Couple of DIY rack questions

[LittleTreeGuy]

So, as of today, I just have one small bp... 114g female.

I want more... I was thinking a t8 enclosure, but the more I think about it, building my own rack from melamine seems to make more sense, seems like it could be cheaper, and easier to maintain... but I have a couple of questions...

1. Thermostat - I have looked at several DIY's for racks, and it looks like it's pretty common to just use one probe even if you have 4 or 5 shelves with the same size flexwatt on them. Obviously, there is a need to check all the shelf temps regularly, but is this method okay? If so, is it better to wire them all in series or wire them individually and plug them into a power strip and then plug that strip into my thermostat? I'm considering building a rack with more shelves than I need right now, so I'd like to have the option to not heat the shelves I'm not using. I can wire in switches, but the power strip seems simple enough... If this sounds adequate, and I'm correct, I could run a 4-6 shelf rack off of a Herpstat 1, correct?

2. Size - I was debating about what size I need... but I think if I use tubs with lids, I can just build to fit the largest tub (41qt) and then if I have small tubs with hatchlings, I can just slide them back onto the flexwatt as needed, correct? (The rack I plan to make would be closed on both sides, and may have the back closed as well...made from melamine.

3. shape - I have seen both... one you slide the tub back into, so the hole is roughly 20" wide and maybe 34" deep, or more like a shelf, where it's 36" wide, and maybe 19" deep. I would think the first would hold more heat, as there is less of the tub exposed to the room, but I'm not sure. My house is generally cooler in the winter months, so easier to heat would be better, I would think.

Again, I'm just throwing this out there... as I'm planning for the future.

[ItsAllNew2Me!]

Hi you can check out my recent build...I used Maple instead of melamine and stained it with water-based verathane. In total including heat tape, t-stat (stc-1000), wood, sealant, edging, extension cord, tape, and misc it was under $300. (minus labor of course which was my own along with my fathers)

It will hold 21 15qt tubs or 7 32qt tubs. Let me know if your interested and i can give more info if it is not in my thread.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ure-Grade-Rack

It holds heat well I would just give it some time to throughly heat the enclosure. I also keep all of the levels filled with tubs basically giving more thermal mass the the rack.

[OhhWatALoser]

So, as of today, I just have one small bp... 114g female.

I want more... I was thinking a t8 enclosure, but the more I think about it, building my own rack from melamine seems to make more sense, seems like it could be cheaper, and easier to maintain... but I have a couple of questions...

1. Thermostat - I have looked at several DIY's for racks, and it looks like it's pretty common to just use one probe even if you have 4 or 5 shelves with the same size flexwatt on them. Obviously, there is a need to check all the shelf temps regularly, but is this method okay? If so, is it better to wire them all in series or wire them individually and plug them into a power strip and then plug that strip into my thermostat? I'm considering building a rack with more shelves than I need right now, so I'd like to have the option to not heat the shelves I'm not using. I can wire in switches, but the power strip seems simple enough... If this sounds adequate, and I'm correct, I could run a 4-6 shelf rack off of a Herpstat 1, correct?

2. Size - I was debating about what size I need... but I think if I use tubs with lids, I can just build to fit the largest tub (41qt) and then if I have small tubs with hatchlings, I can just slide them back onto the flexwatt as needed, correct? (The rack I plan to make would be closed on both sides, and may have the back closed as well...made from melamine.

3. shape - I have seen both... one you slide the tub back into, so the hole is roughly 20" wide and maybe 34" deep, or more like a shelf, where it's 36" wide, and maybe 19" deep. I would think the first would hold more heat, as there is less of the tub exposed to the room, but I'm not sure. My house is generally cooler in the winter months, so easier to heat would be better, I would think.

Again, I'm just throwing this out there... as I'm planning for the future.

1. Yes that method is ok, it is exactly what us rack users do. It is hard to wire flexwatt in series and you never want to do it anyways, You are always going to be wiring it in parallel, with that said, it doesn't matter what you do, hot on one bus bar, neutral on the other, one plug, 10 plugs, however you do that is up to you.

2. you can design it how you want, but lidless is one of the biggest time savers with multiple animals. also different size tubs are not going to have the same temps. so if your plan was to have different tubs on different shelves, this might not work out.

3. this is preference, You can fit more tubs on the wall if you slide them one way, but they stick off the wall more. best part about building your own, you can build it to your room and needs.

[LittleTreeGuy]

Hi you can check out my recent build...I used Maple instead of melamine and stained it with water-based verathane. In total including heat tape, t-stat (stc-1000), wood, sealant, edging, extension cord, tape, and misc it was under $300. (minus labor of course which was my own along with my fathers)

It will hold 21 15qt tubs or 7 32qt tubs. Let me know if your interested and i can give more info if it is not in my thread.

http://ball-pythons.net/forums/showt...ure-Grade-Rack

It holds heat well I would just give it some time to throughly heat the enclosure. I also keep all of the levels filled with tubs basically giving more thermal mass the the rack.

Very nice man! I was thinking about the switches idea as well... Like you, just a simple toggle or rocker switch. Thank you very much. This does help my thinking...

Do you find that the temps are consistent across multiple shelves with just using one thermostat?

[ItsAllNew2Me!]

Very nice man! I was thinking about the switches idea as well... Like you, just a simple toggle or rocker switch. Thank you very much. This does help my thinking...

Do you find that the temps are consistent across multiple shelves with just using one thermostat?

Thanks i am glad that it helps. I find that my temps are overall pretty good...I do have a bit of variant on the bottom and top as they are a bit cooler than the middle but my temps sit between 89 and 92 on the hotspot and about 78 - 82 on the cool side. I do keep my home at around 70 degrees though year round so temps can vary for others.

Also the cool thing about this thermostat is that it is so cheap if i did have a problem I can just order a few more to control the other shelves.

Also, if you use the toggle switch method you will have to allow a few weeks of warming up the lower shelves before adding an animal to it unless you have it on a separate thermostat.