boaphile rack heating question

[wwmjkd]

I finally got rid of all my glass enclosures by picking up a Boaphile ball room rack (and a used RBI rack--thanks to Adam Chandler). However, I have had to keep my Herpstat around 105 degrees on the Boaphile just to keep the belly heat in the tubs around 88-89. I have a mix of aspen and cypress as substrate, and I know a loss of a few degrees occurs over the transfer between the tape and the tub, but I wanted to know if anyone has had a similar experience because it seems excessive to me. My RBI rack has a single row of 11'' flexwatt (it's the back heat model) but I only have to keep the thermostat at about 92.5 degrees to keep the back at 90.

Specs are as follows:
-two rows of 4'' heat tape
-each tub is a 41-quart long sterilite box
-I have the probe taped to the front row of flexwatt on the bottom shelf with aluminum tape as per the instructions.
-I use a Pro-Exotics digital temp gun to monitor

Is that much heat loss excessive or am I worrying over nothing. Any advice would be appreciated as I have never used a rack system before, and if you've owned a Boaphile rack, all the better.

Thanks in advance.

[Redneck_Crow]

I own a blanket box Boaphile rack. I keep the thermostat at 94% to get an actual hot spot heat of 90. I use paper towels as substrate.

[wwmjkd]

that's more or less what I was expecting when I bought the rack, which made me worry about keeping the herpstat above 100 degrees. I guess if the temperatures in my tubs are reading at optimal ranges I shouldn't stress over it, but OCD is wound into my DNA.

[geckobabies]

I normally have to keep my helix set at 95 or so to get the hot spot inside the rack at 90 degrees. The larger the tote the more this seems to be an issue, especially in larger or unheated rooms. I keep my room constant and I still have to bump the helix up.

I wouldn't worry, I think this is fairly common with a lot of setups. As long as you monitor the temps inside the tote and make sure they are safe, I would not worry if you have to make your stat higher.