Connecting heat tape

[TheSnakeEye]

Ive been trying to call they guy I usually get my retile supplies from but he hasn't answered for a week straight and I need to know the answer already.

Ok so I've just finished constructing a new rack for my snakes. It's constructed out of melamime and each shelf is exactly 6 1/4" above the last. I want to use 4" flexwatt heat tape doubled up on each shelf. But I need to know how to connect the pieces together on the same shelf and how to connect each shelf together so they all go to one power source. If my "doubling up" is hard to understand please let me know I'll clarify that for you, I didnt explain cus I don't wanna make this an essay.

[TheSnakeEye]

anyone?

[MitsuMike]

I don't think the question is quite clear. Heat tape needs its metal connector clamps that clamp on to the 2 metal bars along the side of the tape and they have a plug on the other end.
All u have to do it clamp on and plug in. But I hope you have alot of plugs cuz that is 2 per floor. You will have to splice or run in parallel if you want it to work on a 1 thermostat.
Should have just went with 11 inch heat tape.

[TheSnakeEye]

Thankfully I havent oredered the heat tape. Let me explain a little better. I was planning on ordering enough of either the 3 or 4 inch tape and do like a double row so I'd have a 6 or 8 inch thick heat source on each shelf. I feel 11 may be too big. My question is how would I go about connecting the 2 strips on the shelf together. And how would I go about connecting the shelves together? Cus if I did each shelf individually that would mean I would need a herpstat for every shelf right? Either way could I get the supplies at HD or are they specific parts I can only get from the reptile supply site?

[saber2th]

Ok, this is how I think it should go. After you connect a piece of cord (with the plug) to one end of the first strip of flexwatt using the connectors and insulators, you will need to take a short piece of cord(with both ends stripped) and connect it to the other end of the same piece of Flexwatt. Now take the other end of the stripped cord and connect that to the end of the 2nd strip of Flexwatt. Then you take and connect a piece of cord the the other end of the 2nd piece of Flexwatt and run that down (or up) to the next Flexwatt on the next shelf and repeat this till done. Then put some electrical tape on the ends of the very last piece of Flexwatt to prevent any shocks. Then plug it into your thermostat and check all pieces of Flexwatt and make sure all are heating up.
You will only need one thermostat if all shelves are going to be at the same temp. You are going to need a lot of connectors and insulators, I believe 4 pairs per shelf! Anyone please correct me if I got anything wrong here!

Hope this helps,

Dave

[llovelace]

You are creating too much work for yourself, how shelves do you have? If more than 4 go with back heat.

[saber2th]

You are creating too much work for yourself, how shelves do you have? If more than 4 go with back heat.

Yeah, thats a thought. One of my racks has back heat and it works pretty good!

[TheSnakeEye]

Ive decided to just go with 5 ultra therm heat pads for now. Thanks guys.

[MitsuMike]

Thankfully I havent oredered the heat tape. Let me explain a little better. I was planning on ordering enough of either the 3 or 4 inch tape and do like a double row so I'd have a 6 or 8 inch thick heat source on each shelf. I feel 11 may be too big. My question is how would I go about connecting the 2 strips on the shelf together. And how would I go about connecting the shelves together? Cus if I did each shelf individually that would mean I would need a herpstat for every shelf right? Either way could I get the supplies at HD or are they specific parts I can only get from the reptile supply site?

11 is not to much...........I run 11 on my rack and it works great. The WHOLE hot side is 1 temp and it helps raise my over all ambient temp to 82 cool. Works like a charm.