Flexwatt heat tape question

Hello all,
I am currently building a bookcase type display cage for my critters. It will be 6' tall, 4'wide, and 2' deep. It will contain 4 equaly spaced "shelves" which will give me 5 cages, all with plexi glass fronts. I am planning on using Flexwatt 11" wide heat tape strips on one end of each shelf wired to a thermostat. Now for the questions:
1. The shelves will be made of 3/4" melamine. For better heat transfer should I put the heat tape on the inside floor? If so do I need to cover it (aluminum foil, plexi glass, real glass)?
2. Have heard you must use a proportional thermostat with the heat tape. Is this correct? I was looking at the simple on/off models with the remote probe from ESU capable of handling 1000 watts. Will this work? Safety is a must!!! Does anyone have any pics of a similar cage or any ideas they could post? I will only use 2 of the cages for now but will have room for expansion. I currently have 1.0 corn and 0.1 Gray Banded King.
Thanks in advance,
Sam

Okay, heating melamine while done by many is not overly smart as it gives off huge amounts of formaldehyde and I've included a llink just for some basic info but if you google it you'll come up with a ton of the same thing. I wouldn't do it in my house for your safty or the animals but that's up to you.


http://www.lakes-environmental.com/toxic/FORMALDEHYDE.HTML


As for the temp control, I use two on/off controls and you can use them for heat tape or a frige. I put up a link for the ones I'd recomend and the info on where to buy them at the best price is at that link on my site. If you're student you get a discount so ask.

Anyway, I set one to turn the heat on at 83 and another to turn in all off at 87, if it gets to 87 I know the first one failed and it's the emergency shut off. You need to play with the temps for your setup but you get the idea.

http://www.angelfire.com/nv/impactreptiles/supp.html

Okay, heating melamine while done by many is not overly smart as it gives off huge amounts of formaldehyde

Click to expand...

This is simply false. It's a claim that's been passed around for years and has been completely blown out of proportion. While there is a grain of truth in it, somewhere along the line it reached the point of urban legend.
Melamine resin does contain formaldehyde, but the fumes emitted are trace amounts. Finished melamine has 0.01% free formaldehyde by weight. The process of manufacturing the board uses heat and pressure which cures the formaldehyde resin, in which state it cannot be emitted.
The heating of the board in a cage isn't nearly adequate to release the bonded contaminants, the board would have to actually be ignited.

Cutting melamine is a far greater risk, due to the dust particles that can be inhaled. This is true of any fiberboard, and some plywoods. Once the cage is constructed the actual danger is all but non existant.
The workers in the manufacturing plant are exposed to the raw resin before curing. This is the maximum exposure point, and even their exposure levels do not exceed OSHA standards, so it is impossible that after the process is complete and the board is cured that exposure levels can be greater.
To say that huge amounts of formaldehyde are given off is in reality the farthest thing from the truth of the matter.

Thanks Adam for the links. And Clay thanks for your info, but whats your take on my cage idea? I know you have built many yourself and I would welcome any advice.
Thanks

I personally wouldn't build that unit the way you describe. It has a few drawbacks I try to avoid.
It will be a huge and extremely heavy unit. I'd be more inclined to build the cages seperately to make it easier to manage.
The main problem I would have with it is the height of the individual cages. Alot of people use very low cages, some down to 11" of height in a 4x2 cage. I personally don't like these dimensions. The finished cage looks odd to me being so short compared to the length and width, and I prefer a little more vertical space. I normally go 18" high for a 4x2 cage. It just looks better to me.
Granted, the vertical space isn't always needed, but it gives a better proportional look to the finished cage.

Cages that size are really an overkill for the species you intend to house in them. More space is always better, but there comes a point where there's just no need. Large cages like that are great however for naturalistic displays, but again the height would be a detracting factor from the finished look.
I would probably go with a 3x2x16 cage like this one instead and heat it with 1 foot of 11" wide flexwatt.

I've been pondering a similar cage design for a while myself. I built one years ago, which needs replacing now, but it was quite basic and made entirely out of melamine. Since then I have not built many multi cage units, they're just more difficult for me to deal with in the herp room.
I've been thinking about a 4 cage unit for my son's bedroom to house his cornsnakes in, built similar to what you describe but smaller in scale. It's a little difficult to put into words what I picture in my mind though.
I'm currently constructing some cages that would be ideal for colubrids which incorporate a subterranean hide drawer in the cage which can double as a laying chamber for the females. This essentially doubles the area of the cage without extending the dimensions.

To answer your questions though, your best bet will probably be to put the flexwatt inside the cage. There's not alot of alternatives when using flexwatt in a wooden cage. Melamine is a great insulator, and that adds to the inability to put the tape under the floor.
When I install heat tape inside the cage I solder the connections and coat them with silicone to water proof them. I also silicone the flexwatt to the cage foor to prevent the snakes from hiding under it. It also makes cleaning easier since bedding and urates don't get under it either.

You will definately need a temperature controller of some sort. I haven't used the ESU controllers, so I don't know much about them. I have used Helix and Big Apple proportional controllers and both are nice units.
A proportional controller isn't absolutely required though, and they are fairly expensive. Colubrids just don't need +/- 0.5° accuracy. I am really fond of the ZooMed Repti-Temp 500R thermostats for a reliable and inexpensive controller. I use these on many cages and even my incubators. They are an on/off type and can be had for $22.50 from Reptile Direct, the cheapest place I have found for them.

Clay,
You have built some fantastic cages! I was looking in particular to the display cage here http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/dcage01.html
I would like to extend the height by 2 feet to make 4 16" tall cages. I would also cut the depth back to 24". Granted it won't be as aesthetically pleasing as yours but it should still be functional. I only have a 4 1/2 foot wide wall for cages. So I am forced to go vertical if I want to expand past the 2 snakes I currently have (which I do!). I realize weight will be an issue but don't plan on moving it once setup. And by staying at 24" depth I can still get it out of my house if necessary. What other problems do you think I will have? Any suggestions? Do you think I should stick to the plywood as in my original plan or try the shelving boards as you did? Sorry for all the questions but you seem to have alot of notches on your belt when it comes to cages.
Thanks,
Sam

Clay you and I are going to go back and forth on this.

Legal formaldehyde levels in the US are insanely high when you compair them to outher Countrys. Mainly because of the money involved.

When it comes to reptiles I'll give a little flex when you're talking about one rack. However the UofA, Jim Jacho and Jim Kane looked into ths issue when Jim Kanes production dropped from 1000s of babies to under 100 in a single year. The cause was for 100% fact the formaldehyde. This is of course a bigger issue for a breeder with a ton of cages in a smaller building but still an issue.

I never have nor would I ever risk the health of my family to heat a rack when there are other better and lighter options.

2x4 racks come out very nice. You can also use a nicer wood like poplar and face the tops with a plastic like sani-lite in any one of 5 or 6 colors.

This doesn't even metion building racks out of plastic, you can use 1/4 inch and it's 60% lighter then a 3/4 wood rack. You should be able to build the plastic rack for a close price anyway. My first choice is a hybrid rack however as you can build it with screws and it save huge weight.

What reason it there for building melamine racks anymore?

If you do for some reason decide you need/want to then never you more then 1.5 sheets as it's very hard for even two people to move a rack like I'm about to attach a picture of.

There are 7 racks in that picture. 4 on the left then one on the bottom right and two baby racks on top of that. Moving day SUCKED!!!!

I have free plans at www.impactreptiles.com under the supplies link. Even if you don't use those plans I have a few good tips there.