My first rack Done..

[Sevo]

WEll i finally got it all hooked up and completed today. Here are some pictures of it. It will hold 8 racks.( i took this befor the flex watt was hooked up.)

The first pictures are of how i used the reflectics to create insulation between the flexwatt and also created insulation to help hold more heat in the back half of the rack..

I also included a pic of my Rat rack as well. It hold 5 bins and i know have it 1.3 per bin.. it works great.

Well i want to thank all of you who helped me with these. I really appreciate all of it.

Chris

[Sevo]

well..I just put together another rack. This one holds 32qt bins. I made this out of 1 sheet of mel board thanks to xdeus for the the link to great plans. I still need to burn the holes for ventilation but my girlfriend wants to do that. Kinda nice when your significant other wants to get into it too...even though she hates snakes.


I do have a couple questions....

should I put a back on it or would you leave it open? (I was thinking of using foam board insulation with the reflective side on it as the back.

should I put 3 inch flex watt under each individual bin or should I run one long strip down the back

Thanks

Chris

Here are some pics of it

[Adam_Wysocki]

Put a back on it, it will help keep a steady "hot spot" .... For the heat tape, I prefer belly heat under the rear 1/4 of the tub ... Because heat rises, in my humble opinion, belly heat is a far more effecient means of heating over back heat ... but I guess in the end either way "can" work and it's really just a personal preference.

-adam

[Sevo]

Put a back on it, it will help keep a steady "hot spot" .... For the heat tape, I prefer belly heat under the rear 1/4 of the tub ... Because heat rises, in my humble opinion, belly heat is a far more effecient means of heating over back heat ... but I guess in the end either way "can" work and it's really just a personal preference.

-adam

Adam, i agree.. I will do the 3" under the belly and I will add a back,.. I think that foam board will help insulate it better.. what do you think?

thanks for the reply

[kavmon]

belly heat rocks! (drew carey music theme playing)


i would do a wood back, not foam board. the foam board could be used on the outside of the rack to insulate against a cold floor, or wall behind the rack.


vaughn

[muddoc]

Sevo,
Just my two cents. I have a 32 quart rack just like yours, that has a back on it, and I ran a piece of 11" flexwatt down the back. My flexwatt is hooked up to a Johnson thermo. I keep my Nicuraguan Boas in that rack and they seem to do fine with the back heat. Also, on my baby racks, I use the same 11" flexwatt down the back, and use the reflective foam board for a back. It also seems to keep the tubs at about 93 degrees in the back of the tub, and 83 degrees at the front. My baby ball racks are run with a Helix. Eitherroute you want to go with the flexwatt, I think will work fine, and I think that the foam insulation board would keep the heat in better. Just make sure after it is set up, that you check some temps in the front and back of the tub to ensure that there is a gradient. If there is not, you may have to put more holes. With the back and sides enclosed, there is not much space for the heat to exit.

By the way, I think you did a great job for your first couple racks. Keep up the good work.

[Adam_Wysocki]

Adam, i agree.. I will do the 3" under the belly and I will add a back,.. I think that foam board will help insulate it better.. what do you think?

I would do a thin wood back just for a little extra strength ... It will act like a cross member and keep the rack from twisting if you ever have the need to move it ... then, if you still want to do the insulation on top of the wood, it will certainly help keep the heat in.



-adam

[muddoc]

I would do a thin wood back just for a little extra strength ... It will act like a cross member and keep the rack from twisting if you ever have the need to move it ... then, if you still want to do the insulation on top of the wood, it will certainly help keep the heat in. -adam

I second that. I don't think I mentioned that in my post a minute ago, but my 32 qt. rack like yours has a 1/4" piece of sheet wood for a back, and it works great to strengthen up the rack.

[Sevo]

Sevo,
Just my two cents. I have a 32 quart rack just like yours, that has a back on it, and I ran a piece of 11" flexwatt down the back. My flexwatt is hooked up to a Johnson thermo. I keep my Nicuraguan Boas in that rack and they seem to do fine with the back heat. Also, on my baby racks, I use the same 11" flexwatt down the back, and use the reflective foam board for a back. It also seems to keep the tubs at about 93 degrees in the back of the tub, and 83 degrees at the front. My baby ball racks are run with a Helix. Eitherroute you want to go with the flexwatt, I think will work fine, and I think that the foam insulation board would keep the heat in better. Just make sure after it is set up, that you check some temps in the front and back of the tub to ensure that there is a gradient. If there is not, you may have to put more holes. With the back and sides enclosed, there is not much space for the heat to exit.

By the way, I think you did a great job for your first couple racks. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the compliment. I enjoy making these.The best part is to get all your cuts done at home depot so all you have to do is screw it together they have that nice rip saw that can handle these big heavy boards. ... I really like that design as it is easy to build and not to much money soaked into it. I like the idea of the 11" flex.. I may have to build 2 of these and see what i like the best..

I like the ideas of the backer board for some support. I did move it and it was solid as a rock ( those 2.5 inch screws i put through her really hold tight ).. But a little more support cant hurt, I am also going to put some wheels on it as well. I have 2x4 supports under it for that.


I will also put the foam backer behind it as well. I also have some reflectix left.. i may just use that

Thanks again guys

chris

[xdeus]

I use the same 11" flexwatt down the back, and use the reflective foam board for a back. It also seems to keep the tubs at about 93 degrees in the back of the tub, and 83 degrees at the front.

I haven't been so fortunate. I have 11" down the back of my 11 shelf breeder rack and I can't get the temps higher than 88 degrees, and that's with a snake room that I keep at 79 degrees. I'm have the 11" on a Herpstat running at 105 degrees taped directly to the Flexwatt, and I have the back insulated with Reflectix. I'm going to pull it out next week and run 3" on each shelf to get the temps up.