So a while ago one of my tubs got melted on the bottom. I fixed it and flipped it around. But it started to burn in the same spot on the other side of the tub. Decided it was probably best to replace the heat tape and to secure it were it wouldnt bubble up, but now I believe the heat tape just went bad. The person who built this rack ran it face up and face down, is it safe to replace it in the same way?
Your asking if it’s ok to run the heat tape face up or down? Unless there’s a way to run a single piece running face up or you can use all individual pieces of heat tape with thier own plugs into a surge protector.
Did you check the heat tape the first time it burned? I would assume rubbing caused the burn out.
I checked it when it first happened and it did not appear brown like it is now. My hatchling rack is by a different company and they do the same thing running a single piece face up and face down but it is a different brand of heat tape.
I would only use the THG brand/style or similar quality/style tape. I’ve seen some that have fire retardant on one side that are more for wrapping pipes used in a rack. Your tubs rubbing is a weak spot, I’m always checking hot spots and inspecting tape regardless, It’s worth the time.
That is THG
Yeah it looked it. I mean stuff does go bad and even malfunction. They recommend for best efficiency to have one side of the heat tape be exposed. Recessing tape allows for that and stops it from contacting the tub. No heat tape being rubbed on all the time is gonna last forever. You’re lucky you did catch it either way it happened, for yours and your animals sake.
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Yeah I freaked out when I saw it had gotten that bad. I replaced it with the new tape, and before I put the backing back on I test fitted the tubs to make sure they weren’t rubbing the tape. So far everything is fine, I’m keeping a close eye on it now.
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I think you are describing when the heat tape is one long piece and woven up the rack so if the first tub is on side a, the second tub is side b, third tub side a and so on?
I would ask the heat tape manufacture or at least the seller of the tape. Lots of places sell it, I got my last order from Pangea. You could also look at different brands of rack that use one piece heat tape and talk to the maker.
A malfunctioning heat tape can cause a rack fire and potentially kill all of your reptiles and burn down your house. It is important to try to figure out what caused the malfunction.
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