BP temp flextape garage

[05chev]

I'd like to build a snake rack in my heated garage. The garage gets to about 50f in the winter. Will keeping the heat spot at 90f during the winter over-heat the heat tape? I'm using 11" x 3' flexwatt heat tape.

[jjmitchell]

my hot spot stays about 92-93 all year... I would be way more worried about the ambient temp of 50........ just my thoughts

[seeya205]

The ambient air temp would be the issue here! You can try a rack empty to see what the temps are! Maybe the basement is a better idea!

[Kaorte]

I wouldn't consider a 50* room in the wintertime "heated". That isn't even up to code for a livable space. So if you can't legally live there, than neither should your equator dwelling friends.

Unless you can do something to bring the ambient temperature of the room in the 70's, I would not house any animal there.

To answer your other question, running the heat tape at 90* will not over heat it. Most people run it higher than that to maintain a hot spot of 92*.

[bman123]

I dont see why you cant run a strip of flexwatt down one of the sides from top to bottom, that should raise your ambient temps in the tubs, but you still need to control the temp somehow

[MustBeSatan]

I dont see why you cant run a strip of flexwatt down one of the sides from top to bottom, that should raise your ambient temps in the tubs, but you still need to control the temp somehow

To raise the ambient temperatures at the opposite end of the rack from the flexwatt from 50-80, the hotspot would have to be like 130 degrees lol... Even if you ran flexwatt on both ends and the bottom, it would have to be too warm on the edges to make the air inside the tub a reasonable temp.

Only way I see this working is to heat the garage itself. Or keep the snakes inside in the winter.

[05chev]

50F is working out fine in the garage. The front of the tub is about 72-74F and the back between 89-90. I put a rack out in the garage last night and tested it before I went to bed and when I woke up. So, my question still is, am I going to over heat the flexwatt heat tape? Is it working too hard? The flexwatt is running at about 102F

[saber2th]

I don't think so. Thats what most of us run it at. Then the inside bottom of the tub should be around 90-92. Depends of the bottom of the tub, some are flat and some have arches around the edges. You will not do any damage the the flexwatt until you start hitting temps. of 115.

[Kaorte]

Running the flexwatt at 102 shouldn't overheat it. I wouldn't feel comfortable running it that high though. is this belly heat or back heat?

[05chev]

Big Apple Herp says 120*F is the max, so that's good to know. I covered the sides with plastic and then insulation (none on the front so fresh air can get in). So I think I'm good, thanks for your help.