Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Hi everyone,

Some of you might recall that I have had a hard time getting my radiant heat panels (RHP's) to work well in my setups. Well, I finally figured it out, and they work great now. It was all a matter of controlling the amount of ventillation in the enclosure (to be clear - less ventillation = much better RHP performance).

But, now I have a new problem. I just got a new enclosure for my burm - a great one that is 8' long and 3' deep (he seems to love it). I also got a new RHP for it, appropriately sized from the manufacturer (who is a great guy to deal with, btw). I installed it on one end, set it up on a thermostat, and its working perfectly.

Here's my problem: the doors on the new enclosure are warping! Yes, they are warping, inwards, so badly that its getting difficult to open/close them. The doors are made of clear acrylic mounted in sliding tracks.

This is ridiculous. Just when I fixed one problem, up comes another.

I just talked to the manufacturer of the cage who informed me that the acrylic is only rated to 80ºF, after which it will warp by 0.005" per degree F. Now, I'm about 102ºF on the hot end, so that translates to about 0.11", but, BUT, its constant heat - so it just keeps warping!

They recommended that I replaced the acrylic doors with glass.

Its always something, I tell ya. Its always something.

Ok - let me go see how much glass replacements are going to cost me...

- Mark
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If it wasn't for bad luck, I wouldn't have no luck at all. Eric Clapton, 1970 somethin'. Sorry Mark, hope you get it worked out.

Quig

Glass should only be around $25 per side depending on the size. I just think it's kind of dumb to make a cage for an animal that clearly requires higher temps, and use a lower temp rated material. Where did you get your new cage from?
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DZ

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -- George Orwell

I have the same trouble with my commercial cages and acrylic.
I have a lot of weight on them as well.
However, I have drop down doors which definitely helps.
The doors warp, but because they dont need to slide,the warping is a non issue.
Something to keep in mind when building or buying a cage.

Hi Mark what thicknes of plexi are you using and there is another clear plastic called lexan that is more exspensive but takes the heat better.I used it before to make see through cover for my nephews engine in his van and it took the heat with no problem