# Help needed for my Snake Rack



## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

I recently built my snake rack.
I'm using 44 l tubs ( 480 L, 300 W, 280 D), they are a bit high than usual just so that snakes can have a pearch to climb on.
Ive routed the heat cord in the melamine wood base, 60w reptile one heat cord.
But I'm unable to get the ambient temperature more than 20 degrees Celsius.
Can someone give an idea to help raise the temperature.
Pic attached for reference






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## Bl69aze (Jun 25, 2018)

Looks a bit too open causing draft to come from all sides, pretty sure racks should be enclosed on the sides to keep the heat in somewhat, aswell as heat cord should be in the back so the snake will be more covered.

Also can’t help but notice there’s no holes in the tubs? Is this still a WIP?


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## Shire pythons (Jun 25, 2018)

Hey mate personally i wouldnt be to worried about ambient temp , more on getting a good spot ! My racks are they same atm because of how cold it is only thing you can do is heat the whole room up with a heater or aircon etc. But like i said i wouldn worry if you are getting a good hot spot where your cord is like around 30-35 depending on whst you are keeping


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## saximus (Jun 25, 2018)

Shire pythons said:


> Hey mate personally i wouldnt be to worried about ambient temp , more on getting a good spot ! My racks are they same atm because of how cold it is only thing you can do is heat the whole room up with a heater or aircon etc. But like i said i wouldn worry if you are getting a good hot spot where your cord is like around 30-35 depending on whst you are keeping


What he said.

I have a rack very similar to this and have taped the thermostat sensor to a tile next to the tubs. That way it will be still be controlling it properly. Get yourself an IR thermometer and experiment with thermostat settings until you get the right temps on the inside surface of the tubs and you're golden.


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

Bl69aze said:


> Looks a bit too open causing draft to come from all sides, pretty sure racks should be enclosed on the sides to keep the heat in somewhat, aswell as heat cord should be in the back so the snake will be more covered.
> 
> Also can’t help but notice there’s no holes in the tubs? Is this still a WIP?


The heat cord is in the back, it's just that the photo is not taken from the front.
Tubs do have holes, just not in the back, just experimenting with different options.




Shire pythons said:


> Hey mate personally i wouldnt be to worried about ambient temp , more on getting a good spot ! My racks are they same atm because of how cold it is only thing you can do is heat the whole room up with a heater or aircon etc. But like i said i wouldn worry if you are getting a good hot spot where your cord is like around 30-35 depending on whst you are keeping


But if the ambient temp is low like 20 degrees, does it posses a risk of respiratory infections ?

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## Bl69aze (Jun 25, 2018)

The most important part is that you have a 30+ hotspot

Cool end temperatures are not as important as it’s just so they have a spot to escape the hot spot

It will be hard to get ambient temps above 20 as it’s the middle of winter and ambient outside temps are like 10


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

Bl69aze said:


> The most important part is that you have a 30+ hotspot
> 
> Cool end temperatures are not as important as it’s just so they have a spot to escape the hot spot
> 
> It will be hard to get ambient temps above 20 as it’s the middle of winter and ambient outside temps are like 10


Thank you mate 

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## Shire pythons (Jun 25, 2018)

Joe_do said:


> But if the ambient temp is low like 20 degrees, does it posses a risk of respiratory infections ?
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


No mate not if they have acess to a hotspot , 20 isnt really that low anyway . Most species would be subject to lower nighttime temps of that in the wild. I have a few jungles im cooling atm and they are getting down to about 13 at night and are absolutely fine . Bottom line is forget about ambient and focus on providing a good hotspot and your snake will do the rest !


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

Shire pythons said:


> No mate not if they have acess to a hotspot , 20 isnt really that low anyway . Most species would be subject to lower nighttime temps of that in the wild. I have a few jungles im cooling atm and they are getting down to about 13 at night and are absolutely fine . Bottom line is forget about ambient and focus on providing a good hotspot and your snake will do the rest !


Sure, thank you mate 

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## Shire pythons (Jun 25, 2018)

@bi69


Bl69aze said:


> The most important part is that you have a 30+ hotspot
> 
> Cool end temperatures are not as important as it’s just so they have a spot to escape the hot spot
> 
> It will be hard to get ambient temps above 20 as it’s the middle of winter and ambient outside temps are like 10


You seem to have changed your mind on this matter from previous threads haha


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

Joe_do said:


> Sure, thank you mate
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


Even the bottom bit of the tub is not going over 25 degrees, currently I'm using 60w 7.5 mt cord, 
Should I use 100w 12 mt cord or is it the way channel is routed or the cord placed ?

