I'm curious how everyone goes about keeping their frog racks warm during the winter. I keep the majority of my frogs at my workshop, which maintains a lower average temp than my home. Previously I've wrapped my racks with clear-ish thick plastic in order to hold in the heat from the lights. It works great, but it kills my ability to observe my frogs. I have considered using a room heater, but I'm trying to keep the electric bill in check and there is some concern of a fire by leaving a room heater on unwatched. What other methods are you guys using?
How do you plan to heat your rack this winter?
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I heat the entire room with one of these:
Newegg.com - SOLEUS AIR 4-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner/Heater/Dehumidifier/Fan 12,000 BTU Cooling Capacity LX-120HP
Newegg.com - SOLEUS AIR 4-in-1 Portable Air Conditioner/Heater/Dehumidifier/Fan 12,000 BTU Cooling Capacity LX-120HP
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I use something like this.
Walmart.com: Indus Tools Cozy Products Flat Panel Heater: Heating, Cooling, & Air Quality
and i hook it up to this
Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats: Patio, Lawn & Garden
It keeps the temps around 70-75. keep the misting up bc it can be a bit drying.
Walmart.com: Indus Tools Cozy Products Flat Panel Heater: Heating, Cooling, & Air Quality
and i hook it up to this
Amazon.com: Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat For Heat Mats: Patio, Lawn & Garden
It keeps the temps around 70-75. keep the misting up bc it can be a bit drying.
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Max and I use this electric, oil filled heater. Shop Feature Comforts Oil-Filled Heater at Lowes.com The thermostat leaves a lot to be desired so we use a digital, two stage RANCO thermostat which also lets us hook up an air conditioner or fan to the second stage. This gives us full control heating and cooling. We can set it to be accurate within 1 degree. ETC Supply
Thanks for the input, guys. My frog room is about 13x12 so I'll probably just go ahead and grab a room heater. It would be nice to be able to actually see my frogs this winter instead of dealing with all the plastic. I've had a lot of overheating issues with heaters in the past though so I'm slightly apprehensive about it. Are any of you heating a room of similar size? I'm curious to know what the impact was on your electrical bill.
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That is exactly why I run mine on a RANCO ETC. It is extremely accurate!
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As you are in Arizona, is it something you don't have to worry about anymore? I imagine you have to deal more with Summer's heat.
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Yep - this was in Maine, before I moved.
We have fairly steady temps here - it's just a lot of work to keep them steady in the home.
Furnace, Swamp Cooler, Air Conditioner and Opened-up House all have a place here (at different times of the year). I keep the temperature in the frog room between 58 and 78.
Of course I also use LED lighting to lower waste heat. Whatever I can do to keep temps down, I do. I have an insulated window shade that helps when it really gets hot out.
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We have fairly steady temps here - it's just a lot of work to keep them steady in the home.
Furnace, Swamp Cooler, Air Conditioner and Opened-up House all have a place here (at different times of the year). I keep the temperature in the frog room between 58 and 78.
Of course I also use LED lighting to lower waste heat. Whatever I can do to keep temps down, I do. I have an insulated window shade that helps when it really gets hot out.
s
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High quality, soft coat, LowE glass in your windows can make a big difference in blocking out some of that heat. Don't even bother with the cheaper, hard coat.
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The window is fairly shaded - it rarely gets direct sunlight. So what we're really trying to block here is ambient heat - the insulation and tight fit on the window blind basically creates an insulated air buffer.
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