Reptile & Amphibian Forums

I'm currently installing 6 11" panels in the ceiling of a cage that measures about 270 gallons. Chris put out how many cu = a gallon and then it made sense to me why a 150 watt CHE wasn't doing the trick. I'm wiring a stat, then a dimmer, then an outlet which the flexwatt will plug into. I'll let it rest on peg board about 1/2" from the ceiling. Can I just install it or do I need a barrier between the ceiling and the flexwatt. I just cut a 1/32" piece of steel the same size as the peg board. I was going to fasten it to the ceiling and use it to reflect the heat back downward. Then install 1/2" spacers between the metal and peg board. The flexwatt would rest in the middle.

What I'd like answered:

Will the heat mess with the painted ceiling?
Will the metal sheet reflect the heat back down?
Will the metal sheet get to hot?
Is the metal barrier needed?

Any thoughts?
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DZ
1.0.0 Burm, Moses
0.0.2 Ball, Chico & Chewy (rescue, many scars)
0.2.0 Cats, Merideth & Hannah
1.0.0 Dog, Pivo (tumor in liver, will uethenized Oct 23)
Lotsa fish
1.4.0 Rats
0.2.0 Humans (a little obnoxious though)

What is going to happen here is that alot of the energy of the Flexwatt is going to heat the cage ceiling. Below that you will see cooler temps than what you had hoped.

Perhaps a better solution would be to line the ceiling with 1/2" thick styrene foam, then attach Flexwatt, then the metal over that.

Also, one radiant heat panel from Boaphile would do it all for you.
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Mark G

Assorted rosy boas, some annulata. That's it.

Trying to get the answer for the questions I have is difficult in a forum as you can not explain or counter suggest so....
I don't like the floor idea as it would become a major project. Like I said before each piece takes 4 people to move not to mention I have no place to store junior during construction. It has to be the ceiling.

I have 3/4" insulation styrofoam in 12" X 48" sheets. I'll line the ceiling with these. Then I'll install the piece of metal I have. Then I'll attach my version of a heat panel. By the way, I checked out the heat panels from Boafile and Pro-products. They are by far a better solution but I've already spent money on what I have and I am not one to waste. Plus, as a do it yourselfer I see this as a challenge I must concur. I'll test my product in my shop and if all is well, I'll let you all know.

Thanx for the advice

DZ
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DZ
1.0.0 Burm, Moses
0.0.2 Ball, Chico & Chewy (rescue, many scars)
0.2.0 Cats, Merideth & Hannah
1.0.0 Dog, Pivo (tumor in liver, will uethenized Oct 23)
Lotsa fish
1.4.0 Rats
0.2.0 Humans (a little obnoxious though)

What I'd like answered:

"Will the heat mess with the painted ceiling?"

No it shouldnt have any bearing on the paint

"Will the metal sheet reflect the heat back down?"

It will but as stated by mark it wont have alot of effect

"Will the metal sheet get to hot?"

It will get hot but shouldnt pose any hazards

"Is the metal barrier needed? "

Cant hurt esp if its already cut for it .

As to the heat panels if i were to go with any radiant heat panel there is only one i would choose and that is pro-products. They are a little more expensive then others but they are hands down the absolute BEST available. I havent used Ronnes heat panel but have seen posts that they were not " all that" and that was on his forums so i cant really say for sure .But i do know unless he has changed it there wasnt a warranty on them that i know of and the pro-products panels come with a 10yr warranty. that alone speaks VOLUMES if the product they sell if they will warranty it for 10 years then for the price of the assurity if it doesnt work or fails then you have a recourse to follow up on.Notto mention if ya talk with the guy who owns it he will size a panel according to thecage it is going into so it will be sized to heat it to meet your needs where most other radiant panels come in only a few sizes and if it doesnt do the job they try to sell you more to add to it when only one sized right should do it the first time
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....My Boa Can Kick Your Boas _ss!www.cheapcages.com
Visit the new website while the Jungle gets made over.

Right now money is an issue. I'm kinda stuck on, I already have the flexwatt & others can make it work - so can I. From what your telling me I may be wasting my time. If so, why do so many people use these things? Do they moreso use them from underneath? I'm shying away from this option as my cage comes in 2 sections right now. They each take 4 people to move. The floor is completely covered with linoleum which has been glued down. It would take a major overhaul to install in the floor, I may as well build another cage. Any more input?
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DZ
1.0.0 Burm, Moses
0.0.2 Ball, Chico & Chewy (rescue, many scars)
0.2.0 Cats, Merideth & Hannah
1.0.0 Dog, Pivo (tumor in liver, will uethenized Oct 23)
Lotsa fish
1.4.0 Rats
0.2.0 Humans (a little obnoxious though)

Ok ...

To work with what ya have ..
How thick is the floor of this cage ?
Im sure you have seen the post chris and my self have made on doing "false floor " now if you have or know anyone that does have a router you could flip the cage on the top and set the router with a 5/8 - 3/4" dado bit .You could set it say if its a 3/4" floor to remove say ... 3/8" - 1/2" of the floor material fro the bottom side this would lessen the thickness the flexwatt need to heat up to pass through the wood w/o loosing to much of its effiecny. This would allo the flexwatt to hatthe floor providing heat from the floor and still incorporate the use of the 150 CHE to add ambient temps to the cage itself. the floor heat would do the trick for digestion and the CHE would warm the ambient air to a degree in the cage itself.

When or if you do router the floor section from below make sure ya leave several inches of " meat" around the sides of the cage itself. hope this helps

PS.

you could also split the heat panels you have up 1/2 on floor 1/2 on ceiling if need be
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Buisnesses come and go everyday, what keeps you here is how you treated the customer the day before....My Boa Can Kick Your Boas _ss!www.cheapcages.com
Visit the new website while the Jungle gets made over.