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## Flaviemys purvisi (Jun 25, 2018)

That's strange.. my 20w heat cord is still getting me a hot spot of 37° under my python tubs... with the ambient temp in the mid teens up here.


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

Flaviemys purvisi said:


> That's strange.. my 20w heat cord is still getting me a hot spot of 37° under my python tubs... with the ambient temp in the mid teens up here.


Can it be coz the distance between the rows is like 4 CMS apart, ?




Flaviemys purvisi said:


> That's strange.. my 20w heat cord is still getting me a hot spot of 37° under my python tubs... with the ambient temp in the mid teens up here.


Can it be that the cord needs to be up more?





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## Flaviemys purvisi (Jun 25, 2018)

Joe_do said:


> Can it be coz the distance between the rows is like 4 CMS apart, ?
> 
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


Yeah most likely, my rows are tight as, like 1cm apart... and I have like 8 passes under the end of each tub.


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## Bl69aze (Jun 25, 2018)

I think people say no more than 2cms between each route


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

Flaviemys purvisi said:


> Yeah most likely, my rows are tight as, like 1cm apart... and I have like 8 passes under the end of each tub.


But wouldn't the wood between the rows anyways prevent the heat from transfering to one another n not creating a heat up in the zone.
Also, Ive placed the heat cord to cover a lil less than one third of the tub, I reckon that much space should be a hot zone 

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## saximus (Jun 25, 2018)

How are you measuring the temperature?


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

saximus said:


> How are you measuring the temperature?


With those little digital thermometers , got two of them to be sure





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## saximus (Jun 25, 2018)

They are useless for measuring surface temperature. Get yourself an IR thermometer. They're quite cheap on eBay or places like Super Cheap Auto


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

saximus said:


> They are useless for measuring surface temperature. Get yourself an IR thermometer. They're quite cheap on eBay or places like Super Cheap Auto


I got that too, but if I point it at bottom of the tub, the IR ray goes through the translucent plastic n hits the cord which obviously won't give the correct temp of the surface of the plastic




saximus said:


> They are useless for measuring surface temperature. Get yourself an IR thermometer. They're quite cheap on eBay or places like Super Cheap Auto


Also, you think that the small digital thermometers would be off by 10 - 12 degrees?

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## saximus (Jun 25, 2018)

Joe_do said:


> I got that too, but if I point it at bottom of the tub, the IR ray goes through the translucent plastic n hits the cord which obviously won't give the correct temp of the surface of the plastic



That's not how they work. I'm guessing the "ray" you're referring to is the laser pointer in it which is purely there to help you work out where you're aiming. The infrared radiation will be radiating from the tub material and be sensed by the gun. you can't see that.



Joe_do said:


> Also, you think that the small digital thermometers would be off by 10 - 12 degrees?


Yes. They're not designed to measure surface temperature like that.


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

saximus said:


> That's not how they work. I'm guessing the "ray" you're referring to is the laser pointer in it which is purely there to help you work out where you're aiming. The infrared radiation will be radiating from the tub material and be sensed by the gun. you can't see that.
> 
> 
> Yes. They're not designed to measure surface temperature like that.


Heat gun reads 29 degrees, 
That when the tub is sitting on the heat cord since almost 3 hours, the rise in the temp is very slow

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## Prof_Moreliarty (Jun 25, 2018)

Just an FYI @Joe_do the wattage is based on the length of the cord so swapping to a 100w won’t give you more heat just more cord.


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

Prof_Moreliarty said:


> Just an FYI @Joe_do the wattage is based on the length of the cord so swapping to a 100w won’t give you more heat just more cord.


Oh snap, that's not good then , 

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## Flaviemys purvisi (Jun 25, 2018)

Joe_do said:


> But wouldn't the wood between the rows anyways prevent the heat from transfering to one another n not creating a heat up in the zone.
> Also, Ive placed the heat cord to cover a lil less than one third of the tub, I reckon that much space should be a hot zone
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


I don't have mine routed in, I just have it taped down in place and I've got ceramic tiles over the top of it. I guess the tiles absorb and hold the heat better than your wooden shelf.


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

Flaviemys purvisi said:


> I don't have mine routed in, I just have it taped down in place and I've got ceramic tiles over the top of it. I guess the tiles absorb and hold the heat better than your wooden shelf.


Doing that now would mean changing the whole structure of the rack


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## Flaviemys purvisi (Jun 25, 2018)

Joe_do said:


> Doing that now would mean changing the whole structure of the rack
> 
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


Yes I understand that.


