Heat Tape Trouble (Anyone who has experience with heat tape please help!)

I house my 2011 ball python in a 32 qt Sterilite tub. The tub has a lid with holes drilled into it. To heat the tub, I have 4 in. wide/8 watt heat tape from ReptileBasics as belly heat. The flexwatt is plugged into a thermostat that is currently set to 95. I was using cypress mulch, but the humidity was 80% and it was keeping in too much moisture to get goods temps. I am now using Aspen bedding.

Currently the warm side temp ranges from 82-90 and the cool side is from 73-76 which I know is too cold. (temp varies because I am using a dial and a temp gun to measure and flexwatt isn't very consistant) The ambient air temp is 78 and humidity is 60%(accurate digital thermometer/hygrometer).

Is the 4 ''/8 watt heat tape not enough? should I switch to 11''/20 watts for the 32 qt tub? Anyone who has experience with heat tape please help!

4"/8 Watt should be enough. 11"/20 watt won't actually get hotter. if you feel that you need the flexwatt to be hotter you should get the 3"/10 watt. That has the highest heat output per square inch.

Also, I just want to be clear that the heat tape as belly heat should be on one end of the tub as opposed to running down one side, right?

^for anyone to answer

yes, flexwatt used as belly heat should be run on the bottom of a tub on one side. This allows one side to be hotter than the other side.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/Image001.jpg

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

yes, flexwatt used as belly heat should be run on the bottom of a tub on one side. This allows one side to be hotter than the other side.

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...t/Image001.jpg

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Good, that's the setup that I have. I'm just having trouble keeping the hot side at 90 and even getting the cool side to 80!

Nice diagram btw! :P

thanks I haven't had a chance to use sketchbook pro in awhile lol

you might just need to bump up your thermostat. the way to tell if you need flexwatt with more juice is to first remove your snake from the tub then plug the flexwatt directly into the wall. wait about an hour and measure the temperature. this should tell you if your current set up just needs to be adjusted or if you need to actually physically change something. where is your thermostats probe?

That's a pretty good idea. The probe is on the heat tape itself to make sure that it doesn't get too hot. The air between the tub and thermostat, plastic, and substrate make the surface temp cooler than the tape itself, so I set the thermostat to 95.

Ok thats perfect. as I said try plugging the flexwatt directly into the wall and see what happens (just make sure there isn't a snake in there) I have an enclosure that I have the thermostat set to 106 to get it to 91.

You could also try making the layer of substrate thinner.

I'll definitely try running it through the outlet, it just so happens I have a spare strip of the 4 ''/8 watt so I don't even have to mess up the enclosure.

The substrate is about as this as possible while still safe. It's about 1/2''-1'' instead of the recommended 2''.

Ok though I don't see how is wouldn't be "safe" to use less than 2 inches. I hope things work out.

I'm just quoting the bedding manufacturers. On the back it recommends at least 2 inches of substrate.

But yea I'll let you know. Thanks for the help!

No problem

TBH, there's nothing wrong with your flexwatt, it's operating correctly. My guess is that your room temperature is simply too cold. Many of us keep our reptile rooms at 75 to 80F, because flexwatt doesn't heat the air in bins more than 5 degrees.
If that's not an option, try adding insulation. Even draping a blanket over most of the tub would help. (Keep it away from the flexwatt wires, of course).

3 and 4 inch flexwatt is only good inside of a rack, it's not going to give you the ambient temps your looking for unless the room is 78 degrees or so.

I use 11X12 inch under all of my 28qt tubs and larger unless they are in an enclosed rack, then 3 or 4 inch works fine.

Holes do not go in the lid of the tub, they go in the side of the tub :gj:

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Currently the warm side temp ranges from 82-90 and the cool side is from 73-76 which I know is too cold. (temp varies because I am using a dial and a temp gun to measure and flexwatt isn't very consistant) The ambient air temp is 78 and humidity is 60%(accurate digital thermometer/hygrometer).

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What's the problem with these temperatures? I ask because those are the temps my BPs are kept in the winter(74 cool side, 86 warm side). The snakes will go to the warmer side if they need to but I find them chilling on the cool side as often as not..

im fighting the same problem, i just got my rack and damn its kind of a pain in the butt to get the temps right. Not trying to jack your thread but maybe one of you could answer me this, whats the best way to hold the probe down on the heat tape?

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Originally Posted by Lucky lep

im fighting the same problem, i just got my rack and damn its kind of a pain in the butt to get the temps right. Not trying to jack your thread but maybe one of you could answer me this, whats the best way to hold the probe down on the heat tape?

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I use hot glue, just make sure that the glue melts at a higher temperature than the heat tape will get. Whatever you do don't use aluminum tape as it will mess with the readings.

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Originally Posted by John1982

What's the problem with these temperatures? I ask because those are the temps my BPs are kept in the winter(74 cool side, 86 warm side). The snakes will go to the warmer side if they need to but I find them chilling on the cool side as often as not..

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While these temperatures won't harm the snake they are not ideal.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I use hot glue, just make sure that the glue melts at a higher temperature than the heat tape will get. Whatever you do don't use aluminum tape as it will mess with the readings.

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And thats what the dude sent me with my rack and ranco, i had it at 106 and the thermometer only read 86 right on top of the heat tape

Ok so i am now heating the tub with 11" wide/20 watt tape. i put a space heater in the room to boost the ambient temps and now its easily 90 on the hot side and about 78 on the cool side