Little Time On My Hands

[Len B]

I had time to try something today, I decided to build a warming station. I used 4 pcs of 16x16 ceramic tile,1 standard extension cord,about 11 linear ft of self regulating low wattage heat tape, several pcs of shrink wrap, tape( i used fiberglass reinforced aluminum tape),and about an hour of time.It is not finished(need to seal it) but done enough to test it out, it's heating 10 to 12 degrees above room(floor) temperature, which is what I expected from previous projects using this type of heat tape.I wasn't looking for hot, just want to raise the bottom temps a little.Len

 

[ascott]

Very cool...are you going to use it in an enclosure? Or a heat station for a larger space in your home?

 

[AnthonyC]

Nice, Len! Very creative!!!

 

[lynnedit]

Very nice. Is the third pic where you added the shrink wrap to hold it together?

 

[Len B]

Angela, I made it as a test to see how it worked, I will probably use this one for the yellow foots when the weather gets bad enough where they must stay in the garage full time,this way I wont need as much overhead heat to keep them warm,which means it will be easier to keep the humidity up.basically it works the same as a propagation pad, not real hot but warmer. Lynne, the third pic is where I used the alum tape to secure everything in place so it doesn't move when the top tiles are in place(pic4),the shrink wrap can be seen in the first 2 pics, it is used on the electrical connections and the end of the heat tape to make it safe.I am going to use silicone caulking in the seams and edges to help keep moisture out of the area between the top and bottom tiles,Oh and AnthonyC, thanks for looking also. Len

 

[CtTortoiseMom]

Very nice and creative! Thank's for the step by step too

 

[rasputin]

Similar to Underfloor heating, nice idea. this is why my boys like the bathroom lol.

 

[paschallraschalls]

Looks like a really neat idea! I can't wait to see how it works for you!

 

[lynnedit]

Angela, I made it as a test to see how it worked, I will probably use this one for the yellow foots when the weather gets bad enough where they must stay in the garage full time,this way I wont need as much overhead heat to keep them warm,which means it will be easier to keep the humidity up.basically it works the same as a propagation pad, not real hot but warmer. Lynne, the third pic is where I used the alum tape to secure everything in place so it doesn't move when the top tiles are in place(pic4),the shrink wrap can be seen in the first 2 pics, it is used on the electrical connections and the end of the heat tape to make it safe.I am going to use silicone caulking in the seams and edges to help keep moisture out of the area between the top and bottom tiles,Oh and AnthonyC, thanks for looking also. Len

I didn't know there were shrink wrap tubes for electrical connections! Cool. I was looking for saran wrap, lol.