Temperature Control w/Flex Watt

[Blink]

Hey, I want to heat my enclosures with Flex Watt Heating tape, but my question is ... How will I control the temperature?
Does anyone have instructions on how to wire one to a thermostat?
Also, can ONE thermostat control the temperatures in a rack with many enclosures?
Can anyone recommend just a thermostat with wiring instructions?

[Detroit Boas]

Well with flexwatt yes you can keep a whole rack heated at the same temp by running along the back of the rack to heat up the back of the tubs and give them a thermal gradient..As far as wiring goes when you purchase the heat tape just be sure to purchase the clips and plug also..Give me a day i have a sight some where in my computer that gives you step by step on the wiring..For me its one of those things i could show you how to do but not tell ya...lol.. :lol:

[Detroit Boas]

here it is www.arbreptiles.com
that should have instructions on how to wire it to a rack...

[Blink]

Thanks, I book-marked it.
8)

[latazyo]

back heating with heat tape is very difficult IMO

you have to make sur ehte back is sealed up and well insulated and also that your room stays within a few degrees of what you want the snakes cages to be...I for one do not want my room to be in the 80s

I use belly heat w/ 4 inch heat tape

you should be able to use a single thermometer for the whole rack, HOWEVER keep in mind that your upper cages might get warmer than the cages on the bottom shelf so monitoring temps frequently is quite important

[ta2dshtrbug]

I have to agree with latazyo. Back heat is just not the way to go. With 11" tape you can hope to get the cage 8-10* warmer. Who wants to keep their room at 80* to get the gradient you need? Not me. Heat from under is much nicer and doesnt require maxing out the heat tape to get them temps you need, so less chance of melt down and longer tape life.

[Blink]

Hmm, but my problem being now is that I don't know how to build a rack that is wired with the heat tape on the bottom.

[ta2dshtrbug]

Hey I am putting one together this weekend, Ill get pics ok?

[led4urhead]

Hey I am putting one together this weekend, Ill get pics ok?

I'm interested as well. I've built cages in the past, but never a rack. I've never built one that uses heat tape either. I'm looking forward to some pics!

[latazyo]

sure you do know how to

ther'es nothing to it

your rubbermaids can sit right on the tape, just put some aluminum tape (or better yet, plastic packing tape) on the edges of the heat tape so that the sliding rubbermaids don't scrape it and lift it

some people will make rediculous claims like (the heat tape needs air so that it won't get hot and melt your things)

BS, with a thermometer your heat tape should never be above 100 degrees, for comparison, your core body temp is 98 and in your fingertips is probably 92-95...now do you melt plastic everytime you touch it? I sure don't ;)

http://bitz.net/~latazyo/Pics/Herps/rack.JPG

this is my rack, it's so easy you wouldn't believe it!

[Blink]

Ah, thanks.
I actually thought I'd need a gap for hot air to escape.
So I didn't know exactly how to set up the rack.
It shouldn't be hard if I can just place the sterilites on top of the tape.
Does Home Depot/Lowes carry heat tape?

Also ... is that a little red bong I see in the picture? lol

[CornCrazy]

Home Depot and Lowe's do not carry heat tape. I got mine directly from the company that makes it. It was a little costly initially because I had to purchase a whole roll. It was definitely cheaper in the long run, though. You may want to ask them if they will sell it in smaller amounts now. They may have changed their policy since more people are getting it directly from them.

They also sell the clips and insulators to wire them. One other useful thing is the special crimping tool they have for closing the clips. It's a pain to do it with pliers!

The site is: http://www.calorique.com/

If I remember correctly, I had to actually call the customer service department to get pricing and to place my order.

[geckogirl171]

That is very good info!! Thanks!! I really want to build my own rack system and I had no idea about the heat tape and stuff. I did ask at lowes and home depot (cuz I have a credit card there :? ) and they said they only carry heat tape in the winter months but they do have it. I didn't want to wait til winter though.

[CornCrazy]

You're welcome!

Lowe's heat tape is not the same thing, though. They carry the kind that wraps around pipes to keep them from freezing. It's very thin...almost like wire. I have checked at several Lowe's and Home Depots and none of them have ever carried the kind I was looking for...If yours does, then that's AWESOME!

