Have a Unique Idea for a Rack System, What Do You Think?

[Neon Aurora]

So I was wandering around Home Depot today, brainstorming on what I want to do to create a rack system so I can start building up my collection. I was looking for something a little easier than building a shelving unit, and I came across some materials and had an idea. I almost bought all of it, but then I decided I should come ask everyone on the forum and see if anyone could see problems with it.

So my plan is to use metal shelving of sorts, like this:
freedomRail 9 Inch Profile Wire Shelving - White in FreedomRail Wire Shelving
(Of course I realize this one is too short, but it's just an example of the material I want to use)

And simply cut it to size and mount it on the wall. I could run heat tape along it and put my tubs on it. I plan to cut it so that each shelf holds three tubs and and I could just continue to add more shelves as my collection grows.

Personally I can't see anything wrong with this. It would be really cheap and space efficient, but I want to make sure it's a good idea before I buy anything. What do you guys think?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I would hesitate to use anything metal where electricity is concerned. If the coating on the metal shelves was scratched and came into contact with the heat tape the entire shelf could carry a charge and potentially shock you if you touched it. To make it safer I might place a piece of wood or plexiglass over it.

I find the enclosed PVC racks hold heat really well. If your reptile room stays around 76-80 this may not be a concern for you. Living in Northern Ohio it is a concern for me! I think I would wind up spending a lot more on electricity in an "open" rack system in the winter when my room is 65-75 degrees.

 

[Neon Aurora]

Hm, good point bout the electric charge. Maybe I could just mount some plywood to the wall instead.

I'm actually thinking the open rack system is a good idea for me because my reptile room is more often too hot than too cold. I live in New Mexico, so it's really warm here in the summer. I run a small space heater in the reptile room in the winter and have no problem keeping the temps reasonable. However, in the summer, I have a hard time cooling that room down. I have to keep the door shut(I've got cats) and the cooler is in the hallway. In any case, I'm trying to not hold heat because with the bright New Mexico sun, I can't keep that room cool all the time. My reptiles have never had an issue in the cold winter nights, even the ones who have their heat sources shut off at night(the ones that use lights), so I'm definitely more concerned with allowing heat to escape than keeping it in. In fact, I'm not even running my UTHs during the day right now, it get WAY too warm.

I also like the idea of the mounted shelves because it's more portable and takes up less space. If I ever needed to move, I could just un-mount the shelves and stack them on top of each other rather than moving a whole shelving unit.

 

[indyana]

I'd seen other people use wall-mounted shelves, but I was also concerned about the wire shelving material. I think if you changed the material coming into contact with the heat tape, it would be cool.

Worth noting that you'd need to be extremely careful to keep cats out of the reptile room though, as open shelves like that would be an invitation to have geckos knocked everywhere.

 

[Neon Aurora]

Yeah, I didn't understand how heat tape worked. Now that I understand, I see why metal would be dangerous.

Right now I'm debating between either using the metal shelves but grounding them, or just using plywood. I feel a little nervous about using heat tape on wood, which is why I wanted to go with metal originally. What do you guys think? Grounded metal or plywood or a different material?

And of course about the cats. I'm extremely cautious. Right now one of my leo tanks doesn't have a lid so I've been very careful not to let any cats in there.

Also, what kind of heat tape should I use? I thought about using this: Heat Tape But I've also seen people use Flexwatt and other brands. Any opinions?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

I have a rack made out of wood. There's no issue with it unless the heat tape develops a short or other issue. If that happens I don't think the substance it's on is going to matter much. A good thermostat with a shut off feature should keep the temperature under 92 and not pose a fire hazard. The bins do hold a bit of humidity and over time will make unsealed surfaces icky. You'd definitely want to seal the wood somehow so water/mold/bacteria/etc doesn't soak into it and cause issues. I've heard good things about the THG heat tape. I don't think I would hesitate to use it.

 

[Neon Aurora]

I see. I'm thinking I'll use lacquered particle board. Does that seem like a good option?

Also, I don't understand heat tape. It says I need to have a 0.5 inch air gap. Does that mean I need to elevate the tubs 0.5 inches above the heat tape? If so, how do I do this? Also, as for this aluminum tape stuff, what do I do with that? I thought the heat tape wasn't supposed to touch any electricity conducting surfaces?

 

[DrCarrotTail]

Most of the tubs have feet. The tape needs adequate airflow so it doesn't overheat. I think my tubs are only about 1/4 inch raised and they seem fine. In order to stick the tape down you need tape of some sort. Something like duct tape will insulate it and prevent the heat from reaching your bins well. Aluminum tape, if used correctly won't touch the metal parts of the tape and carry a charge but also won't hinder heat transfer.

I don't know much about lacquer but I used shellac for a rack I recently built since it's totally non-toxic. It took a lot of time and shellac to cover the rack and I wound up spending almost as much on hardwood plywood and shellac as I would have buying better materials...haha. The other thing I found was that the thinner particle board has some give to it and if you don't keep all the tubs in the rack it may sag in a way that leaves a big enough gap for babies to escape through.

 

[Neon Aurora]

Hmm, I'm not sure my tubs have feet. They're not flat on the bottom. They have a raised border and a gap on each side but I'm not sure that would be enough airflow.

That's true about the particle board having give. Maybe I should use plywood. I think lacquer would work, but I would have to do some more research. Maybe shellac would be better.