Reptile & Amphibian Forums

so i got a SWEET cooler today for free. its the commercial chest variety that retailers sell individual ice cream bars and freeze pops out of. i have here at the house but havnt measured it out yet to find out the dimensions.
guessing id have to say its 4 foot long 3 feet wide and 3 feet deep.

my question is about heating such a space. is their a formula that people use to figure out the proper amount of flex watt?
im planning on using 11inch flexwatt and most likely a helix thermostat. i just dont know how much to order.

if im correct to little will have a slow recovery time after heat loss from opening and to much will recover quickly but have a chance of overheating. am i correct in my thinking?
is their such a thing as too much flex watt?

im going to put the cooler on its side so the glass doors are forward facing and then get wire closet shelving to hold trays.
planning on installing a thermostat,hygrometer,at least 1 computer fan.
should i use 2 fans, a higher one and a lower one?
well thanks for any responses
ill post pictures in the next few days
adam jeffery
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" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.

I don't think you can use too much flexwatt as long as it is hooked up to a thermostat. I like to wrap the flexwatt around the back and sides so the heat tape is spread around as much as possible. I would suggest something larger than a computer fan for such a large space. Maybe a 6"-8" ocellating one would work.

I made a similar incubator recently using a wine cooler with a hinged glass door. I used two wafer thermostats like the kind in a Hovabator. One is a back up in case of failure and is set one or two degrees higher than the other. I also connected a fan that turns on whenever the heat tape is on. The cooler conveniently had a built digital thermometer and a drain hole that I used to run the electrical cord. I added another thermometer to the back to compare temps. Hope this helps and good luck.

i was thinking that as long as its n a herpstat that it wouldnt matter the length but i wanted to double check.
i will have to look into fan options once i get this project up and going.
thanks fr the advice.
adam jeffery
-----
" a.k.a. farfrumugen "
When I die, I want to go peacefully like my Grandfather did, in his sleep -- not screaming, like the passengers in his car.