Insulating behind heat tape

[mcd]

Has anyone used insulation (thinking foam sheets) behind their rack to keep the heat in better? My house is old and drafty, and I'm wondering if the walls will just act as a giant heat sink.
Don't have the rack set up yet, but it will be going in a not so warm room., so I want to do all I can to minimize wasted heat and electricity.
I'm trying to convince my wife that we should move our daughter out of her bedroom (it's the warmest one in the house) so we can put snakes in there, but she doesn't seem to be going for it.

[asplundii]

I have a few tanks with 2cm styro backed against FW, it definitely helps keep the heat in.

[Freakie_frog]

I use the "Reflex-it"on both my baby racks that are back heated. It has a 94% insulating factor..

[ptate]

A few things you could try doing is to place the rack along an interior wall which will be warmer than an exterior wall. You could also use an oil filled space heater in the room to keep the overall temps stable. Most of them have a built in thermostat which will allow it to turn on and off as needed to maintain the temps in the room. Also put plastic over the windows to seal drafts. As far as rack design, if you went with an enclosed rack similar to when people build them out of melamine with only the front open, it won't be difficult to keep your snakes warm.

Hope this helps!

[Ladydragon]

I use the "Reflex-it"on both my baby racks that are back heated. It has a 94% insulating factor..

Ed.. do you have a link for the "reflex-it" you use? can it be purchased at home depot or Lowes? thanx. I have a similar situation as the OP, and am doing what I can to insulate the rack and keep the cold out. Thanx again.

[snakecharmer3638]

Just cut up your daughters clothes and tape them over your heat tape. That should help.

[Freakie_frog]

Ed.. do you have a link for the "reflex-it" you use? can it be purchased at home depot or Lowes? thanx. I have a similar situation as the OP, and am doing what I can to insulate the rack and keep the cold out. Thanx again.

Lowes carries it.

http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?actio...25&lpage=none#

[Jenn]

That 1" pink insulating board works great. I use it to insulate tanks and around my racks. You can also put two racks back to back to save energy.

[grammie]

I'm trying to convince my wife that we should move our daughter out of her bedroom (it's the warmest one in the house) so we can put snakes in there, but she doesn't seem to be going for it.

Just cut up your daughters clothes and tape them over your heat tape. That should help.

[dsirkle]

Ed.. do you have a link for the "reflex-it" you use? can it be purchased at home depot or Lowes? thanx. I have a similar situation as the OP, and am doing what I can to insulate the rack and keep the cold out. Thanx again.

I have discovered that you can go to Big Lot store if they have them in your area and get the folding panels that you unfold and leave in the windshield of a car to reflect the heat of the sun to keep a parked car cool for about $3.00. These are made of the same material as reflectivix for much less cost.Buy a big one that is made for a full size pickup truck. You might get lucky and find it in a dollar store.