Reptile & Amphibian Forums

O.K. I'm going nuts!!! I have a rack system and a rheostat with a probe. I have duct taped the probe onto the heat tape itself. I have duct taped the probe inside a sterilite against the back wall. I have drilled a hole in the back of my rack unit and let the probe rest behind the sterilite. Nothing seems to work and keep the back of my rack heated. Every method I have used heats the tape, knocks out the power to adjust to my temperature setting and my sterilites are keeping a constant room temperature. I live in New England and it is starting to get cold. I need to find a way to mount, place or whatever with the probe so the back of all my sterilite cages stay warm and the front stays room temperature of about 70 degrees. Can someone please offer some advice where to mount the probe??? The only method that kept the cages warm was to duct tape the probe inside a sterilite. But, when I clean the sterilite, I have to retape it back to the wall of the cage every time. There has to be a some way to mount the probe without retaping it every time and having it staionary without moving the probe and messing up my temperature settings???? Please help!

Insulate the back of the rack. I have used rigid insulation to resolve the same problem. Last winter I could not maintain temps and control my evening drop. I picked up a couple of pieces of 24"x48" 2" thick rigid insulation from home depot. I placed these on the back and side facing a window, issue resolved.

Thank you for the advice! However, my rack is no where near a window. My rack is against a wall that is on the opposite side of the room from the window. Did you just put the insulation on the outside of the back and side of your rack???

- Justin

I agree about insulating the rack. Most of my racks have Reflectix insulation wrapped around the back. Nice this about Reflectix is that it's fire-rated unlike most other insulation. But other stuff will work as well.

BTW, Reflectix is that stuff that looks like bubble wrap covered with aluminum foil.

Regarding the probe, I think you need to come up with a way to mount the probe outside of a tub but in a way that mimics what the tub is experiencing.

Maybe cut a piece of PVC pipe that touches the heat tape on one end and goes up to the upper shelf of the rack on the other. I would use the largest diameter pipe that can fit in there and still allow the box to work.

The drill a hole in the pipe and stick the probe in there.

This is going to take some experimenting and no solution is without it's related problems. Whenever making such a change be sure to do it over a weekend or on your days off when you can monitor things closely.

Also, how many watts of heat tape are you running and what thermostat are you using?

I have a Johnson Control rheostat and not sure what wattage I'm running? If I mount a pipe in the back of the enclosure, the sterilites won't go all the way back and then my animals would escape? I now have the probe drilled in the back wall and hanging inside the top sterilite. However, the temperature drops 2 degrees at each level going down the rack. Heat rises, but I don't know how to regulate the whole rack without overheating or underheating my snakes?

>>I have a Johnson Control rheostat and not sure what wattage I'm running?

I don't know much about the Johnson Control thermostat. I assume you mean thermostat (and not a rheostat as your wrote) since you indicate there is a probe?

I believe there is a way to set the hysterisis on the JC T-stat so the temperature flucuation is reduced.

>>If I mount a pipe in the back of the enclosure, the sterilites won't go all the way back and then my animals would escape?

I meant the largest pipe possible that would still allow the rack to function properly. There are some downfalls with this idea and it is probably best if you avoid it.

>>I now have the probe drilled in the back wall and hanging inside the top sterilite. However, the temperature drops 2 degrees at each level going down the rack. Heat rises, but I don't know how to regulate the whole rack without overheating or underheating my snakes?

Maybe try that in the middle box.

I don't know if this will help your situation but this is what I did to get a little consistency. As Chris said each way probably has it'ds drawbacks.

On my AP rack I drilled a hole with a unibit, at the 5th level on a ten slot rack. I then taped the probe directly to the heat tape securely so it can't come off.

I then usually have one box empty and tape an inside/outside digital thermometer in it with the probe taped to the bottom of the tub over the heat tape area and the readout visible from the outside. With the "inside" temp window telling me the overall temp in the tub and I adjust it accordingly.

As long as I'm willing to leave a tub unused, it allows me to move that "smart" tub around if I needed. (I leave it where it is and things have been fine though)

so far ,for me, that been a good compromise.

good luck.

The window was just an example of the type of conditions that can cause your racks to lose heat. In my case, I have to deal with ceramic tile flooring, a sliding glass door near my row of racks, and very little direct sunlight during the winter. I can lose heat to all the above.
You can attach the insulation using double sided tape, velcro, etc. Just be sure to put it right up against the rack, no air gaps. Not the prettiest setup but it works and is very affordable.