heating melamine cage

How should I heat my 4' x 2' x 1' cage? I was told by someone that I could pretty much make my own panel but takeing flex watt and putting it in between to peices of plexi glass and then seal it with silicone; then from there I would mount it to the top of the cage??? Would that work? Could I just tape it to the bottom or is the melamine to thick for it to go through it?
Also, I use a radient heat panel but would like to avoid it as it will get very expensive very fast for the amount of cages I plan on building...
Thanks
PJ

You could do that, but I don't think it would project very much heat. You could put it on the floor and cover it with a piece of plexiglass, and silicone everything into place. If they needed extra heat, you could put a ceramic fixture in the ceiling on the cool side for a CHE or red bulb just for some extra ambient heat(guarded of course).

Melamine is just a pain to work with if you can't get those heat panels. I don't think you can router into it like other woods(might weaken it?).

I'd try an 11"x24" panel of flexwatt and see how that does.

What are you housing? Those new FWCs? :)

Okay. Will it heat the plexiglass to much to the point it will burn the snakes? I also e:mailed pro-products to see what the price would be. I use one of theres on my other cage and it works great but the price kills.
Also, I know this was brought up in alot of other threads but not in this case. Where would I place a probe?

Oh, and its the egyptian false cobras that will be in them. I am going to make another cage tomarrow or Wednesday.

I really am not quite sure where the probe would be placed. Maybe others who have done this before will chime in and help out a bit.

You can use foil tape to attach the heat tape to the outside bottom of the cage. You will then need to place the probe inside the cage over the hot spot. It will heat up through the melamine just fine. I did this for a few years myself. Just make sure you do use a thermostat to control it. Keep in mind also it could take a couple of hours for it to heat through the melamine.

we are creating a melamine enclosure for our hog island. i was thinking of putting the UTH on the floor of the enclosure with a piece of ceramic tile over it. this would keep it in place. then i'll put the probe on the ceramic tile.

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

we are creating a melamine enclosure for our hog island. i was thinking of putting the UTH on the floor of the enclosure with a piece of ceramic tile over it. this would keep it in place. then i'll put the probe on the ceramic tile.

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Aleesha...personally I wouldn't do this. What you are creating is basically a large heat rock. I would use lanoliam (sp?) cleans easier and won't hold the temp as long as a ceramic tile would (which allows the thermostat to do its job).

Just a suggestion :)

As for heating Melamine I would do what I suggested in my last post. Place the Flex in the cage but under lanoliam (sp?).


You can place it under the cage and Melamine...but usually melamine is very think so you will lose a lot of the heat to dissapation (not very effecient) which means you will be running your heat more than necessary.

frig, good point sean. i didn't think about that. i do use aspen so it would be covered but yes... i would be creating a heat rock *duh*

to increase the ambient temp in the enclosure... as it's going to be large (6'x2'x2') we are going to use slate tiles on the back side with a UTH underneath them (positioned so it touches 4 tiles) which we'll only use in the winter to up the temps a little. it's going to be in the living room which is the warmest room of the house anyway, so we just want to make sure it doesn't 'chill' in the enclosure on him.

but i'll use heat tape on the UTH instead of the tile on the bottom. :P thanks for giving my brain a shake LOL

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

frig, good point sean. i didn't think about that. i do use aspen so it would be covered but yes... i would be creating a heat rock *duh*

to increase the ambient temp in the enclosure... as it's going to be large (6'x2'x2') we are going to use slate tiles on the back side with a UTH underneath them (positioned so it touches 4 tiles) which we'll only use in the winter to up the temps a little. it's going to be in the living room which is the warmest room of the house anyway, so we just want to make sure it doesn't 'chill' in the enclosure on him.

but i'll use heat tape on the UTH instead of the tile on the bottom. :P thanks for giving my brain a shake LOL

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Another Idea is to make heat panels for the ceiling. I did this in some bearded dragon cages with good results (not as good as Pro-Product's actual panels but did the trick). On the ceiling I mounted Reflectix, then flex to this then covered the flex with 2 large ceramic tiles. This way the heat was directed back down through the tiles and into the tub. This kept a 4x2x2 cage at 88 without any othe heat source on.

we are going to do the back wall... cause we want to cover it anyways since it's in the living room... we want a really organic feel to the tank... hence the slate tiles. we are also putting drift wood in the enclosure for him to climb and perch on as any self respecting hog island wants to go up up UP!

Cool...I can't wait to see pictures when you are done.

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

we are going to do the back wall... cause we want to cover it anyways since it's in the living room... we want a really organic feel to the tank... hence the slate tiles. we are also putting drift wood in the enclosure for him to climb and perch on as any self respecting hog island wants to go up up UP!

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i can't wait to get it done. i'm salivating over my new 135g tank for my oscars... and i'm sooo excited to have drake in the living room. it'll be great to see more of him. ;)

btw the front of the cage will have a framed glass removable hinged door... so we can clean without it there... and just open it to feed and clean water :) a small 'touch' light inside for those evening viewings :)

Okay, I think I will put it under the cage then.
For the probe, what do i do about making sure it stays in place? I dont like to put tape inside even if it seems secure since I have heard a few storys about the snake geting the tape off and then it stuck to the snake. I was think drill 2 hols on each end of the wood where the probe will be and then use the zip ties (I think)?????

from what i've heard from others is... since the tape is never removed from the probe, it doesn't come off. it's smooth against the bottom so it's secure.

since you are going to want your probe on the hot spot... having holes and zip ties, IMO would give you an inaccurate reading...

