To build or to buy, that is the question

So I'm going to ether build or buy an adult rack very soon and obviously safety of my family and of my snakes is going to be my first concern, with price and functionality coming in tied for second.

It seems to me from the research I've been doing that I can build a rack that's about twice the size of one I can buy for about the same price. I like the plans on the Bailey & Bailey site but I don't like that they daisy chain the heat tape together like that... So I would probably do that differently.

Any other plans floating around that would be cheaper/safer?

If I end up buying one I have been going back and forth between the boaphile, reptile basics, and vision racks.

I really like the heat cable as instead of heat tape in the vision racks. It sounds much safer than the heat tape but I don't know if I like the price tag...

What are your thoughts?

Thanks!
-Steve


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Http://Yourtwocentsworth.com

I don't like heat cable,I don't think that it is any safer than flexwatt. AP makes good racks as well.

I feel that buying racks is worth it, they last longer and are built better (by computer controlled machines) They cost more upfront, but the fact that they are enclosed (except Visions which I'm not a huge fan of) means that they will hold in heat much better. If you do decide to build one yourself, I would link into building a frame, then enclosing 3 sides with a good insulation

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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Originally Posted by Scubaf250

So I'm going to ether build or buy an adult rack very soon and obviously safety of my family and of my snakes is going to be my first concern, with price and functionality coming in tied for second.

It seems to me from the research I've been doing that I can build a rack that's about twice the size of one I can buy for about the same price. I like the plans on the Bailey & Bailey site but I don't like that they daisy chain the heat tape together like that... So I would probably do that differently.

Any other plans floating around that would be cheaper/safer?

If I end up buying one I have been going back and forth between the boaphile, reptile basics, and vision racks.

I really like the heat cable as instead of heat tape in the vision racks. It sounds much safer than the heat tape but I don't know if I like the price tag...

What are your thoughts?

Thanks!
-Steve


Send in your two cents!
Http://Yourtwocentsworth.com

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I prefer heat cable, it may cost more but you can just add a few coils for more heat or remove some for less. It is also coated in a fire resistant material. I use both for different things, but whenever I build racks or anything I always pic up heat cable for it. The heat tape heats up fast and cools down fast IMO at least in my experience. The heat cable seems to stay warm after turned off for a while making an on/off tstat work better. I wouldn't use an on/off tstat with heat cable unless I had a rheostat to help maintain temps from fluctuating too much. At least that's what it was like with the last bit I used.

Different strokes for different folks. You will just have to use both and decide which you like better...

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I don't like heat cable,I don't think that it is any safer than flexwatt. AP makes good racks as well.

I feel that buying racks is worth it, they last longer and are built better (by computer controlled machines) They cost more upfront, but the fact that they are enclosed (except Visions which I'm not a huge fan of) means that they will hold in heat much better. If you do decide to build one yourself, I would link into building a frame, then enclosing 3 sides with a good insulation

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With all due respect, there is nothing wrong with DIY racks. My DIY build can be built open design or enclosed. Open design works great for a heated reptile room that many collectors have and saves cost. My racks are just as nice and will last just as long as a commercial rack at half or less of the cost. It's XPVC so it won't have any sort of breakdown if you are unfamiliar with the material. Let's be honest here, screwing together some plastic pieces isn't rocket science. I can see if some people want to buy for time saving issues. If you're even partly handy you can screw together some precut pieces from a plastics manufacture. This will save tons of money. I now make racks on the side for local people and make some side cash while saving them a lot of money.

Here's a 41qt x 9 level I just built.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...4-24223553.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...4-24223439.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...4-24214902.jpg

Here is a dual purpose 2 x 15qt per level or 1 x 32qt. You can use any combo of the two. This works great for hatchlings, subadults, and adult males. This was the first rack I made and still works great!
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/7/1/2/4/rack.jpg


And here is a link to my DIY thread.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...lete-with-pics!

PM me if you decide to build and save some money. I'll gladly help you any way I can. Lots of people have used this info to make some great racks that are working great.

Regards,

B

has anyone tried doing a system using pvc and running warm water through it? in the zig zag form? of course you would need a huge setup, but I was thinking about heated garages out here, and how we use this setup to do radiant heat. I'm thinking of scraping one section of my bar, and doing the whole wall into a rack system. It's almost 14-15ft long, and just over 2 feet deep, and 7 foot ceiling. I love diy threads, this is a keeper for me. (sorry if I'm thread stealing)

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Originally Posted by Zombie

I prefer heat cable, it may cost more but you can just add a few coils for more heat or remove some for less. It is also coated in a fire resistant material. I use both for different things, but whenever I build racks or anything I always pic up heat cable for it. The heat tape heats up fast and cools down fast IMO at least in my experience. The heat cable seems to stay warm after turned off for a while making an on/off tstat work better. I wouldn't use an on/off tstat with heat cable unless I had a rheostat to help maintain temps from fluctuating too much. At least that's what it was like with the last bit I used.

Different strokes for different folks. You will just have to use both and decide which you like better...

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I wish I hadn't thrown out my table that was singed from heat cable before I got a pic. We had the cable in our animal plastics cage short out and it burned the pattern right into the top of the table and turned the cable grooves into a lovely toast color. Scary considering we didn't know until several hours after when our hot spot temp wasn't holding.

