Flexwatt Malfunction

[foxoftherose]

So I went to check on Will a few minutes ago, and the surface temperature in his tub was :cens0r::cens0r::cens0r: 135F. I immediately removed him from the tub and unplugged the flexwatt. Before you ask, I had it on a thermostat, which only read 94.1F. Thankfully, my snake hadn't been burned. So my question is: What the :cens0r: happened? The thermostat probe hadn't been moved, so why didn't it shut off? Is there anything I can put in place as a more reliable deadswitch?

[Rickys_Reptiles]

Well, it's not a flexwatt issue, it's a thermoststat issue.

Sounds like your thermostat may have shorted, or at the very least, didn't work properly.

[Don]

You didn't state where the probe was located. Was it on the flexwatt tape? What type of thermostat are you using?

All of my racks have two thermostats. One is an on/off thermostat (VE100) and one proportional thermostat (VE200, VE300, Herpstat or Helix). The VE100 acts as a backup and shuts off the heat if it gets too hot.

It sounds like you may have had a thermostat malfunction or a probe come loose. If that probe comes loose from its position, it can cause the thermostat to continue to provide power to the Flexwatt and over heat the enclosure. On my racks, the probe is taped with aluminum heat tape directly onto the flexwatt.

[foxoftherose]

My bad. I'm using the Hydrofarm model with the thermostat probe attached to the flexwatt. My Accurite thermometer's probe was attached to the inside of the tub, on top of where the flexwatt sits. I also measured temperatures with my temp gun. I think I'll run a few tests with the thermostat and flexwatt over the rest of the day, and just increase the ambient temperature in the room with my snake's tub. Thanks for the advice so far!

[satomi325]

How is your probe attached to the flexwatt?
You want to make sure you're not covering the probe with tape because it can trap heat and read/function incorrectly.

[foxoftherose]

Thought I'd get back to you guys with the verdict. One of the cats moved the probe for the thermostat, and I was in too much of a tizzy about the extreme temperatures to realize that that was the problem. Thanks again for the input!

[Rocialhabit]

Glad you found out what it was. Especially before it caused any damage.

[swansonbb]

I have the plug for my Flexwatt running through a dimmer before it hits the thermostat, just to limit the amount of juice in case of an emergency. Idea courtesy of SlitherinSisters...