Back heat is secondary heat. What would happen with out it? It is easier to heat the room as most breeders do, but there are other methods available for secondary heating. Heating the room is often the simplest method I would guess 90% of racks exist in regulated rooms and half the remaining run some sort of secondary heat as you did (and I do).Originally Posted by eel588
I feel that the, "racks are better than any other option answer" is unfair. They are NOT perfect it is hard to hold exact temps top to bottom. Secondary heating options are very limited (carbon resister/cable, and room heating, perhaps goldenrods. If there are any other ways to heat a rack I am all ears.) proper cleaning/disinfecting of an open tub design is difficult at best. (disinfectants used according to the manufacturers instructions, not the "I made this way up and it works for me" method, I am speaking of the TESTED PROVEN methods, correct dilutions, contact times, used on clean surfaces)
The OP asked an intelligent question and deserves an honest evaluation of racks. How many have posted with issues of cool sides too cool? Quite a number, and often they race forward to buy a rack thinking it will solve all their problems, only to discover they just exchanged one set of issues for another.
Many people posting here run racks with flexwatt over powered, according to the manufacturer, (at least the older flexwatt) it is only rated to sustained 100ºF no higher. Setting a t-stat to 106 to get 90 to my mind there is too much heat loss to the ambient air temps. The whole rack and room temps need to be rethought. But yet it is so common.
Racks don't do well in rooms at or below 68º, simple truth, I have never seen a rack with only primary heat hold more than 4-6º over the room temp.
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