AP Cages build question (UTH)

I have a set of 3 T18's, They are going to be stacked.

On the bottom where the Flexwatt goes I have the cut-outs for the thermostat probe but the rest of the bottom is flush (all smooth)

The pictures I have seen show a cut-out for the Flexwatt mat to go into. Obviously with the connections on the heat mat and no cut out there is no way

to stack them and have them sit evenly. Do any of you recent recipients of an AP Enclosure find the same for your setup? or is this just something

that was just missed on mine? (I did order the belly heat option from them).

My thought was to mount the heat tape on the bottom with the connections flush with the back panel, but sticking out so I can stack them flush

Any other thoughts?

The connections on the heat mat look like the picture below

https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/13...00131230103247

I think you should also ask the source if this was something they forgot to do, if it's what you were shown when you ordered. And you do NOT want the cages sitting ON the wires, that's for sure. If you just use them sticking out the back a little, you'll be losing a little heat & you might well need every bit of it in winter.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

I think you should also ask the source if this was something they forgot to do, if it's what you were shown when you ordered. And you do NOT want the cages sitting ON the wires, that's for sure. If you just use them sticking out the back a little, you'll be losing a little heat & you might well need every bit of it in winter.

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Well now that I read the instructions CLOSER :rolleyes: ..... Back of the page...

"You will want to make sure that the cage does not sit on the flexible heat clips. They will need to butt up to the back or side of the cage"

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gocntry

Well now that I read the instructions CLOSER :rolleyes: ..... Back of the page...

"You will want to make sure that the cage does not sit on the flexible heat clips. They will need to butt up to the back or side of the cage"

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Ah, I thought you meant they had shown some sort of groove being made for the clips, so that wouldn't happen? Rats!

FYI, I use this same type of UTH (Flexwatt) with clear clips over the connections, but I'm using glass tanks for my colubrids -not PVC enclosures that stack.

What I do is apply weatherstripping* (it's peel & stick) to the bottom edges of all tanks, then leave a few gaps in the weatherstripping* for wires to emerge without the tank sitting on them, & also to allow the recommended "air gap" for safe heating (to prevent over-heating). Maybe you can do the same thing? That way the whole UTH will be under each AP- as deep as desired. Another benefit is that the cages or tanks don't slide easily- they've got "brakes". ;)

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Frost-Ki...734H/100047977

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

Ah, I thought you meant they had shown some sort of groove being made for the clips, so that wouldn't happen? Rats!

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That was correct, I was thinking the same thing....

The picture below shows what I was finding, looks like the used to have a recess to install the heat mats in, but no longer do that?

Mine has the groove for the probe, on the left, on the right and the center so you can put the heat mat where you want to.

Doing that many cut-outs would probably weaken the bottom panel too much



https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...IMG_0005-1.jpg

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Bogertophis

.....Maybe you can do the same thing? That way the whole UTH will be under each AP- as deep as desired. Another benefit is that the cages or tanks don't slide easily- they've got "brakes". ;).......

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Mounting the heat mat with the connections sticking out will leave me 21" of heat mat under a 24" pvc panel, That should be plenty. These also come with locking pins to hold the stack together and keep them from sliding off each other.

I'm also working on a shelf system to stack 3 Exo-Terra's on a rack, using that weather stripping on that set-up might work well.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Gocntry

Mounting the heat mat with the connections sticking out will leave me 21" of heat mat under a 24" pvc panel, That should be plenty. These also come with locking pins to hold the stack together and keep them from sliding off each other.

I'm also working on a shelf system to stack 3 Exo-Terra's on a rack, using that weather stripping on that set-up might work well.

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You'll figure it all out, I'm sure. You really have to see each situation in person to know what you need, but I figured you might find that weatherstripping to be a useful idea somewhere- I sure do.

I've been using it for years, to create the gaps needed for UTH, but also, it prevented ALL my tanks from sliding off their bases when I lived where we had earthquakes. Nothing against locking pins- many ways to set things up, & it's just always nice to have options. :gj:

I just put together 3 AP T8's and I was wondering similarly if it would be safe to sandwich the Flexwatt between the cages without any gaps
between them. I saw a video on Youtube where the guy put wooden spacers between the cages to allow for some air gap. Not sure
if that would be better/safer option than just sandwiching the Flexwatt with no air space. I just have the place for the temp probe on the bottom of my T8s but no indentation for Flexwatt.