got the rbi rack setup

[butters!]

the thermostat is doing its job keeping the temps at 92 but the cool side is 73,whats up with that?

[RichsBallPythons]

whats the room temps. that has the biggest impact on the cool side.

[butters!]

the temp in here is 72.but i thought the rack took care of that since its closed in.

[RichsBallPythons]

No you need to keep room temp above 75 to achieve the warmer cool side.

[butters!]

looks like im gonna have to make a make shift door

i stay in the basement so to keep it at 75 when its 30 outside is pretty tough

[RichsBallPythons]

Just buy a few sheets of dry wall and some 2x4s and make a small room in basement so you can control temps better.

[Kaorte]

Using a rack will help insulate the temps better but you need to have the room a bit warmer in order to get a good cool side temp.

You could use a small space heater.

[CA cowgirl]

I'm doing some homework on racks, and I'm looking at the RBI racks as possibly my first choice. I was reading the FAQ on their site and also did a search here for RBI rack to check out how others are doing with theirs. So here I be. Hopefully my research can help you figure out your situation a little bit.

Do these racks use belly heat or back heat? Which is better?

RBI Plastics Shoebox and Sweaterbox racks come standard with back heat. Which is better? We have found back heat to be every bit as effective, if not more so, than belly heat. The back heat in these racks will easily warm the back 1/3 to 1/2 of the boxes to a cozy 88-90 degrees. Actually it will get hotter than that if you don't use a thermostat or rheostat which is why one is required. The heat tends to be more even than belly heat which is usually in a more concentrated 3"-4" wide strip across the bottom. The heat gradually tapers off to about 80-82 in the front of the box. Our animals very easily thermoregulate with this setup and we have switched over to entirely back heated rack systems here.

Is belly heat bad? We dont think so, we just like this better. If you will be setting up the 32 Qt. Sweater Box Rack in a room that is regularly below 74 degrees you may want to consider the belly heat option. On the Shoe box and MCB-S tubs the back heat will provide great performance in all but the coolest of rooms (below 65 degrees). One note, with belly heat racks you MUST place your thermostat probe on the heat tape itself. NOT inside one of the tubs. On the CB-70 rack we install belly heat standard. The extra long CB-70 makes back heat ineffective. To help give your animals a more even heat and a larger basking area we use two independently wired strips of three inch heat tape (80 watts each) placed about 6 inches in from the back. NO HEAT CABLE is used, only flexwatt heat tape. The heat tape is recessed into the shelves for years of maintenance free use.

So which RBI system do you have and with which style of heat - back or belly? Maybe your set up could benefit from a space heater near the front half, or drape a blanket over the front half? I have no idea, just brainstorming.

Please let us know what you do and how it goes. I am especially interested. Best o' luck to you.

[butters!]

I'm doing some homework on racks, and I'm looking at the RBI racks as possibly my first choice. I was reading the FAQ on their site and also did a search here for RBI rack to check out how others are doing with theirs. So here I be. Hopefully my research can help you figure out your situation a little bit.



So which RBI system do you have and with which style of heat - back or belly? Maybe your set up could benefit from a space heater near the front half, or drape a blanket over the front half? I have no idea, just brainstorming.

Please let us know what you do and how it goes. I am especially interested. Best o' luck to you.

i have the cb-70 with belly heat.kinda weird the middle rack is 4 degrees higher than the top and bottom rack,no biggie.

i think the reason for the 72 degrees is because i have the thermometers up against the front part of the tub so i can see it.its prolly a bit warmer near the middle.

the snakes are used to not so warm cool sides.in the tanks the temps never got past 75 in the winter.

heres a pic,i am super happy about having it.ill figure it out im sure

[butters!]

well i think i got it figured out.i put insulation in the windows of my room and the temp in here is now 75.phew.that was easy!