building plans for a 6-shelf rack

[Godzilla78]

This will definitely be nice. Melamine is much cheaper, but also much heavier and a little more difficult to work with than PVC. Keep in mind, Lowes will cut all of the pieces out for you right at the store, which saves a lot of trouble. That way all you have to do is load up the pieces and take them home and assemble them. I would definitely recommend 12" heat tape for adults, though. Heat tape should cover about 1/3 of the tubs...

Yeah, you are right, my tubs are positioned with the tape across the length of the tub, so 6" ends up being ⅓ of tub bottom width. The vast majority of tubs are positioned with the tape across the width of the tub, so 12" would be better in this case. My bad, I was thinking egocentrically about my rack, and not about her rack dimensions.

[tttaylorrr]

Yeah, you are right, my tubs are positioned with the tape across the length of the tub, so 6" ends up being ⅓ of tub bottom width. The vast majority of tubs are positioned with the tape across the width of the tub, so 12" would be better in this case. My bad, I was thinking egocentrically about my rack, and not about her rack dimensions.

no worries!!! i appreciate all input.

everyone's layouts are different so these mix-ups do help those of us who don't know better.

no egos here.

[Ax01]

lol i'm just reading and catching up on DIY threads today!

i'm currently tossing around the idea of building my own 6-shelf adult PVC rack. i based my design on IRIS CB-70 tubs.

i drew up a blueprint in SketchUp, as well as laid out each piece on top of the 4' x 8' x 0.5" PVC sheets i would use for this.

i think your measurements for the shelf height is off. those Iris tubs are probably 6" tall w/ the lid on. besides i think a 1/4" gap is way too big. i would go 1/8 at most and would rather add holes to a tub, rather than having the gap to wide. i would find the actual Iris tub and measure it in person for spot on accuracy.

i'm not sure how i would cut a groove for the heat tape yet, or what size heat tape i should use. i think my current rack's heat tape is maybe 3"(?).

i'll update as i keep thinking about this i guess. any tips, suggestions, questions or anything else would be appreciated!!!

i think 6" heat tape is perfect. Freedom Breeders and ARS Racks use 5in heat panels (heat tape run along metal panels of the same width). i use the rule of 1/3 heat source for tanks and PVC enclosures, etc. whereas racks are more streamlined.

if u really wanna cut a groove for the heat tape, use a router w/ a jig that gives u precise depth and width for the heat tape. or use table saw w/ dado blades. your dad would know. if u wanna snake 1 long piece of heat tape through each shelf, u will need to add cuts to the left and/or right side of each shelf.

happy building!

[tttaylorrr]

i think your measurements for the shelf height is off. those Iris tubs are probably 6" tall w/ the lid on. besides i think a 1/4" gap is way too big. i would go 1/8 at most and would rather add holes to a tub, rather than having the gap to wide. i would find the actual Iris tub and measure it in person for spot on accuracy.

very good points. i should get my hands on the tub i wana use; good idea.

if u really wanna cut a groove for the heat tape, use a router w/ a jig that gives u precise depth and width for the heat tape. or use table saw w/ dado blades. your dad would know. if u wanna snake 1 long piece of heat tape through each shelf, u will need to add cuts to the left and/or right side of each shelf.

my dad's buddy has a table saw that we can probably use, and my dad would most likely be making the cuts hahaha. and i totally forgot about the cuts for the heat tape; DOH! thank you for reminding me!

back to the drawing board!

[hollowlaughter]

If you do shelf holders, you should be able to slide them out easily to lower the weight of a melamine piece and make it easier on everyone to move. Like so. Plus it's less permanently fixed in case you decide to change the setup in the future (like heat tape width) since you can pull out the shelves and put in new ones vs permanent shelving that's affixed to the sides. Drilling the necessary peg holes shouldn't be too difficult at all.