Rack heat issue: Cool side too cool

Ok, so I've got my rack all set up and warm side temps are stabilized. The cool side temps, however, are ranging from 82 (which is ok) down to 77 depending on the room temperature. My house doesn't have central heat an air (almost nobody does in WA), so inside temp is dependent on the outside temp.

Any suggestions?

I just draped a blanket over the sides and top to help hold in some of the heat, so hopefully that'll help. I also have NO holes in the tubs at this time but probably need some to lower the humidity a bit, which further compounds the problem. Anything else I can do?

What type of rack do you have? An open side rack is designed to use the heat of the room to help regulate temps...in essence what the large breeders do is heat the room (then the flexwatt just provides a hot spot). If you have one of these racks it is very difficult to get a good temp gradient without regulating the room temp...the option is putting flex on both the hot and cool sides and have 2 thermostats to regulate the temps.

you could get a small space heater or oil-filled heater. set it to low heat and hook it up to a ranco thermostat. try to keep the room at least 80 deg. if possible.


vaughn

It's a Reptile Basics closed rack. Only one end is open.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kavmon

you could get a small space heater or oil-filled heater. set it to low heat and hook it up to a ranco thermostat. try to keep the room at least 80 deg. if possible.


vaughn

---

Would you want to live in a room heated to 80 degrees 24/7?

I live in a 1br apartment. Pretty much any room I heat up, is going to heat up the whole place.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CntrlF8

It's a Reptile Basics closed rack. Only one end is open.

---

So my first thoughts are wrong since you have a closed rack. If memory serves that rack has back heat? How long are the tubs? If you are using the 41QT then it just might not be enough to heat all the way to the front (especially if the room is kept cool).

Since you aren't keen on Vaugn's idea to heat the room you could add some flexwatt to the front of the rack to add more heat?

I opted for the belly heat option. It's only 3" tape though, which I'm beginning to think may be insufficient.

I was thinking about adding a plexi door to the front to hold in more heat. Right now I've got the blanket wrapped around the top, sides, and closing in the front. I'm going to let that sit for a while so it'll stabilize and see where that leaves me...

To door is a good idea (provided you can still get enough air flow or you risk an RI).


Outside the blanket idea you could also get those styrofoam boards (used on homes) and wrap the rack in those (one could be a door too)

Is 77 really too low for my cool side temp?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by CntrlF8

Is 77 really too low for my cool side temp?

---

What are the hot side temps?

Also, are you measuring the surface temps or the air temps?

Measuring air temps on the cool side, and surface temp on the warm. Warm side is ranging in the 91-93 range pretty consistently.

In the last 2 hours I've made a few changes. I shortened the length of the warm side probe wires from 10 feet to about 3 (unsoldered the wires, cut them, re-soldered them. Still works perfectly...). I re-arranged my animals so that the level 2 tub (second from top) is empty, and melted a hole large enough to pass my thermostat probe through. I measured and marked all tubs for the full width of the heat tape, and placed the thermostat probe in the center of one of those, and the thermometer probes in the center of the marks on the top and bottom shelves. The shelf the thermostat probe is on doesn't have an animal in it, so it won't need to be moved for at least a few weeks. I figure that way I'll get a more accurate, stable warm side, at least. Hopefully that'll help bring up my cool side also, but we'll see...

you could add some flex to the front but that might be a little hard the way the rack is put together. other then that heating the room is the best option. most people that use racks have them in a controlled room.

the plexiglas door might work with some holes in it. i don't know how you would attach the hinges.

also look into some reflectix. its a insulator found at most hardware stores. its like tin foiled bubble wrap. it holds heat in very very well. you could use that on the sides and back.

maybe give Rich an email/call and see what he says...

Ok, so here's what's going on now that I've got some ventilation going on, and proper, stable humidity...

I decided to raise my warm side temp to 93-94 in an attempt to raise the cool side temp as well. This has very little, if any effect. My cool side temps are running around 79-80 during the day, and dropping to as low as 76.5-ish at night. Do you guys think that these temps are acceptable, or should I continue looking for other options?