Reptile & Amphibian Forums

has anyone tried these? they say they use heat cables which I've never used before? how does the cable work? does it measure up to undertank heaters, or flex watt that run down the back of racks? can anyone suggest any other rack manufactures that you'd recommend?

I have a vision rack.
IMHO the heat cable is junk. It is a fire hazard if you do not route it properly - make sure it NEVER crosses over itself. Problem with crossing itself - the insulation melts, and it shorts. Then you have a fire.

It needs to be controlled with a quality thermostat.

I opted not to use the heat cable. Instead, I snaked flexwatt heat tape through the rack - two rows of 3" tape (I use the rack for 32 quart tubs).

First put down aluminum foil tape (kind they sell at bean farm) so that flexwatt is not directly on the plastic. Then snake flexwatt through - and cover the flexwatt where the racks will sit on it with another layer of foil tape.

Then use a quality proportional thermostat (like a Helix DBS 1000) to control the heat tape.

Works very well for me.
IMHO they don't provide enough heat cable to do a full size rack anyway, and I sure as hell wasn't going to buy more.

eBay the heat cable, someone will buy it.
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3.5 L. getula californiae
1.1 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
2.3 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Hi,
I use Vision, Freedom Breeder and home-made racks for my adult kings. Visions are the best commercially available racks in my opinion. The way the heat cable is used in their design makes it far superior to the flexwatt in a FB. I use the vision CB-70 for my adults and it works great. Good luck.

Will

I don't use thermostats on my Visions, a good quality reostat will work just fine. I certainly agree that you have to think through the cable installation, but I think you would have just as much of a horrendous meltdown with Flexwatt as cable, if you crossed either. I personally, use a lot of both, but I think that cable is more forgiving. Just my opinion.

Will

I don't use thermostats on my Visions, a good quality reostat will work just fine.

In most homes probably.
I don't have air conditioning, I have a swamp cooler. Thus the ambient room temperature of my herp room varies quite a bit, especially during summer. A thermostat is the only way to go without constant checking and adjustment.

I suppose for people with better ambient temperature control, a rheostat would work just fine.
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3.5 L. getula californiae
1.1 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
2.3 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Yes, I should have mentioned that my collection is in my basement, which is very stable year round temp wise (65-70F). I agree, that with a greater fluctuation in ambient temps, a thermostat would probably be a good idea. Thanks for the clarification.

Will

I dont use visions but I do use the same heat cable in many of my different racks and cages. I LOVE the stuff. And the whole crossing over itself thing is BS. I'm sure that they have to say that to cover their backs but its not a real concern.

I took a bunch of cable, looped it over itself, and tie wrapped about 10 tightly together. I then wrapped this in a towel to see how hot it could maximally get. After several hours in a 70 degree room, the temp inside the coils (measured with a temp gun) was at most 157. None of the rubber coating was even close to melting.

I find that this stuff is way more durable then flexwat and it gives more consistent heat. You also don't have to deal with the pain in the arse connections on the flexwatt.

I know one person who had a fire caused by that very issue in a vision rack system.
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3.5 L. getula californiae
1.1 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
2.3 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata

Well, anything is possible, but to be perfectly honest I highly doubt that it was from crossing two pieces of the heat cable.

A fire would be much more likely if the cord was damaged.

And I am just curious, what part of a vision rack actually went up in flames? aren't they made of metal and plastic? Or was it being used improperly around other more flammable materials?

The short melted the plastic tub and ignited the aspen.
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3.5 L. getula californiae
1.1 L. getula nigrita
1.0 Boa constrictor constrictor (suriname, fostering/rescue)
2.3 Elgaria multicarinata multicarinata