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by Simple Man

With all due respect, there is nothing wrong with DIY racks. My DIY build can be built open design or enclosed. Open design works great for a heated reptile room that many collectors have and saves cost. My racks are just as nice and will last just as long as a commercial rack at half or less of the cost. It's XPVC so it won't have any sort of breakdown if you are unfamiliar with the material. Let's be honest here, screwing together some plastic pieces isn't rocket science. I can see if some people want to buy for time saving issues. If you're even partly handy you can screw together some precut pieces from a plastics manufacture. This will save tons of money. I now make racks on the side for local people and make some side cash while saving them a lot of money.

Here's a 41qt x 9 level I just built.
http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...4-24223553.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...4-24223439.jpg

http://i47.photobucket.com/albums/f1...4-24214902.jpg

Here is a dual purpose 2 x 15qt per level or 1 x 32qt. You can use any combo of the two. This works great for hatchlings, subadults, and adult males. This was the first rack I made and still works great!
http://ball-pythons.net/gallery/files/7/1/2/4/rack.jpg


And here is a link to my DIY thread.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...lete-with-pics!

PM me if you decide to build and save some money. I'll gladly help you any way I can. Lots of people have used this info to make some great racks that are working great.

Regards,

B

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where do you get the xpvc at? I just got a AP 10 slot economy rack (pretty much what you made). I would much rather build my own. Iv also made the melamine racks, but that crap is HEAVY thanks
spooky

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Originally Posted by jbean7916

I wish I hadn't thrown out my table that was singed from heat cable before I got a pic. We had the cable in our animal plastics cage short out and it burned the pattern right into the top of the table and turned the cable grooves into a lovely toast color. Scary considering we didn't know until several hours after when our hot spot temp wasn't holding.

Sent from my PC36100 using Tapatalk 2

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I hear ya. There is definitely risk with any heating device. Although I would rather have a scorched shelf then have a full fire, ya know? Seems like I have heard more about fires with heat tape than cable. When heat cable malfunctions it just smolders. The coating is a fire resistant. Same reason I prefer metal or PVC racks to wood, fire resistant. You are right to point out that there is no fool proof method, everything has its risks...

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Originally Posted by mr.spooky

where do you get the xpvc at? I just got a AP 10 slot economy rack (pretty much what you made). I would much rather build my own. Iv also made the melamine racks, but that crap is HEAVY thanks
spooky

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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

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?




Send in your two cents!
Http://Yourtwocentsworth.com

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?




Send in your two cents!
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!





Send in your two cents!
Http://Yourtwocentsworth.com

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...

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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!





Send in your two cents!
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!


Send in your two cents!
Http://Yourtwocentsworth.com

The Lowes by me sells PVC board starting out at $16.98 for a 3/4 x 5 x 8. I am unsure if they will cut it for you, however I know they will cut lumber so I don't see why not. The first two-three cuts are free and then 75 cents after that. I have drawn up plans to build a snake rack from two sheets and the whole thing from 10 CB-70 tubs, pvc board, to the Spyder Robotics Herpstat 1 will cost me $330. (The tubs and herstat alone is $230 of it.)

Just curious, while I was looking on YouTube for rack ideas I have seen people sandwich the flex watt in between the foil tape. (Layer of foil tape on the shelf, flexwatt, layer of foil tape covering the flex watt completely) Would this be the way to go? The foil tape can withstand temps up to 250 degrees and the PVC board if flame retardant. Maybe someone can point out how this wouldn't work, I know YouTube is not the best place for rock solid information.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by M&H

The Lowes by me sells PVC board starting out at $16.98 for a 3/4 x 5 x 8. I am unsure if they will cut it for you, however I know they will cut lumber so I don't see why not. The first two-three cuts are free and then 75 cents after that. I have drawn up plans to build a snake rack from two sheets and the whole thing from 10 CB-70 tubs, pvc board, to the Spyder Robotics Herpstat 1 will cost me $330. (The tubs and herstat alone is $230 of it.)

Just curious, while I was looking on YouTube for rack ideas I have seen people sandwich the flex watt in between the foil tape. (Layer of foil tape on the shelf, flexwatt, layer of foil tape covering the flex watt completely) Would this be the way to go? The foil tape can withstand temps up to 250 degrees and the PVC board if flame retardant. Maybe someone can point out how this wouldn't work, I know YouTube is not the best place for rock solid information.

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Is there a name brand for it? I didn't see it at my local Lowes but maybe they can order it...

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Originally Posted by Zombie

Is there a name brand for it? I didn't see it at my local Lowes but maybe they can order it...

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using Tapatalk 2

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It doesn't have a brand name that I can see when I search for it online here is the url to the 3/4 x 5x 8 http://www.lowes.com/pd_90098-99899-...ard&facetInfo=

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Originally Posted by M&H

It doesn't have a brand name that I can see when I search for it online here is the url to the 3/4 x 5x 8 http://www.lowes.com/pd_90098-99899-...ard&facetInfo=

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Thanks I will check it out...

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Quote:

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Originally Posted by M&H

Just curious, while I was looking on YouTube for rack ideas I have seen people sandwich the flex watt in between the foil tape. (Layer of foil tape on the shelf, flexwatt, layer of foil tape covering the flex watt completely) Would this be the way to go? The foil tape can withstand temps up to 250 degrees and the PVC board if flame retardant. Maybe someone can point out how this wouldn't work, I know YouTube is not the best place for rock solid information.

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I think it's so that the tubs won't rub on the flexwatt and eventually wear through the plastic coating and cause a short/fire/shock/some-kind-of-exposed-electrical problem. Not sure why under it though. Maybe for the same reason or it's just a practice people carried over from wood racks?