heat mat/tape in incubator

[hungba]

When building an incubator out of styrofoam box (I made a box with EXTRUDED polystyrene, those pink insulation sheets made into a box), can I tape the heat tape to the foam directly? Or do I need to back it with something like plexiglass?

I see a lot of people here just tape the flexwatt inside the styrofoam box, heat tape directly touching styrofoam, so I would presume that it is ok to do so, but on an arboreal snake forum they cautioned against having flexwatt on styrofoam due to outgassing or something.

[hungba]

Awww.... no one knows?

[Rickys_Reptiles]

This is mine, from a while back. It's similar to yours, hope it helps.

[hungba]

Thanks, but the only thing I wasn't able to see is how the flexwatt is mounted and what it is mounted on.

[Rickys_Reptiles]

I had a 1/4" sheet of plexi/acrylic along the bottom, then the flexwatt was on top of that.

[PitOnTheProwl]

I wouldnt imagine 89 degrees causing any problems.

[hungba]

I wouldnt imagine 89 degrees causing any problems.

89 degree in the ambient air in the bator, but directly on the tape? I would imagine it is hotter there?

Ricky, was it just any ole piece of acrylic? Was the acrylic placed directly onto the styrofoam or was it suspended somehow?

[PitOnTheProwl]

Once mine is up to temp even the tape is only a couple degrees hotter.

[Rickys_Reptiles]

89 degree in the ambient air in the bator, but directly on the tape? I would imagine it is hotter there?

Ricky, was it just any ole piece of acrylic? Was the acrylic placed directly onto the styrofoam or was it suspended somehow?

Well to be fair I used to make acrylic enclosures so I had a lot laying around. You could probably just use construction grade plywood.

Anyhow, I had 1/4" acrylic laying on the styrofoam, then the flexwatt then on top i had a metal grate that was suspended using 2/4's. I then had a fan blowing across the flexwatt so that the heat created would instantly be moved around rather than letting it rise naturally.

That all being said, I do agree that even at 110 degrees it's probably not going to be a problem. Check the fire rating on the foam.