AP racks w/ routered in heating

Is anyone here using an AP rack with routered in belly heat via the heat cable? I just got one and I cant seem to get the temps regulated the way they need to be. It just doesnt appear that the cable heats anything more than the tiny area surrounding where it is routered in. So if I set this to 96, i get about 93 in the plastic tub right on that area but its not nearly enough for the snake. The rest of the area around it is in the low 80s. They sell a lot of these and somebody must know something I may be missing. Thanks in advance!

Jamie

that is exactly the reason that i stopped using my ap cage. it has heat cable in it and i found that it i had to crank the thermostat way up to get a decent temperature in the cage, yet it was only hot right on top of where the cable was. the snake that i had in the enclosure actually stopped eating shortly after i put her in there--i think because she was just too cold. sorry i can't be of help on this one :(

I am pretty unhappy with this. I am testing out back heat to see how i like it. I removed the back panel of the rack and taped 11" flexwatt down the back. We'll see...Thanks mel

I was somewhat skeptical about heat cable in a rack system as well. You should really contact them about that, as that particular product is pretty new to their company and I'm sure that they would appreciate the feedback. And having personal experience with their customer service multiple times, I'm sure that they would work with you to make it right.

mlededee - I've been using two AP T3 cages for about an year or so now, and both balls in those caging are doing great. Did you get the inserts for the holes on top of the cage? Placing them over the holes on top is how you keep the warm air inside the cage, with the slots in the back providing all the ventilation the cage needs.

i did get the inserts and used them but the heating just wasn't as even as i would like it to be. it was hot enough in some spots but then right next to them it was almost normal room temp. maybe i'm just a bit obsessive about it. i've now switched totally to rack systems with flexwatt tape which i love and are much more practical for the number of snakes i have now too.

hmm I have had my AP enclosure with heat cable for over a month now and have had little to know problems with them at all. I am going to be recieving my rack in about 3-5 days I will let you know how things go with that.

i don't have any ap knowledge but i like my racks and flexwatt! jamie, back heat works good in a warmer room, i don't think i'd like it in a room under 78 most of the time. belly heat rocks! warms up the back of the tubs to whatever temps you set and the room temp is your cool side. i use proportional stats and flexwatt and have had no problems.


vaughn

Well I did a couple tests. I put a single 11" wide strip of flexwatt down the back of the rack. Unfortunately, the tubs have a lip on them that keeps them from sitting against the flexwatt. I set the proportional tstat at 110 and I still could only get 86-88 in the very rear of the tub. That didnt make me happy. So I went back to my old method of individual pieces of flexwatt for belly heat taped to the shelf. I left the back of the rack open as before, left the connectors hanging over the back of the shelfs so the tubs dont rub on them and slid the tubs in. They arent rubbing and they sit directly on the flexwatt for 90-92 degree belly heat with the tstat set at 93-94. This works well and unless there is some hazard I am unaware of, i will stick with it. The heat rope blows (technical term). Thanks for the input folks!

J

I have an AP rack with indirect belly heat (the heat tape is about an inch from the back wall). It's actually working great with a room temp between 75 and 85 degrees. I did insulate the back of the rack, though, and that seemed to help a lot. I'm building my next rack out of melamine with an 11" strip of Flexwatt going down the back, and I'm hoping that will work out well, too. I think a lot depends on the ambient room temps.

Hmm great thread to read as we are considering how best to keep the snakes (running outta flat surfaces for big sterlite tubs real fast!).

Mle what sort of rack system are you using?


~~Jo~~

i am using a barrs rack that holds 28 qt tubs and another similar rack that holds 32 qt tubs. both are heated with flexwatt tape (belly heat). i also have one of the 3 hole 41 qt snake shack racks from nature's spirit for my bigger girls, also heated with flexwatt (belly heat). the barrs rack is my favorite--it is lightweight but very sturdy and it has extra slots for the heat tape above the first enclosure and below the last enclosure so that there is much less of a temperature difference from the top to bottom of the rack. (often the top will be too hot while the bottom is too cold, but this helps to alleviate this.)

here is a link to barrs racks: http://www.herpcages.com/racks/rprice2.html. they do not come with heat installed, but matt at http://www.mgreptiles.com can hook you up with that.

A quick FYI. I tried wiring an 11" piece of flexwatt down the back of the rack and because of the lip on the edge of the iris CB70 tubs, I couldnt get the tub close enough to the heat source to get more than 86 degrees. I decided to go back to a piece of flexwatt under each box. I left the back of the rack off so that the connectors can hang down and dont get rubbed when the tub is pushed in. 92 degrees all the way around. I think back heat works if you can get your tub close enough to the heat source.

hey jamie, i was just on ap's site and they now can do the racks with flexwatt! i think the iris cb 70 (7tubs) and the sterilite 1960 (7tubs) are nice racks, i might get one in the near future. with flexwatt of course!


vaughn

Quote:

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Originally Posted by kavmon

hey jamie, i was just on ap's site and they now can do the racks with flexwatt! i think the iris cb 70 (7tubs) and the sterilite 1960 (7tubs) are nice racks, i might get one in the near future. with flexwatt of course!


vaughn

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I have no problems with the quality of the racks. They rock! But the heat...

I will definitely go with flexwatt next time (I need another 3 slots soon anyway. I am also just considering building a couple racks myself and saving some cash. Clay Davenport has some good plans on his site for adult racks and for hatchling racks.

I personally put a small pot belly stove in there.. Gotta make sure you put the right amount of coal in though:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by justcage

I personally put a small pot belly stove in there.. Gotta make sure you put the right amount of coal in though:)

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Only you would come up with something like that!! haha...

I am a flexwatt convert. As long as its wired right and doesn't burst into flames, there is no substitute. I am going to go with soldering rather than connectors on the new order you sent. With those connectors, I cant put the back piece on my Iris rack and it messes with the stability. Solder and electrical tape should do it up right.

I have a combo of both here.. little solder, little clips.. Heck I even have soldered clips..lol I like to tinker with this stuff..

My first attempt at soldering didnt go so well. I need some advice on how to do it properly.

http://www.mgreptiles.com/FLEXWIRING.html

Ill give it a try. I suspect I need a new soldering iron because i have used that one so much I dont think it is getting enough heat at the tip. Thanks!