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Originally Posted by PJ FF

Okay, I think I will put it under the cage then.
For the probe, what do i do about making sure it stays in place? I dont like to put tape inside even if it seems secure since I have heard a few storys about the snake geting the tape off and then it stuck to the snake. I was think drill 2 hols on each end of the wood where the probe will be and then use the zip ties (I think)?????

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Another option is to use a hot glue gun to glue to probe down. Has all the benefits of tape without the risk. It holds well but can be easily removed if needed.

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Aleesha...personally I wouldn't do this. What you are creating is basically a large heat rock. I would use lanoliam (sp?) cleans easier and won't hold the temp as long as a ceramic tile would (which allows the thermostat to do its job).

Just a suggestion :)

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I use the flexwatt with ceramic tile on top and it worked great. The ceramic tile holds heat, but if you have a quality thermostat it will be fine. The thermostat never lets the tile get above the set temp. Setting it up that way is ALOT different than a heat rock. ;)

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Originally Posted by PJ FF

Okay, I think I will put it under the cage then.
For the probe, what do i do about making sure it stays in place? I dont like to put tape inside even if it seems secure since I have heard a few storys about the snake geting the tape off and then it stuck to the snake. I was think drill 2 hols on each end of the wood where the probe will be and then use the zip ties (I think)?????

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How thick is your melamine? If you are using 3/4" melamine I wouldn't put your heat source on the outside, it will take alot of heat to get the temps you want inside the cage and would be a fire hazard. Here is a picture of a melamine cage that I use flexwatt sandwiched in between ceramic tile, works great!! ;)

http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g3...os/heatboa.jpg

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Originally Posted by Wild Bill

I use the flexwatt with ceramic tile on top and it worked great. The ceramic tile holds heat, but if you have a quality thermostat it will be fine. The thermostat never lets the tile get above the set temp. Setting it up that way is ALOT different than a heat rock. ;)

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i was wondering about that actually. since the temp won't be too high... then there's no worries.

i like the idea of the ceramic tile because it will distribute the temp further than just where the UTH is.

i do hesitate to recommend a glue gun though... because honestly, won't the 90 degree temp keep the glue from being cool and firm?

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i do hesitate to recommend a glue gun though... because honestly, won't the 90 degree temp keep the glue from being cool and firm?

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I just use the aluminum tape, you just have to make sure the tape is laying flat and no edges loose. ;)

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Originally Posted by Wild Bill

I use the flexwatt with ceramic tile on top and it worked great. The ceramic tile holds heat, but if you have a quality thermostat it will be fine. The thermostat never lets the tile get above the set temp. Setting it up that way is ALOT different than a heat rock. ;)

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I am sure the thermostat helps a lot..but I am not sure it is so different. Rocks are great insulators and transmit and hold heat very well...too well. My fear is that there is no room for error with one. Once the heat is stopped it will still take a long while for the rock to dissipate all the heat. This is why ceramic heaters are so popular. The rocks have a radianting affect that can cause burns very easily if not set correct. Just my 2 cents. :)

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Originally Posted by recycling goddess

i do hesitate to recommend a glue gun though... because honestly, won't the 90 degree temp keep the glue from being cool and firm?

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Nope the glue is designed to be solid below 150 degrees. I have been using it for a long time without melting issues.:)

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Originally Posted by Wild Bill

I just use the aluminum tape, you just have to make sure the tape is laying flat and no edges loose. ;)

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But it is messy and doesn't come loose when it is time to clean. You have to use something to get the sticky glue up...with a glue gun you simply twist and it comes up without residue. ;)

ahhhhhhhh i loooooooooove my glue gun :P

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

I am sure the thermostat helps a lot..but I am not sure it is so different. Rocks are great insulators and transmit and hold heat very well...too well. My fear is that there is no room for error with one. Once the heat is stopped it will still take a long while for the rock to dissipate all the heat. This is why ceramic heaters are so popular. The rocks have a radianting affect that can cause burns very easily if not set correct. Just my 2 cents. :)

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I'm just talking about my experience with my cages with ceramic tile, they have been in operation for almost a year with no problems. With the heat probe taped directly to the tile there is no way for what you are saying to happen, especially with a proportional thermostat. The reason heat rocks are so bad is because they run without a thermostat and run at full capacity all the time. They then get "hot spots" where the heat continues to build. This just can't happen with ceramic tile of uniform thickness and a good thermostat. ;) Tiles are very thin and don't take long to dissipate the heat.

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

But it is messy and doesn't come loose when it is time to clean. You have to use something to get the sticky glue up...with a glue gun you simply twist and it comes up without residue. ;)

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I have mine down securely and covered with bedding, haven't had a reason to take it out yet. ;) Cleans up very nicely.

Which helix should I get? I was thinking just the regular NOT the grounded one???
Im ordering right now.

you don't want a non-grounded t-stat as it can short out and start a fire. get the grounded one!

Im not disagreeing but would they really make a t-stat that is not safe?