Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm in the middle of building my rack. Now I've heard that you need to put metal tape over it or route a groove for it so it doesn't get worn out when you slide the boxes in and out. How do I do this??? Thanks for any help!

............... are you useing? if it's melamine you could make a channel with a router.it doesn't have to be deep,i believe flex watt is .012 thick,best to double check.the other method is to simply lay down the heat tape,make your electrical connection then attach with metal tape,the metal tape not only secures the heat tape but also spreads the heat out.metal tape can be found in the plumbing/ducts section,it's used for sealing seams to duct work.

You won't need to worry about a router at all.

Look closely at the picture below. I believe the second shelf from the bottom is white-melamine and you'll see some darker strips on either side of the shelf. It does not show up as well on the other, darker shelves.

Those are simply strips of 1/8" hardboard that I nailed to the shelves. Heat tape or pads can easily be placed between these strips providing a nice air space.

And you can make it even simpler. Buy some fairly thick poster board or "mat" board from a framing shop and cut strips of it with scissors. Staple that down to your shelves. If the boxes don't slide well on the board then place down a layer of clear packing tape or contact paper.

I still recommend foil-tape to hold the heating element in place.

The nicest thing about this technique is that it allows you to build your rack with fairly large gaps (the space between the top of the box and the upper shelf). With these strips you can customize just how tight each level is by using thicker or thinner strips or simply adding more strips of a thinner material.

This is another "trick" I came up with that I'll always use from now on.

...........use any size tub in any height shelf opening.for example you could change tubs to accomadate the growth of the snakes and use the same rack.mmmmmmmmmmm......the gears are turning.

Had a rack built around the taller 32 qt. Sterilites. Each shelf either held one of those or two of the half-sized boxes.

I had a snake outgrow one of the half-sized boxes and only had a 28 qt. rubbermaid to put it in. I just shimmed it up with some 1/4" acrylic and something else I had laying around and the idea was born.

I think the main benefit of this is that it allows novice builders some slop when they build their racks. If each tier is not perfectly square they can be built them up until the box is secure. This is not an option when each tier is built too tight. As I'm sure you know making the racks too tight is the biggest mistake that beginners make.

I've got another idea that takes this idea to the extreme. I don't know if I can explain it so I may just have to build one and take pictures.

...................a rack system that has adjustable shelfs.instead of moving the tub up and down,you would move the shelf up or down.so far the componets that i've found are too costly.having fun!