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RBI Heat rack question

Pluke

Pluke

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I'm new to rack systems and the like and I'm probably going to buy a rack system from Reptile Basics since I hear really good things about Rich and his products. I just have some questions.. how exactly do these racks work? Do you need a thermometer such as a Viv. Electronic 100-VE for them to heat up? Or do they just plug it into the wall? His website suggests a 412L IR heat gun as a thermometer.. but I don't know how you would control the heat other than plugging and unplugging the rack into the wall, do they have some kind of dimmer switch?

Thanks, -Luke.
 
Thermostat is dimmer or switch I don't know about ve controllers I have herpstats and helix both work great for me. As far as keeping house warm how cold is your house. My house get cool so I have a dedicated a room for my snakes stays at 80 all year
 
Rich's racks need to be used with a thermostat, as do most if not all of the other racks sold. You can technically get by with a dimmer I suppose, but I've always been of the mind that if I'm going to invest the money in nice snakes, I'm going to protect them with a solid thermostat on the rack. Haven't used the RB thermostats, but have seen a lot of positive reviews on them.

You plug the rack into the thermostat, and then the thermostat into the wall. The probe on the thermostat that you attach to the heat source on the rack tells the thermostat when to kick on and off. A temp gun is just for measuring your temps, and is a good thing to have on hand.

As far as having a cold house, like said above it depends on how cold your house gets. These racks don't do too much to hold in temps if your room is cold.
 
Thanks guys, yah I originally planned to get a VE-100 with it. I was just a little confused when it was suggested to use the IR 412L heat gun. I'm pretty new to this, but I figured you'd have to atleast run it through a thermostat, just wasn't sure. I'm going to be keeping pacman frogs in the rack, so I'm gonna need to keep the temps at about 80 during the day. My house can get as low as 60 degrees but I'll be keeping the rack in a room with a space heater I think.

I was thinking of putting a plexi-glass door with ventilation holes in it on the rack to help hold heat.. you think that would help at all? Maybe even put some insulation around the outside.. I'm sure I'll figure someway to help it hold heat. Just wanted opinions. Thanks again.
 
Not sure the plexiglass has much of an insulation value to it, to make it worth the trouble. I've insulated with panels of styro insulation before, and that has worked to an extent. A space heater in the room works well, too. (Using that one myself right now.)

Good luck with the frogs. :)
 
Yeah.. I'm betting Insulation will be the best option along with the space heater as necessary.

Thank you Shadera. :)
 
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