Almost done :) PVC rack

Just a little sneek peek. Should be done by tomorrow! Ran out of screws :taz: Thank you SimpleMAn for all your help and inspiration! Saved me allot of money!
http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y...7/IMG_2475.jpg
I need to order some flexwatt... What size do you think i should go with 3" or 4"?

What company did you aquire the pvc from? Or did you buy the rack,but not assembled?

I got the pvc material called http://www.azek.com/ from my local lumber supplier UBS "united building supplies" and had my friend a carpenter cut all the material to size for me :) The Azek was $108 from the lumber company and the tubs were $56 and a can of plastic paint $5 from Walmart i need to order flexwatt so throw in another 30 bucks.

What size tubs are you using?

12qt and 28qt couldnt find 16 and 32qt but im sure they would fit also but i figure a couple qt's wouldnt do much

I believe the 3inch flexwatt heats up more than the 4 inch, so the 3inch might be better since the rack has open sides and contolling the temp might be hard...

Thanks francisco i did not know that. Does it heat up faster because of its with? Do you notice a difference in ambient or overall heat of the tank between the two? For the open sized i plan on using a white plastic board they sell at home depot its kind of expensive though at $12 a poster board size piece but i like how you can cut it with scissors. Does anyone know of a material that is easy to cut, cheap and will help keep in heat?

I guess buying that board would defeat the purpose of trying to save money lol

The 3 inch has 2 wattage options. 6 watts per foot, and 10 watts per foot. The 4 inch is 8 watts per foot.

The 3 once packs more heat for its size. I would go with the 3 inch 10 watt controlled by a good thermostat.

Flexwatt does not change the air temperature in the tub. If the room the rack is in is below 75 degrees then you will have issues and will probably have to insulate your rack. You can buy insulation board at most hardware stores.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

The 3 inch has 2 wattage options. 6 watts per foot, and 10 watts per foot. The 4 inch is 8 watts per foot.

The 3 once packs more heat for its size. I would go with the 3 inch 10 watt controlled by a good thermostat.

Flexwatt does not change the air temperature in the tub. If the room the rack is in is below 75 degrees then you will have issues and will probably have to insulate your rack. You can buy insulation board at most hardware stores.

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thanks! I have been keeping my snakes in a closed closet as it gets hotter and i start to use my ac more i feel the temps in there are more consistent. I get an ambient of 75-80 in there. Im going to go with your advice and order the 3inch 10watt.

just curious as to what type of paint you used?

Its a plastic spray paint Krylon Fusion only on the outside of the tubs.

So each level i have been using 2cds for a gap... On these wallmart tubs i did not relies until now there is an indent that goes down "first picture" and a 6mm gap "second picture." Much larger than anticipated? I don't have any colubrids on those shelf's but i will have to make a shelf that will hold 2 hognose snakes. What are your guys take on this...
http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y...7/IMG_2478.jpg
http://i779.photobucket.com/albums/y...7/IMG_2479.jpg

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Originally Posted by oskyle1567

Its a plastic spray paint Krylon Fusion only on the outside of the tubs.

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cool, just wanted to make sure. what was your total time build for this?
I'm just starting to draw out my plans for a 12 rack system with flex watt, and a controlled thermostat, with sterlite tubs (I'll include a build thread). Right now, I have 3 different spots for my bp's. Two are in one large 5x3x2 custom made terrarium. They actually are very active at night and use everything I put in there. Here is the video of it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_X3YNNhVaQ

I love DIY projects, and seeing all the different styles out there. Where did you get the design from?

Cheers

I got all my designs from a member on here SimpleMan i don't want to link it without his permission but it is in the DIY forums all the provided charts and dimensions worked out perfect couldn't be happier.

I'll have to keep an eye on my tubs to make sure I don't have to much gaps from tub to rack. Good thing you saw that, and pointed it out.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by oskyle1567

I got all my designs from a member on here SimpleMan i don't want to link it without his permission but it is in the DIY forums all the provided charts and dimensions worked out perfect couldn't be happier.

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understandable. I've seen a few of his posts/threads :)

Looking good man! I don't know what to say on the gap. The Target locking Sterilite do not have them. I used 4" because of the increased contact space but I'm using a heated reptile room.

Regards,

B

Thanks simpleman. I will have to run a bead of got clue down the gap i guess. When i install the heat tape it should reduce a little more too. If its still bad after i install the tape i will have to replace the tubs or build up some sort of tape that will prop the tubs up.

Looks good man! My place of employment sells 1/2" thick black pvc sheets. I'm a designer by trade, so I just finished a design for a new rack and i'm going to start building it this weekend. Mine is going to be for sterilite 6qt hatchling tubs.

Can't wait to see yours when it's completed!

I have those exact same tubs (with the gaps) and don't have any trouble keeping my juvi corn or juvi bps in. I don't know about hoggies though...they are quite small...

Better safe than sorry!

Good luck Jordan! I cant wait to see yours also! The material is really easy to work with i have had not trouble so far, i use 1 1/2" screws but make sure you tap a hole with a drill that goes 1/2 way down the screw if you go the full 1 1/2" the screw will strip the pvc. Im going to do a video when im finished so look forward to that and ill try to cover all the learning curves. Thanks for you advice Kat im going to do the hot glue beed just in case... I am also going ot make the last 3 rows i have left with 1cd instead of 2.