Heat Tape for both Hot & Cool Sides

I have never heard of anyone using heat tape for creating a “cool”side in a rack, only hot side. Most people, myself included, use some sort ofheater to achieve the desired “cool” side temps. Has anyone ever tried using twostrips of heat tape & two thermostats in a rack to achieve the proper tempsinstead of altered ambient room temp? I feel like this method would well forthose individuals that do not have the luxury of dedicating an entire room oftheir house entirely for their snakes or younger keepers that live at home with their parents & keep snakes in their bedrooms. Personally, I couldn’t imagine having tosleep in a room that constantly stayed at 80 degrees.

That would work if the room is pretty cool. Sometimes, normal room temps will allow ambient temps to be just about right using one strip of heat tape.

Depends on the room temps, type of rack, size of heat tape.

I used that method for a few years, when I had a single ball python in a tub. Our house was kept relatively cool, and I wasn't going to heat an entire room to achieve the right ambient temps in a single tub. A plastic tub does not work well with heat lamps either. So, the method that seemed most reasonable to me was to have two different strips of heat tape, each hooked up to its own thermostat.

I used 11" for the "cool" side and kept it at 80 degrees...and 4" for the "warm" side, set at 90. Never had any issues with it.

It's a little chilly here in Seattle, so I'm using 2 UTH's right now to get my temps right.

I've heard of a couple people using this method. I plan on making a plexiglass door that I can add or take away from my rack. This will help trap in some ambient heat from my one strip of 12" heat tape. I can remove it in the summer months if needed.

I use both hot and cool side flexwatt on my rack. 4 inch for the hot and low wattage for the 17 inch for the cool.

My snake room is quit cool at times below 68ºF during the cool months.

I run not two zones but four. The top 3 and bottom 2 slots are separate and the front and rear for all. (top 3 front and rear, bottom 2 front and rear) This holds the surface temps perfectly. The issues of ambients is still there. Flexwatt is a radiant heat source. All radiant sources heat objects not air I gain 2-3º to the flexwatt. Adding insulation to the top, sides, and bottom added a few more degrees (gets me to around 73 or so) I found I needed to increase ambients more. The solution is hard to explain.

Each shelf I cut a 1/4 inch wide 1/8 deep about 2.5 inches from the front to the same in the rear. The 17 inch flexwatt covers the open side of the channel. At the end of the channel I drilled holes through the shelf. This makes a air passage that runs from the lower level and returns back running along the heated flexwatt the whole way.

This treatment bought be 5-7º and brought my ambient temps up to a correct level. When the ambient room temp increases the T-stat will kick off the cool side flexwatt and the ambient air heat system stops heating. It is loosely regulated.

It can be done but I would highly recommend heating the room especially in temps that are (for 4 months at least) under mid 60s.

Both our racks are set up that way. AP was great and was willing to work on it. They are wired separate and controlled by different thermostats. So far this winter it has worked great. We like to keep the house around 72 in the winter.

Greekineese I am having a really difficult time getting my temps up we live on the water in a 200' year old house so it gets chilly at night. How much coverage on the bottom does your uth cover? Are they different sizes would putting one on the back wall work as well?

Mine covers 17 inches basically 2/3 the hot side one third. I am in NS canada also near the water in an draughty old place. on a warm day inside it is 68º a really cool day can be as low as 56ºF.

The real problem is not just surface temps but the air temp in the tubs.

I've never thought of this but maybe I need to. I'm always fighting to keep the cool side temps up with a space heater on full blast. Would it save on energy costs to run more heat tape and another thermostat vs. a space heater?

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Originally Posted by lisafoster2510

Greekineese I am having a really difficult time getting my temps up we live on the water in a 200' year old house so it gets chilly at night. How much coverage on the bottom does your uth cover? Are they different sizes would putting one on the back wall work as well?

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I just put 2 on the bottom. One larger one that covers half the area and another that covers about 80% of the remaining space.
Like kitedemon said, the main challenge is keeping up the air temps, the surface temps are fine.

I think the air temps in the tank in general might be a little low, but inside the hide the heat gets trapped in there so it's better.
I use a temp gun to check his body temp every so often to make sure his temps are good too.

Before I was using a heat lamp, but after watching this video I stopped:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNUpj4mYdbI

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Originally Posted by Flikky

I've never thought of this but maybe I need to. I'm always fighting to keep the cool side temps up with a space heater on full blast. Would it save on energy costs to run more heat tape and another thermostat vs. a space heater?

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That depends on the room. My room is so poorly insulated that it just isn't reasonable. I had two 1600w units one running max and one running at 800w to hold 80º I saved enough for the herpstat and the failsafes in a few months.

When you have more than just a hot spot I would insist that a failsafe must be used.

I also would be very certain that the cool side heater never exceed safe temps. The great thing of the 17 inch flexwatt (low density) is it maxes out at around 88ºF in my room temps that means the tub only gets to be 86º running 100% power all the time. Hot but not scary.

Likely look at it this way a 20w flexwatt vs a 1200w heater. It almost has got to. The real kicker is that flexwatt, RHP are radiant heat sources and do not directly heat air. They heat objects that then heat air. So it while it is super efficient may not be enough. It takes very careful planning to heat the air as well.

That video is silly.

He clearly does not understand heat systems or even have an inkling of them, radiation, convection conduction. Lamps are convection they heat air, Flexwatt radiant it heats things not air. Conduction heats things too. Regulating temps you need to have warm air and surfaces.

I love how flexwatt magically heat air now.

Suggesting you require an UTH and this is the only type is a complete myth.