Flexwatt

Well I've decided to build my own rack. (more like getting a friend to help/do it for me :) )

It will hold five 32qt tubs with an extra shelf on the bottom for holding things like feeding tongs, extra substrate, ect. It will have locking pins of some kind and be heated by flexwatt.

I was wondering how the flexwatt works. Do you stick it to the actual tub or the shelf? If to the shelf, should there be a little recessed area to stick it to, so there is air between it and the bottom of the tub? How is this recessed area acheived?

How much flexwatt should I order for five 32qt tubs? What width? Can it all run on one thermostat? Can the flexwatt be assembled for me pre-shipping, or do I have to do it at home? If it has to do it at home, how do you do it?

When putting thermometers in the tubs, should there be one only on the warm side (thermometer up near front of tub, probe on warm side?) or should there be one on each side?

And just a few tid-bits:

I was considering the Helix DBS1000 Proportional Thermostat. ($134.99)

This rack will be for Kingsnakes and Cornsnakes.

I was considering getting Taylor Digital Thermometers for each tub ($19.99 each)

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

I was wondering how the flexwatt works. Do you stick it to the actual tub or the shelf? If to the shelf, should there be a little recessed area to stick it to, so there is air between it and the bottom of the tub? How is this recessed area acheived?

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Tape it to the shelf, a recessed area is much better as then the tub won't rub on the flex and risk damaging it. You can create the recess by using a router...it is time consuming but will last much longer.

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How much flexwatt should I order for five 32qt tubs? What width? Can it all run on one thermostat? Can the flexwatt be assembled for me pre-shipping, or do I have to do it at home? If it has to do it at home, how do you do it?

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Each tub is about 15" wide so times 5 = 75". You can assemble it at home or if you call Rich at Reptile Basics he will assemble it for you. Just explain what you are going to do with it and he will hook you up in the best way.

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When putting thermometers in the tubs, should there be one only on the warm side (thermometer up near front of tub, probe on warm side?) or should there be one on each side?

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Most thermometer have 2 temp probes one at the unit and one at the end of the wire. Place the thermometer on the cool side and run the wired probe to the warm side.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

And just a few tid-bits:

I was considering the Helix DBS1000 Proportional Thermostat. ($134.99)

This rack will be for Kingsnakes and Cornsnakes.

I was considering getting Taylor Digital Thermometers for each tub ($19.99 each)

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Great Thermostat don't change (ps you can get it from Rich at Reptile Basics when you order your flexwatt :) )

If all the tubs are in the same rack there really isn't a need to have thermometer in every tub - maybe just the top and bottom. Also, most of us use Accurite Thermometers ($15 at Wal-mart) - these also will tell you the humidity which is also important.

Since this is a corn rack, the tubs will be 32qt. I believe thier dimensions are (34 3/4" x 16 1/2" x 6") . So thats 34 3/4" long, 16 1/2" wide, and 6" tall, right? Ok, this rack will house five tubs with an extra shelf on the bottom. So wood supply list (and please someone suggest a type of wood that is water resistant, won't bend under weight, won't sag, and is fairly inexpensive.)

Back Piece
Side Pieces
Top piece
5 Shelves
Sliding Bars (so tubs can slide in and out. And it will keep top tight to shelf above)
Locking Pins

Can anyone give me the dimensions of the wood I'll need?

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

Since this is a corn rack, the tubs will be 32qt. I believe thier dimensions are (34 3/4" x 16 1/2" x 6") . So thats 34 3/4" long, 16 1/2" wide, and 6" tall, right?

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I suggest you buy the tubs first as you need an exact dimension (not guesses) or else you risk the tubs not fitting right.

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Back Piece
Side Pieces
Top piece
5 Shelves
Sliding Bars (so tubs can slide in and out. And it will keep top tight to shelf above)
Locking Pins

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Looks right except for the sliding bars...as you won't need them. The tubs will sit on the shelf below...so their is nothing they need to slide in/out on. I am not sure Corns could push the tubs out so you pry don't need locking pins either (but they are simple to do and cheap so it doesn't matter either way)

As for dimensions you have to get the tubs and measure them. For wood I would recommend Melamine - it is basically wood chips glued together and then a plastic laminate over it. (Used for shelving). They are very solid (and heavy), won't sag, and the plastic is water resistant.

Let us know what other questions you have.

