Rack design and heat tape maintenance.

Ok I am at the final stages of designing my new rack with great guidance from many preppie here.

I don't see anyway to access the heat tape on closed rack designs. Mine is going to be 6 41 qt tubs so about a 3' deep cabinet. I am planning on putting an 8" access door at the back so I could switch out the heat tape if I need to. I am going to recess the 12" heat tape because I don't want the tubs to rub and wear it out. I don't think I will loose too much heat fr the minimal air gap.

Why don't people put a door on the rack? Btw it will be a plywood rack with screws hidden so I won't be able to take it apart. I wouldn't want to have to to fix wiring or heat tap problems anyways.

Am I over thinking this?

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Originally Posted by whispersinmyhead

Ok I am at the final stages of designing my new rack with great guidance from many preppie here.

I don't see anyway to access the heat tape on closed rack designs. Mine is going to be 6 41 qt tubs so about a 3' deep cabinet. I am planning on putting an 8" access door at the back so I could switch out the heat tape if I need to. I am going to recess the 12" heat tape because I don't want the tubs to rub and wear it out. I don't think I will loose too much heat fr the minimal air gap.

Why don't people put a door on the rack? Btw it will be a plywood rack with screws hidden so I won't be able to take it apart. I wouldn't want to have to to fix wiring or heat tap problems anyways.

Am I over thinking this?

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YES! ;)

You can add a door to the back so you can access the heat tape if you would like. There's no harm in it. Someone on here (I can't remember the username) actually put a door on front and back of her rack.

I actually like the idea of recessing the heat tape. I think that's what I like most about my racks now. It sure does beat having to replace heat tape because of sliding tubs. Good luck! I demand pictures.

I promise build log! I will begin the build in the next couple months. This may have a door on the front if I need to hold more heat on for ambient temps but from the sounds of it I should be ok.

Does anyone find they have to replace heat tape often? If so I am guessing you have to disassble the rack to access it. That sounds painfully tedious.

Well, my old rack is about 6 months old and the heat tape still works great...so I'm not sure how often you need to replace it. I just keep track of my temps so I notice when they start to wear out.

I am just reading a lot of people replacing every 5 years. I am adding the door or at least a section that is easy to remove.

Thanks. I know it lasts a whole especially if it is recessed.

I wonder about the RBI racks if you can replace it. They don't look like you can dismantle.

Depending on how you attach the heat tape, removing it may be easy or nearly impossible without removing a side of the rack. I don't know where in the room you plan on placing the rack, but I would consider leaving one panels screws accessible (probably the back panel as they likely won't be visible anyway) This way you can easily gain access to the entire rack for maintenance. Work smarter not harder!

I don't think that a small access door will really make any difference.

My rack the whole back comes off ,6 screws. I being OCD clean the rack and all the tubs at least once every two months. I fully disinfect during the clean so that means saturating the rack body with liquids. I remove the flexwatt for to keep it from being wet. Having easily removable flexwatt is a huge boon. Few seem to bother disinfecting the body of racks so I am in the minority or so it feels. Racks save space to be sure but I find harder to heat and harder to clean.

I just didn't want to loose structural integrity by having the whole back come off. 12" x 12" heat tape for each level and maybe a 10" strip down the back to come off would be enough. I plan to route the wires straight down that strip. This way I still have strong corners that are permanent. I was going to hinge and latch that panel so no screws to bother with. I may go with a 12" door. Your right 8" wouldn't be enough but 10-12 wi be I think.

As for removing the heat tape... I was going to use foil tape to hold it down. I haven't thought about removing it for cleanings but that isn't a bad idea. Maybe I can just screw thin pieces of acrylic along the sides to hold it down. I will probably just tape it though. Something to think about.

Have you used the THG heat tape with the new connectors? Exclusive snakes carry it in Canada! Very happy about this. For my personal reasons I want to support that product. I am just not sure how much I like the connections. I hate soldering but I may consider it. Lol again I a. Leaning on your experiences. I would trust the alligator type clips and theatre insulators. I also true solder. I think the new connection is interesting. I love the low profile and heavey duty insulator tape makes sense. I just don't know about that rivet. The flat part will make good contact but if the hole the rivet goes through is loose at all it could cause a potential issue.