[geckogirl171]

Okay so I need to order it form that web site. Got it! Thank you, I told you I know nothing didn't I? :lol:
I will check it out and see how much and everything. I have never done anything like this before and I am doing it by myself. No one I know around here can really help so it is going to take me forever to build and I need to get started right away to have them done by the time my baby Fattails come. :D
I will be coming back to ask questions as this project progresses. I hope you don't mind and thank you for helping! :)

[latazyo]

I have always gotten my heat tape from www.thebeanfarm.com

that is a flashlight, not a bong!

[Detroit Boas]

Hmmm interesting i keep my room at about 75 degrees year round..Most of my melamine racks are heated on the back with flexwatt never had problems with keeping the back of the tubs hot enough..My other rack are all built by manufactors..Those either have belly heat with flexwatt or heat rope routerd in them...

[CornCrazy]

If I remember correctly, the roll of heat tape was around $200 for 100 feet. If there is someone near you that is into herps, then you could always go in together to get a roll. I don't remember right off hand how much the clips and insulators are.

Feel free to ask as many questions as you want. I'll help if I can...

[ta2dshtrbug]

I usually get mine through Bean Farm also. I have been very happy with their service.
Detroit Boas: Have you used an infrared temp gun to see how hot the tape is? In order to get decent temps in my tubs from the back I had to have the heat tape at about 120*. Thats way above manufacturer suggested temps. Most of the time I dont give a crap what the manufacturer says. However I had some 3" burn up on me, melt some tubs and leave some nice char marks through the melamine. Pretty scary stuff, so I tend to try to keep my tape below 100*. Which is easy to do using it in the bottom mounted position. At any rate, now you see why I favor the bottom mounted position.

[Detroit Boas]

Yes infarred and the probes to the thermostats get checked every 12 hours..And yes belly heat is more usefull then back heat when it comes to racks by far..3" flexwatt burn up,thats whay i use 11" had the same problem a couple years ago..lol.. :roll: :D

[ta2dshtrbug]

Detroit Boas: Ok, didnt want you to have the same experience....lol. I was gonna ask you a question anyway. I have always used Bean Farms tape and I was given some different tape recently. It looks to be much heavier duty. A 1" x 11" sheet of it probably weighs twice what a 1' x 11" sheet of Bean Farms does. In your experience have you found that there are greater and lesser quality tapes? If so, is this possibly why you have better luck with back heating than some of the rest of us have?

[Detroit Boas]

Well if i recall Bean Farm makes there own heat tape right???I have used theres before and was not satisfied with the product...

[latazyo]

no, bean farm sells Calorique brand heat tape

[Detroit Boas]

Just thought of another way for effective belly heat..You could also get a small router and router the part where you want the belly heat to be and use heat rope.There are a couple of well known rack/cage builders out there who also use this method.

[Alias47]

What I can't believe, is that everyone missed Blink asking Lat if that is a bong in his picture. Unless everyone is just more tactful than I am. I missed it the first time I read this post as well...but found it funny as hell this time.

Hard to tell...could be a bong...or a flashlight, not that I know what a bong looks like or anything 8)

[justcage]

OK I dont see a bong..lol.. Oh and ah hem Flexwatt can be had at many places...Even at mg reptiles...

[latazyo]

hehe, its' a flashlight

and strande is rocking the rack now, I went to all display cages

[brent_strande]

hehe, its' a flashlight

and strande is rocking the rack now, I went to all display cages

Apparently Derek missed your post at the top of page two... haha!

Posted: Sat Sep 11, 2004 7:56 am Post subject:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have always gotten my heat tape from www.thebeanfarm.com

that is a flashlight, not a bong!

Derek! How'd you miss THAT??? ;)

Yep, the rack has some (most) empty bins... that's just not cool! If anyone wants to help the Snake Rack Relief Program by sending me any snakes, please do so! C'mon, do it for the rack...

:lol:

[Quigs]

Sure Brent! I have a couple spare green anoles you could fill your nifty little rack with!

Just send me a private message with your addy!

:lol:

Quigs