They are built to withstand thermostat controlled heat tape temperatures...I wouldnt worry about it at all...I have 7 of them and they are in constant contact with thermostat regulated heat tape.
1.1 Pinstripe - Orion/Eos
1.1 Lessers - Typhon/Kali
0.2 Dinkers - Stella & Wildfire
1.0 Desert - No Name
1.0 Het Red Axanthic - No name
0.1 Woma- Cayenne
0.1 Cinnamon- Nutmeg
2.1 Mojave- No names
1.0 Mystic- No Name
0.1 Mahagony- No Name
1.0 Black Pastel- No Name
1.0 SD Tiger Retic- Thor
0.0.1 Green Tree Python (Apollo)
0.2 Labs- Daisy & Ruby
What I did is I went to home depot and got those floor protector pads for furniture and just put them underneath so it raises the T8 just a bit.
I emailed the guys from THG heat tape a while ago and they suggest having at least a 2mm gap.
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There really isn't any reason to have a gap as long as you have a good thermostat controlling it with the probe directly on the heat tape (as you would on a T8)
The thermostat will prevent any heat build up from happening and the heat tape won't ever get hot enough to cause any issues.
The only time heat tape is going to cause any issues is if the heat tape catastrophically fails. A good thermostat should prevent this from happening, and even if it doesn't a 2mm gap isn't going to make any real difference if the heat tape itself catches fire, in fact it might actually make things worse by providing oxygen to the fire.
Thanks guys for all the help. Serpent Merchant thanks for all the info on the T-8 you were the reason I bought one. I plan on buying a few more in the future.