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Originally Posted by whispersinmyhead

I just didn't want to loose structural integrity by having the whole back come off. 12" x 12" heat tape for each level and maybe a 10" strip down the back to come off would be enough. I plan to route the wires straight down that strip. This way I still have strong corners that are permanent. I was going to hinge and latch that panel so no screws to bother with. I may go with a 12" door. Your right 8" wouldn't be enough but 10-12 wi be I think.

As for removing the heat tape... I was going to use foil tape to hold it down. I haven't thought about removing it for cleanings but that isn't a bad idea. Maybe I can just screw thin pieces of acrylic along the sides to hold it down. I will probably just tape it though. Something to think about.

Have you used the THG heat tape with the new connectors? Exclusive snakes carry it in Canada! Very happy about this. For my personal reasons I want to support that product. I am just not sure how much I like the connections. I hate soldering but I may consider it. Lol again I a. Leaning on your experiences. I would trust the alligator type clips and theatre insulators. I also true solder. I think the new connection is interesting. I love the low profile and heavey duty insulator tape makes sense. I just don't know about that rivet. The flat part will make good contact but if the hole the rivet goes through is loose at all it could cause a potential issue.

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I have some of the THG Heat tape with the riveted connections. Personally I think it is a much better connection than the old clip system. There is no play in it at all.

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Originally Posted by The Serpent Merchant

I have some of the THG Heat tape with the riveted connections. Personally I think it is a much better connection than the old clip system. There is no play in it at all.

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That is good news. I will try that out. If I don't feel confident I will solder it but. I trust your advise. Thanks.

Here is a design that I just came up with. This certainly isn't a finished product, but is a good proof of concept:

The rack is made from 1/2" Oak Plywood and uses #10 wood screws that are 1.5 inches long. It is designed to house 6 ARS 70 series tubs (41 qt):

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps7539c8d4.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...psf056fcd1.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps338efca4.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps52f41bee.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...ps0ff545de.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...psd896c28e.jpg

http://i1186.photobucket.com/albums/...psac7c5625.jpg

The screws on the sides are counterbored and have wood plugs to cover the holes, while the screws on the back are just countersunk and exposed.

I used the dynamic simulation tool in the CAD software that I use to test the design. Even with the back panel completely removed the rack could withstand 50 + pounds of force applied to the sides or top with minimal deflection.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by whispersinmyhead

I am just reading a lot of people replacing every 5 years. I am adding the door or at least a section that is easy to remove.

Thanks. I know it lasts a whole especially if it is recessed.

I wonder about the RBI racks if you can replace it. They don't look like you can dismantle.

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I don't think I can take the back panel off, but they do have little holes in the side panels so you can access the flexwatt. It's not too bad.

[QUOTE=I used the dynamic simulation tool in the CAD software that I use to test the design. Even with the back panel completely removed the rack could withstand 50 + pounds of force applied to the sides or top with minimal deflection.[/QUOTE]

That is good news. I was planning on using 3/4" stock to make sure it doesn't warp. Also wanted to use plugs over the wood screews. I did that on my large cage and it looked awesome.

The 3/4" stock was also going to help keep the heat in better because it is in a room at 70f.

I think if I have a 3" section at each corner that will help the strength and screw in the back panel to keep it strong instead of a hinge. I won't be back there all the time. This is going to be heavy so I am going to put this on locking casters.

My rack is pvcx not the strongest of materials. With the back off I usually turn it 360º to get at the upper sides. It is quite rigid. The shelves are rabbited in place. It is about 1/2 inch I would suggest that 3/4 baltic birch would be 3 or 4 times stronger that pvc I would think 3/4 to be way over kill. It is the best ply I have ever worked with other than marine grade.

The 6 mm BB is 5 ply it has more stability (warp resistance) than regular fir 3/4 which is also 5 ply the 3/4 BB is 13 ply. It will not warp, you might be able to save space and weight there. THG tape is not cUL or CSA approved at all. Some insurance companies will not cover any electrical appliance that is not approved it might be worth looking in to. Flexwatt has cUL, but there is an argument for using regular UTH especially new higher grade ones that have lower heating temps I do not like using heat sources that exceed 100ºF.

I am going to get some pricing done on Baltic birch very soon. I have a feeling it may be considerably more than oak but I will find out. 1/2" Baltic birch would be ideal. I have to draw up my cut sheet for 60"x60". As it stands I am just over 2 sheets of 4'x8' so I have to buy three. I think I may need 4 sheets of 60x60. That may end up going over my budget a little. I am going to check out some lumber places because homedepot doesn't seem to get great quality ply. If I can't get Baltic birch or cost is too high I will stick with 3/4". With wheels I can move it to clean underneath and access the back if need be. This will be replacing a much larger and heavier cage and cabinet I built. So even 3/4" ply and just having wheels and space saving will be a huge plus.