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## Prof_Moreliarty (Jun 25, 2018)

What state are you in and what part of the house do you have your rack in @Joe_do? im on GC and have 2 passes 1.5-2cm apart and hot spot will get up to 37c in my rack if i dont regulate it.


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## Shire pythons (Jun 25, 2018)

Prof_Moreliarty said:


> What state are you in and what part of the house do you have your rack in @Joe_do? im on GC and have 2 passes 1.5-2cm apart and hot spot will get up to 37c in my rack if i dont regulate it.



Yeah my vision hatchy rack is only on 2 runs also and in a cold room and still hitting around 30+ . My arboreal rack with similar tubs and cord setup to yours is also hitting 30+ .. something must be off here ???? Is your cord running on a thermostat and possibly set to low ?? If so is your probe positioned in tub on hot spot ??(just running through a few ideas)


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

Prof_Moreliarty said:


> What state are you in and what part of the house do you have your rack in @Joe_do? im on GC and have 2 passes 1.5-2cm apart and hot spot will get up to 37c in my rack if i dont regulate it.


Mlb and the room temp at night drops around 11 to 15, sometimes lesser? Do u think coz the cord is routed more than 4 cm apart, that cld be the case ?




Shire pythons said:


> Yeah my vision hatchy rack is only on 2 runs also and in a cold room and still hitting around 30+ . My arboreal rack with similar tubs and cord setup to yours is also hitting 30+ .. something must be off here ???? Is your cord running on a thermostat and possibly set to low ?? If so is your probe positioned in tub on hot spot ??(just running through a few ideas)


Didn't even connect any thermostat? How far is Ur cords rows apart from each other in Ur arboreal rack, and I believe with vision racks there is no wood in between to stop the heat influx

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## Shire pythons (Jun 25, 2018)

Joe_do said:


> Didn't even connect any thermostat? How far is Ur cords rows apart from each other in Ur arboreal rack, and I believe with vision racks there is no wood in between to stop the heat influx
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


Probably about 1-2 cm its a cb80 vision rack. Are your tubs flat bottomed and sitting flush on your cord? Might also just be a case of letting it run over night build up some heat . I cant see how its not getting your tubs to at least 30
[doublepost=1529925424,1529925344][/doublepost]Cord spacing might be a bit far apart


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## Joe_do (Jun 25, 2018)

Shire pythons said:


> Probably about 1-2 cm its a cb80 vision rack. Are your tubs flat bottomed and sitting flush on your cord? Might also just be a case of letting it run over night build up some heat . I cant see how its not getting your tubs to at least 30
> [doublepost=1529925424,1529925344][/doublepost]Cord spacing might be a bit far apart


Yeah I tried leaving overnight doesn't help, they are flat tubs sitting on the rows of heat cord flat, I'll try n route the rows to 2.5 cm apart, reducing the distance between the rows, hope it helps

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## Scutellatus (Jun 25, 2018)

Joe_do said:


> Yeah I tried leaving overnight doesn't help, they are flat tubs sitting on the rows of heat cord flat, I'll try n route the rows to 2.5 cm apart, reducing the distance between the rows, hope it helps
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


You may have a dodgy heat cord. I would buy another one before you start re-routing it.


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## Joe_do (Jun 26, 2018)

Scutellatus said:


> You may have a dodgy heat cord. I would buy another one before you start re-routing it.


Did that yesterday !!! Got myself another 60w heat cord

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## Shire pythons (Jun 26, 2018)

Yeah mate id try closer spacing thats gotta be the problem @Joe_do . If still not getting temp up i reckon you might need to heat the whole room up a bit , must be very cold in there !


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## Joe_do (Jun 26, 2018)

Shire pythons said:


> Yeah mate id try closer spacing thats gotta be the problem @Joe_do . If still not getting temp up i reckon you might need to heat the whole room up a bit , must be very cold in there !


7 rows, 2.5 cm apart, did the job !!!

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## Shire pythons (Jun 26, 2018)

Sweet 


Joe_do said:


> 7 rows, 2.5 cm apart, did the job !!!
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


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## Flaviemys purvisi (Jun 26, 2018)

Joe_do said:


> 7 rows, 2.5 cm apart, did the job !!!
> 
> Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk


That's the go bud. Like I said, I run 8 passes at about 1-1.5cm apart and have never had an issue.


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## Joe_do (Jun 26, 2018)

Flaviemys purvisi said:


> That's the go bud. Like I said, I run 8 passes at about 1-1.5cm apart and have never had an issue.


Yeah I guess bringing the rows closer does increase the heat !!! Lesson Learnt .....

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