Rubbermaid Containers

[Snakeleg]

Hi everybody!

There is a bit of talk about Rubbermaid Containers and I was wondering how would you heat the hot side?
Would you set it on a piece of elevated glass with a stick-on-the-bottom heater pad or something or would you have to use lighting in some kind of configuration?

If anyone has pics of their container set-up or any suggestions at all I would greatly appreciate gaining some knowledge on this subject.

Thanks.

James

[sSNAKESs.com]

for 1 rubbermaid just use a human heating pad from like walmart and place it under 1/3 of the tank :)

[Big Mike]

An Under Tank Heater (UTH) will work well to heat a Rubbermaid, as will heat tape. Just put it under the Rubbermaid. Don't worry about the rubbermaid melting from the UTH. As long as you have it set up to create a healthy temp for a herp it won't be anywhere near hot enough to melt plastic. A heat lamp placed right on the plastic might be a little too hot but if the UTH is creating a good temp with a good warm to cool gradient, then you should not need a lamp.

Search for pictures of rack set ups...they almost always use plastic containers.

[SDSnakes]

I just stick heat pads under them.

[josefg]

I suggest that you use a thermostat to get the proper temperature with an UTH.

[Linds]

You can stick the UTH right on it, you can use heat tape, or you can use heat mats (cobra, etc) since they can be removed easily. YOu will need to control these with a dimmer/rheostat so they don not get too hot. I would recommend avoiding the use of human heat pads. They have the built in convenience of settings, but they are more of a fire hazard. Many people have used them for years with no subsequent problems, but some have lsot their homes and collections to them as well. The fact remains that they were not designed to be left on 24/7. My 2cp :)

[Edwin]

I just place a human heat pad under about 1/3 of the rubbermaid. The bottom may warp slightly over time, depending on which model rubbermaid you get, but it is very minimal. I have had this setup for slightly over a year. It has maintained an excellent thermal gradient.

Another option you can do is to cut a hole at the top of the rubbermaid, cover it with wire mesh and place a heat lamp on top of it. This works well too, as long as you dont use too high a wattage.

A lot of people use flexwatt to heat their rubbermaids, but I am no electrician and have no idea how to go about it.

Hope this helps.

E