I need the locking pins because I have cats. They are masters at opening drawers now, so the locking pins are a must. I'll go to Walmart today or tomorrow and purchase a 32qt tub and get its dimensions.

Thanks for the suggestions. :)

I have made racks that utilized locking pins. What I did, since melamine is .75" thick was drill holes (1/8" or 3/16", whatever the OD of the pins) about 1/2" into the bottom front of the shelves. I used two pins per bin with 1.5" steel pins. When the bin is in the shelf, the pins are pushed into the holes so the bin can't be pulled out without first pulling the pins out. You can also use sections of wood dowels as pins.

Sinse you only have a few snakes, a display cage like this might look nicer and cost less/be easier to make. This cost less than $150 with the lights, and depending on your ambient temps there, you may not need flexwatt or a thermostat. I kept the room at 74-75 and the fluorescent lights kept the temps perfect for my corns. (about 85 during the day warm side/75 at night).
http://a506.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...09268505_l.jpg

Here is my BP rack. It cost less than the one above, but then I needed to add a thermostat.
http://a145.ac-images.myspacecdn.com...e482bbe858.jpg

wallace, do you know off hand the size of those tubs for your large balls...lol, like length and hight?

The bottom one is kinda like what I'm making.

They are the 28qt Sterilite tubs. They are in the neighborhood of 23x17x6. The smaller ones are about 11x17x6. I am waiting to make a larger rack for breeders. I'll probably go with 32qt-41qt. These are good to about 1600g, larger if you are in a bind. My biggest girl (top) is about 1300g now.

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Originally Posted by Jay_Bunny

The bottom one is kinda like what I'm making.

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Okay, just showing another option to house a small # of snakes. I have some rack plans drawn out, and I've made a few of them if you get stuck or have any questions. Feel free to shoot me a pm.

Do you have any plans drawn out for the tub size I'm using? I'm about as challenged as it gets when it comes to building stuff. The only thing I've ever really built was flats and platforms for the school play, and there was someone there the whole time making sure I did everything right.

Hey Jay, sorry I never got back to you with dimensions. My rack which holds 8 tubs is about 55" tall total. It also has a small area on top for extra supplies. The shelves were 36x17 and I used the 41 qt tubs. I have all the flexwatt taped to the shelves and wired together to one plug.

Don't want to stray too far away from the original poster but whats the typical going rate for Flexwatt?

Saw it at a local pet store, think it was like $6.99 for 1ft of 11''.

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Originally Posted by thehoofbite

Don't want to stray too far away from the original poster but whats the typical going rate for Flexwatt?

Saw it at a local pet store, think it was like $6.99 for 1ft of 11''.

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online it sells for around $3.50 per foot. Was that wired for $6.99 or no?

tmlowe5704, could you send me building instructions? I was thinking of using 41qt since I have to make two of these racks, one for corns one for balls, and it would be nice if they were just the same size.

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Originally Posted by tmlowe5704

online it sells for around $3.50 per foot. Was that wired for $6.99 or no?

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no, not wired. they did have the 3'' for 3.50 per foot. I suppose it really doesn't matter. I wouldn't be using enough to save a bundle by ordering online.

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r.../snakerack.jpg

This is what I have in my head. Each shelf will hold now 41qt tubs. (This is not drawn to scale or anything. Just a quick paint drawing). The very bottom shelf will hold supplies like substrate, feeding tongs, misting bottle. ect.

Would anyone be able to give me a supplies list for something of this nature?

for that, it looks like all you will need is some melamine and screws. When working will melamine, it is a good idea to pre-drill. A rack like that will be very heavy but will help to hold heat in better than a rack like the one I showed you. If your snakes are not in a heated herp room, I think that is the way to go.

They won't be in a heated herp room (I wish :P ). I could boost the heat up in the townhome as high as I wanted since we will be getting free heat, but the roommates would not like that too much. I'm used to a 80-95 degree room since my freshman dorm last year had no ac. During the summer and early fall months and late spring, it was HOT. During the cooler months, the heater kicked on and kept the dorms at a cozy 75+.

So basically, just the melamine and screws is all I need? I'll have to find the measurements for the tub I want. I'll try and go tomorrow since I have the day off and either get the tub or take a tape measurer and get the dimensions.

For my 41 qt. tubs I made shelves that were 36x17

I wrote down the dimensions for the tub size, but I left the measurements in the car. I'm going to give the measurements to my co-worker and see when we could get together to make this rack. :)