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Repti Heat Cable and plastic

JColt

JColt

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OK, So I ordered a 39 ft of repti heat cable. I had watched some reviews but after I get it the manual says do not use on plastic!

I planned on using 3 loops across back about 2 in apart, 8 feet each way of heavy duty plastic shelf to sit 4 plastic tubs on and hooked to thermostat. The bins have feet on them and cable makes contact slightly. They wouldn't crush cable. This is a temporary set up until early spring. Below is photo of shelf and bins

Yea or nay? I was planning on covering with aluminum tape. I have never used cable before and it says on glass only but many others are using. Thoughts please and thanks!

do6t0w.jpg
 
long story short...
I had to tub a bunch of snakes temporarily, that ended up being for 3+ months.
1. Make sure you regulate cable with a t-stat
2. If you lay the cable between the shelf and the bins, I'd think it will melt/warp the shelf because I initially had my bins sitting on PVC and the heat cable marred the PVC.
3. I ended up setting 1/2 or 3/4 inch styrofoam on the pvc to protect it, laid the cable on the styrofoam, then set the bins on the cable.
-the bins were always fine...no melting or warping or smell
-I had to monitor the styrofoam and shift the cable every 4-7 days to a fresh part of the styrofoam because it was "melting" the styrofoam (the cable was slowly sinking into the foam)
-I had to religiously monitor temps in the bins, even with a t-stat, because the bins were sitting out, not in a rack, so ambient air was a major factor, as well as the cable slowly sinking into the styrofoam so that meant the cable was slowly moving farther away from the bottom of the bin.
-I put a sheet over the bins (not near cable, to help regulate bin temps
This was less than ideal to say the least.
*****I later saw a YouTube video of a guy using a piece of plywood on a plastic shelf and affixing flexwatt to the plywood. That might? work with cable heat?
 
Last edited:
Thanks Darlene, I have 1/2 osb board that I'm going to use with Panduit cable clamps to hold in place. Thanks for responding!
 
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