I am toying with the idea of runners under the tubs instead of recessing the shelf. Something along the lines of paint stir sticks. That way the shelf itself and the heat tape stay in good condition for much longer. (Just esthetics).

[IMG]http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/...ps4063fa0f.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i1155.photobucket.com/albums/...ps00bc9ed4.jpg[/IMG]

Here are a couple that I put together earlier this year. I don't have the backing in yet but was going to use hardboard as it is cheap and would give the rack better insulation for retaining heat. I didn't recess the heat tape because I saw no need for it. This is the fourth rack that I've built and still use the first one I built with no problems in the heating system. The tubs ride along the foil tape and never touch the heat tape directly. Ive never changed out or replaced my heat tape and my oldest rack is over 7 years old. I also used the new style heat tape. It works loads better then the older crimson connectors.

I designed and built a 14 tub rack ( held 36-41 quart tubs with the lids on them. I set the rack up as a 7 shelf unit with 2 tubs per shelf. I needed 2 sheets of 3/4 plywood ( sides and back) and If I remember 3 sheets of 1/4 ( was too thin) plywood for the shelves. I did use some 1x2 to attach the shelves to the frame so they have a nice tight fit. ( I also made my bottom shelf so it was 4 inches off the floor ( and a strip of 1x4 as a kick/bump guard. ) I did this all as a precut set up an then simply assembled it in the room I was having it spend the working life of it ( worked out great for me until I moved) and It currently sitting dismantled in my mother's shed until either such time I want to dispose of the wood or if I have to move back in.

I think the total cost with out heat tape( flexwatt and the t-stat) was just under 400 bucks.
I liked it cause was too heavy to move and with 12inch wide by 3 ft long strips of watt it worked out great for my snakes. lol ( once I made and installed some braces in the shelves the sagging was not an issue.)

I come to enjoy making rough drawing for making racks. I even take the time to figure out the wood cutting and how many pieces you have to buy lol. ( just cant set the price since every store price might be different lol

That is a good sized rack! I am going to stick with small racks because I don't have a ton of room. Right now I working on getting second female and a male this summer. Then depending on the snakes size I want to attempt a little breeding next season or the season after.

It will be a fun project for my daughter and I. My wife isn't much of an animal person but she likes reptiles and snakes. I think this is the first time I have ever seen her excited about animals. My daughter is 8 right now and I will let her pick out one of the babies as hers when they hatch.

Right now my goal is just to have a good handful of snake I like as pets and try some breeding. If we like it (I sure I will) I will continue to do some small scale breeding on a purely hobby basis. I don't want this to be a business but I love in an area where there just isn't anyone producing locally (Northern Ontario). So if I can help educate friends and family it will be good for the hobby up here. I get so much joy out of ours reptile experiences and I want to share that. I do have quite a few people that already have dibs on the babies once we hatch some and get them feeding.

This is going to be a good start. I am enjoying researching everything and once I get the racks built and buy an incubator, I will give it a go. I am stoked.

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That is a good sized rack! I am going to stick with small racks because I don't have a ton of room. Right now I working on getting second female and a male this summer. Then depending on the snakes size I want to attempt a little breeding next season or the season after.

It will be a fun project for my daughter and I. My wife isn't much of an animal person but she likes reptiles and snakes. I think this is the first time I have ever seen her excited about animals. My daughter is 8 right now and I will let her pick out one of the babies as hers when they hatch.

Right now my goal is just to have a good handful of snake I like as pets and try some breeding. If we like it (I sure I will) I will continue to do some small scale breeding on a purely hobby basis. I don't want this to be a business but I love in an area where there just isn't anyone producing locally (Northern Ontario). So if I can help educate friends and family it will be good for the hobby up here. I get so much joy out of ours reptile experiences and I want to share that. I do have quite a few people that already have dibs on the babies once we hatch some and get them feeding.

This is going to be a good start. I am enjoying researching everything and once I get the racks built and buy an incubator, I will give it a go. I am stoked.

Good luck. I know the addiction will spread. MUAAHAHAHAHAAHAHA!!! Evil laugh a little much?