Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I just finished a new rack. I used 4 inch heat tape a foot long on each shelf. The bottom is 7 dgrees cooler then the top. How can I solve this problem?
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5.18 Ball Python
1.0 50% Het Albino Ball Python
0.1 Columbian Red Tail Boa
1.0 Albino Burm
1.1 Normal Burms
1.1 Cal Kings
1.2 Leopard Gecko

Here is a pic

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5.18 Ball Python
1.0 50% Het Albino Ball Python
0.1 Columbian Red Tail Boa
1.0 Albino Burm
1.1 Normal Burms
1.1 Cal Kings
1.2 Leopard Gecko

I'd say either add another strip of tape to the bottom three shelves, or put the bottom 5 shelves on another rheostat.

you could also rewire it in parallel instead of series.

How would that affect the heat differential from top to bottom?

>>you could also rewire it in parallel instead of series.

with series, the electricity is partyially used up on each level: 1st lvl 20watts, 2nd lvl 17 watts, etc... With parrallel, the electricity is spread evenly all along so they all get the exact same temp.

I don’t know about parallel versus series, but………..

If you apply “the exact same temp” via a heat tape to a plastic enclosure on the bottom level of a rack with an ambient temperature of, say, 68 degrees and to one on the top level at, say, 75 degrees – what will be the result? Will the temperatures in the enclosures on these two levels then be identical?

I believe the options xdeus gave above were good solutions.

>>with series, the electricity is partyially used up on each level: 1st lvl 20watts, 2nd lvl 17 watts, etc... With parrallel, the electricity is spread evenly all along so they all get the exact same temp.
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