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Building an Enclosure - Heating Question

R

renegade13

New member
Hello,

I'm going to be building an enclosure for my snake out of 3/4" melamine. I want to use heat tape on the bottom outside of the enclosure. My question is, will the heat tape supply enough heat to go through the 3/4" melamine to heat the belly of my snake? I really don't want to put the heat tape inside the cage, even if it's covered and properly sealed.

Thanks.
 
I agree, I would not put the heat tape inside the enclosure.

I am not sure if the tape will supply enough heat. My suggestion would be put everything together, and then monitor the temp before putting in a snake.
 
Melamine doesn't conduct heat well; so the flexwatt will have to run EXTREMELY hot on the obttom to adequately heat the cage. I've used flexwatt inside custom cages with no problem. I seal the hell out of the connections with silicone; then put a layer of plexiglass over the flexwatt and seal that as well to the floor. So there's two layers of sealent. No problems so far.
 
blueapplepaste said:
Melamine doesn't conduct heat well; so the flexwatt will have to run EXTREMELY hot on the obttom to adequately heat the cage. I've used flexwatt inside custom cages with no problem. I seal the hell out of the connections with silicone; then put a layer of plexiglass over the flexwatt and seal that as well to the floor. So there's two layers of sealent. No problems so far.
Click to expand...

Thanks. That's what I thought but I decided to ask anyway.

Is there a particular type of silicone that is safe to use inside the enclosure?
 
renegade13 said:
Thanks. That's what I thought but I decided to ask anyway.

Is there a particular type of silicone that is safe to use inside the enclosure?
Click to expand...

I just use the stuff from Home Depot; I buy the kind that has bio-seal, or whatever it's called. It has anti-fungal and anti-bacterial properties. I always let it cure for a couple of days just to make sure it's fully dried. I've observed no ill effects from using it.
 
PLEASE,PLEASE use a GOOD thermostat,like a Johnson or Ranco,for your setup instead of a Zoo med or some other cheapy.Better to spend a couple more bucks to be safe.What about routing out a slot for the flexwatt,to reduce the thickness so you don't have to run it so hot?
 
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