt the tub and kill the occupant...

I would never run any kind of heat unregulated with my reptiles but at the same time if something were to fail I would much rather have the warm and angry snakes, little burn mark on something, or toasted plastic instead of a full on fire and dead animals....

But I'm not completely against using it. I would just run a double thermostat or something so I could sleep well at night.

While I'm asking rack questions, who heats their reptile room and how?




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Http://Yourtwocentsworth.com

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I use a sealed room complete with weather stripping on the door. I run blinds and heavy curtains to keep a little more of the air off the window. This allows me to have a natural light cycle, albeit a very darkened one. Ceramic heater for regulation and most of the heating work. The ceramic is more efficient than most other types. I have the baseboard set just slightly lower in case of severe temp drop, door accidently left open, or ceramic heat failure. I keep it between 79-80. It works great and it makes husbandry a breeze with a rack system.

Regards,

B

heat cable is no safer than flex watt. They both operate under similar principles.

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Originally Posted by suzuki4life

heat cable is no safer than flex watt. They both operate under similar principles.

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I just like that the heat cable is a finished product. I guess I will just have to get some tape and see how it looks in person before I feel confident in it.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Simple Man

I use a sealed room complete with weather stripping on the door. I run blinds and heavy curtains to keep a little more of the air off the window. This allows me to have a natural light cycle, albeit a very darkened one. Ceramic heater for regulation and most of the heating work. The ceramic is more efficient than most other types. I have the baseboard set just slightly lower in case of severe temp drop, door accidently left open, or ceramic heat failure. I keep it between 79-80. It works great and it makes husbandry a breeze with a rack system.

Regards,

B

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Thanks! Do you use a separate thermostat for the heaters or just the ones that are on them? I have a pretty new oil filled heater that I was planning on using but I have no idea if it gets hot enough or not. I bought it for my grandma but she likes her fake fireplace heater better lol!





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Quote:

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Originally Posted by suzuki4life

heat cable is no safer than flex watt. They both operate under similar principles.

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Heat cable is incased in a flame retardant materiel, and is plug and play. The plug in play also removes any user error with soldering or using the clips. I do use both, but prefer the cable. To me from what I have seen with my own set ups, the cable is more stable and has more safety features. Just my opinion. No one will know what they like more until they use both properly and see for themselves which they prefer...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Scubaf250

I just like that the heat cable is a finished product. I guess I will just have to get some tape and see how it looks in person before I feel confident in it.



Thanks! Do you use a separate thermostat for the heaters or just the ones that are on them? I have a pretty new oil filled heater that I was planning on using but I have no idea if it gets hot enough or not. I bought it for my grandma but she likes her fake fireplace heater better lol!





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Http://Yourtwocentsworth.com

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I use the thermostat on the device. I also use a large fan to circulate the room air. I have thermometers placed around the room to make sure I have a consistent temp.

Regards,

B

Cool thanks again!


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