UPS----argh!

find a local plastic supply shop that sell the pvc and they have a glue there that is made just for it and that glue will be the best for it.

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Originally Posted by jpman78

Tough luck on the rack Jon.......but sounds like it's totally fixable!

I don't recall where the number came from (or if I made it up :) ) but I believe that the max temp heat tape should be, for safety issues, is 95 degrees to avoid warping and potential fire risk....again I'm not sure on this (I'm sure there is some figure that is the max it should be?)

I personally don't set the temps above 95 on the tape.

Also from VPI's book they talk about their studies finding that the BPs themselves generate about +2 degrees of heat while digesting. They also talk about 90 degree hot spots being on the high side for a BP if I remember correctly.

Depending on the rack and time of year I run my racks anywhere from 90 to 95 on the tape.

Something that might help raise the temps for racks where the tape isn't in direct contact with the tub (the space is routed out) is to use foil tape to add another layer of protection on your tape and to also spread the heat outward more for more surface area.

Hope that helps!

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Hey, I know you! :)

I found that the tape I use to hold the probe to the heat tape actually keeps in some heat as well. So if I temp gun over the exact area that the probe is taped to it will only say, roughly, 96/97 even though that probe thinks it is at 99 since it is insulated by the tape used to hold it down. The other thing is that I have my prob taped to the heat tape on the second from the top slot...which is the hottest slot in the rack. If I move down to the bottom I am at low 90's and the slot above it as well. So these are the absolute hottest temps in my rack.

I agree that these may be 1-2 degrees higher than I would ideally like. Unfortunately, the snakes live with me in my bedroom so I can't stand having the ambient temp in the room hotter than 76 or so. As a result, I have a bit of an exaggerated heat gradient, which is not ideal but has worked just fine thus far. It will be easier when I have a dedicated snake room.

I also have a backup Ranco (as everyone should have a backup!) in case something were to fritz.

JonV

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Originally Posted by gncz73

find a local plastic supply shop that sell the pvc and they have a glue there that is made just for it and that glue will be the best for it.

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Yep, used PVC glue and it worked perfectly. The touch up paint job isn't perfect, but the rack is solid!

JonV

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

I can heartily attest to UPS and Fedex sucking. I used to work as a freight processor for a large company. We'd get several trucks a day, but Fedex and UPS are almost always guaranteed to have shattered goods.

We would get a lot of yankee candle everyweek, literally a ton in regards to weight. UPS is horrible with glass. You'd hear the shattered glass as they unloaded onto a pallet, and it just makes you mad. Our UPS guy was a douche too, so that didn't help any. Youd get these little slivers in your hands and finger just trying to sort through the broken jars. It sucked. I've seen them throwing boxes onto our dock or around the truck.

Fedex was a little better, they usually never broke anything, and our guys were awesome. But, they did have a pretty regular streak going of broken glass and goods. At least with fedex you could deny delivery instead of dealing with calling it in. Fedex fills their trucks to the brim, sometimes things fall, get lost on the truck, because the people that load the truck have no clue what the hell they are doing. I feel for those guys that actually try to do well.

Oh yea, Fedex also regularly forgot to deliver things on the manifest. Stupid delivery companies!!!!

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I had a friend who worked for UPS and was absolutely horrified to find out that people ship snakes through UPS/Fedex. It wasn't a fear of snakes or anything, he knew how the boxes were often handled.

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Originally Posted by nevohraalnavnoj

I found that the tape I use to hold the probe to the heat tape actually keeps in some heat as well. So if I temp gun over the exact area that the probe is taped to it will only say, roughly, 96/97 even though that probe thinks it is at 99 since it is insulated by the tape used to hold it down.

JonV

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Okay, I rechecked this and I was actually wrong. The temp gun does say exactly 99 right on the heat tape. I still only get 90 degrees surface temp in my hottest tub though. I wondered how the tub could be 9 degrees cooler than the heat tape. I think it's probably a combo of 3" heat tape and the fact that the racks from Reptile basics have little risers in the back to keep the tub up and off the heat tape...so there is probably more clearance between the tub and the tape than I had initially thought.

JonV

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Originally Posted by nevohraalnavnoj

Okay, I rechecked this and I was actually wrong. The temp gun does say exactly 99 right on the heat tape. I still only get 90 degrees surface temp in my hottest tub though. I wondered how the tub could be 9 degrees cooler than the heat tape. I think it's probably a combo of 3" heat tape and the fact that the racks from Reptile basics have little risers in the back to keep the tub up and off the heat tape...so there is probably more clearance between the tub and the tape than I had initially thought.

JonV

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actually that little riser is for the feet of the tub when you slide it in and out to help stop the tub from sticking and hitting the heat tape. the heat issue is more due to the fact that the tubs have feet on the bottom.
bill

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Originally Posted by nixer

actually that little riser is for the feet of the tub when you slide it in and out to help stop the tub from sticking and hitting the heat tape. the heat issue is more due to the fact that the tubs have feet on the bottom.
bill

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Interesting, so there is probably a vast difference between settings for those people whose tubs directly contact the heat tape and others whose tubs sit significantly up off the heat tape.

JonV