Survey of heating your racks

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

Why do you think it's not enough if those companies have been successful doing so?

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It just seems wider would be more efficient. Also, not everyone can justify having a reptile room. I know I was looking at racks, but decided against because of the narrow heat tape. For a smaller tub it's fine . just not a 41qt in a house heated to 70ish.

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Originally Posted by Yodawagon

It just seems wider would be more efficient. Also, not everyone can justify having a reptile room. I know I was looking at racks, but decided against because of the narrow heat tape. For a smaller tub it's fine . just not a 41qt in a house heated to 70ish.

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If smaller tape works well, then wouldn't going larger than necessary also be inefficient? :)

Heat tape is just not intended to raise ambient temps of the enclosure. Its purpose is to provide surface heat in a localized area. IMO, 70 is too cool of an ambient temperature regardless of how wide of a hot spot that's being provided.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Yodawagon

It just seems wider would be more efficient. Also, not everyone can justify having a reptile room. I know I was looking at racks, but decided against because of the narrow heat tape. For a smaller tub it's fine . just not a 41qt in a house heated to 70ish.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Eric Alan

If smaller tape works well, then wouldn't going larger than necessary also be inefficient? :)

Heat tape is just not intended to raise ambient temps of the enclosure. Its purpose is to provide surface heat in a localized area. IMO, 70 is too cool of an ambient temperature regardless of how wide of a hot spot that's being provided.

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wider heat tape is not more efficient, at least in wattage/energy consumption.

per the Reptile Basics website and description:
3" THG heat tape = 4 watts/ft
6" THG heat tape = 12 watts/ft

so for being only twice as wide, 6" heat tape uses three times more energy. not efficient.

(also for the record, i used 6" heat tape for my rack. it's my preference, but as mentioned above not efficient.)

Ironically I build all my racks with 11 inch tape.
Granted I only use a 6 inch piece on 28 qt and 9 inch piece on 41 qt per shelf.
25 watts per foot isn't cheap to run either.

How would you guys recommend heating a 41qt rack then? Assuming not everyone has a room they can heat. There has to be a way.

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Originally Posted by Yodawagon

How would you guys recommend heating a 41qt rack then? Assuming not everyone has a room they can heat. There has to be a way.

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My racks are in a big room that isn't easy to heat. Instead I just have an oil filled radiator that sits about 2-3 feet in front of the rack with its own thermostat set to the low-mid 70s. This tends to keep the general area of the rack in that temp range without heating the whole room. It's not cheap as the heater is on a lot during the winter, but it keeps the temps where I want them.

I keep a thermometer on the side of the rack near the front of the tubs to monitor the heat given off by the radiator and set its dial thermostat appropriately (when it reaches the temp I want, dial it down till it clicks off and leave it there).

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Originally Posted by Yodawagon

How would you guys recommend heating a 41qt rack then? Assuming not everyone has a room they can heat. There has to be a way.

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Depends on the room temperature?
If you keep it too cold then move the rack to a more suitable location.
You can also run front and rear heat tape, two thermostats needed.
Insulate the rack.
There are many ways to give proper husbandry.

Funny enough i run all my planted glass close to how you run your racks. Most racks are all built differently. Ive noticed the ones that work out the best(from what ive built for friends) are ones that are closed in on 3 sides with some cheapie solar insulation. Holds in heat quite well.

My buddy down the street wants me to make a glass front door and a timed fan system for the rack we made.

Ambient room temp is important no matter what kind of enclosure.

I'm glad this got brought up because i have been wondering ambient temp vs. hot spot. I just got an animal plastic rack with heat tape to replace my old melanin rack which used heat wire. Since i made the switch over i have been keeping track of the ambient temps on the hot and cold side of the rack as well as religiously using my temp gun.

I noticed that while my temp gun reads the bottom of the rack as 88 to 90 on the hot side ( hot spot) and the floor of the cold side as 74-80; the ambient temperatures vary significantly and fluctuate a lot during the day. Since my ambient temperature are being recorded from close to the top of the enclosure i figured that as long as the floor is reading the proper temps i should be fine.

I was wondering what everyone's thoughts were and if i need to make adjustments. I have a space heater regulating the room temperature so i can use it more if i need too.

Thanks.