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Posted by oldherper on April 24, 2003 at 21:45:45:
In Reply to: How should I heat this rack?!? Help me posted by ram on April 24, 2003 at 19:55:59:
on the top of each shelf at the back for shelves that hold shoeboxes. I just run it the length of the shelf and cover it with aluminum foil tape (like you buy at Home Depot or Lowe's). The ones that hold sweaterboxes, I run the FlexWatt on the inside surface of the back just above the top of each shelf and cover it that same way. Make sure that you insulate the connections good and use a proportional thermostat, or a rheostat. I use the Sterilite plastic shoeboxes and sweaterboxes and blanket boxes. The shoeboxes have little "feet" on the bottom of them that provides a small air gap between the bottom of the box and the tape. The the gap for the sweaterboxes and blanket boxes is provided by the taper of the box from top to bottom and the lid sticking out a little bit....when the lid is against the back of the rack, there is about a 1/2 inch air gap between the FlexWatt and the box. I put the thermostat probe at the mid point on the middle shelf just above and in front of the FlexWatt (between two of the boxes). Then I adjust the temperature by measuring the temperature inside the cages at the back (the end towards the heat tape)using a hand held infrared thermometer. For instance, I may have to adjust the thermostat for 90 degrees to achieve 85 degrees in the cage at the warm end. My snake room stays at 75 degrees, so I just use room temp for the cool end to achieve a thermal gradient.
:I have seen people just put heattape on the back of the rack and that is it, won't a lot of heat be lost this way? What can I put behind the rack to keep heat from escaping? Thanks.
