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  1. #1
    BPnet Veteran Montypython696's Avatar
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    Heat tape is making my fingers tingle. Question!

    I just got to setting up my rack, and when I touch certain sections of one of my strips of heat tape, it makes my fingers tingle like they fell asleep. I've never used heat tape before so I don't know if that's normal. But in most situations it normally means I have a short somewhere and that its bad, right? Both sides of my heat tape are taped with aluminum foil tape, with only the middle sticking out. Should I cover the whole section? Or does that mean that I'm going to have to order another section from RBI and wait another week? Ugh, its really disappointing.
    I've got quite a few...

  2. #2
    BPnet Veteran Montypython696's Avatar
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    Alright, I've kinda figured it out a little bit. I'm only getting shocked when my fingers are touching both sides of the foil tape. Now if I take my fingers and put them in the middle, (where the heat tape is showing) I'm not getting shocked. So does anyone have any suggestions to make it stop?
    I've got quite a few...

  3. #3
    BPnet Lifer Kaorte's Avatar
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    Aluminum tape is conductive. Make sure all your connections are insulated with electrical tape, including the end that isn't wired up.
    ~Steffe

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  5. #4
    BPnet Veteran SnowShredder's Avatar
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    lol try touching both clamps at once...it'll give you a little more than a tingle. Trust me I tried it a few years back, fun stuff haha. But forreal, cover the connections with electrical tape. Don't cover your flexwatt with it, just the connections. And Kaorte is right, aluminum is conductive because it's a metal (imagine sticking a fork into a socket, not saying you will get shocked badly like that, just think of the fact that you CAN get shocked simply by touching the metal)
    Last edited by SnowShredder; 06-06-2013 at 03:46 PM.
    Females: 0.1 fire; 0.1 sugar; 0.1 GHI; 0.1 pinstripe het desert ghost; 0.1 mojave spider; 0.2 mojave; 0.1 black pewter blast; 0.1 leopard pied; 0.1 champagne; 0.1 pied; 0.1 super pastel lesser; 0.1 pewter; 0.1 spider het pied, 0.1 bumblebee; 0.1 lesser; 0.1 spider; 0.1 normal; 0.3 het pied
    Males: 1.0 het desert ghost; 1.0 pastel pied; 1.0 leopard; 1.0 black pastel; 1.0 enchi; 1.0 mojave; 1.0 cinnamon; 1.0 pied; 1.0 vanilla

    Other species: 1.0.3 pacman frogs (sunkissed, super apricot, super blue, super lime green); 0.2 crested gecko; 1.0 hypo hog island boa; 0.1 normal boa; 1.0 rottweiler; 1.0 chihuahua

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    BPnet Veteran satomi325's Avatar
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    Re: Heat tape is making my fingers tingle. Question!

    X2 about the electrical tape. Tape off all open connections with the electrical. The once everything is sealed, go ahead and use foil tape to secure the heat tape down.

    Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

  7. #6
    BPnet Veteran Montypython696's Avatar
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    So I need to use electrical tape on both "ends" of the heat tape? Right now the only part that has electrical tape is the sides with the wiring on them. Sounds easy enough I hope!
    I've got quite a few...

  8. #7
    BPnet Veteran SnowShredder's Avatar
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    Re: Heat tape is making my fingers tingle. Question!

    Quote Originally Posted by Montypython696 View Post
    So I need to use electrical tape on both "ends" of the heat tape? Right now the only part that has electrical tape is the sides with the wiring on them. Sounds easy enough I hope!
    Hmm I'm a little confused about this, so is the aluminum tape in contact with any connections, wiring, etc, or is it strictly only touching the plastic exterior of the flexwatt?


    I've been assuming the heat tape is flexwatt. Am I wrong?
    Last edited by SnowShredder; 06-06-2013 at 03:49 PM.
    Females: 0.1 fire; 0.1 sugar; 0.1 GHI; 0.1 pinstripe het desert ghost; 0.1 mojave spider; 0.2 mojave; 0.1 black pewter blast; 0.1 leopard pied; 0.1 champagne; 0.1 pied; 0.1 super pastel lesser; 0.1 pewter; 0.1 spider het pied, 0.1 bumblebee; 0.1 lesser; 0.1 spider; 0.1 normal; 0.3 het pied
    Males: 1.0 het desert ghost; 1.0 pastel pied; 1.0 leopard; 1.0 black pastel; 1.0 enchi; 1.0 mojave; 1.0 cinnamon; 1.0 pied; 1.0 vanilla

    Other species: 1.0.3 pacman frogs (sunkissed, super apricot, super blue, super lime green); 0.2 crested gecko; 1.0 hypo hog island boa; 0.1 normal boa; 1.0 rottweiler; 1.0 chihuahua

    instagram = lesliep91

  9. #8
    BPnet Lifer Kaorte's Avatar
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    Re: Heat tape is making my fingers tingle. Question!

    Quote Originally Posted by Montypython696 View Post
    So I need to use electrical tape on both "ends" of the heat tape? Right now the only part that has electrical tape is the sides with the wiring on them. Sounds easy enough I hope!
    Yes, the opposite end where the flexwatt is cut will have a small part of exposed metal. That is most likely why you are feeling the shock. Just cover them with electrical tape and you will be good to go

    Flexwatt = heat tape. Same stuff
    Last edited by Kaorte; 06-06-2013 at 03:51 PM.
    ~Steffe

  10. #9
    BPnet Veteran SnowShredder's Avatar
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    Re: Heat tape is making my fingers tingle. Question!

    Quote Originally Posted by Kaorte View Post
    Flexwatt = heat tape. Same stuff
    That's what I was assuming, but then I realized maybe I should double check
    Females: 0.1 fire; 0.1 sugar; 0.1 GHI; 0.1 pinstripe het desert ghost; 0.1 mojave spider; 0.2 mojave; 0.1 black pewter blast; 0.1 leopard pied; 0.1 champagne; 0.1 pied; 0.1 super pastel lesser; 0.1 pewter; 0.1 spider het pied, 0.1 bumblebee; 0.1 lesser; 0.1 spider; 0.1 normal; 0.3 het pied
    Males: 1.0 het desert ghost; 1.0 pastel pied; 1.0 leopard; 1.0 black pastel; 1.0 enchi; 1.0 mojave; 1.0 cinnamon; 1.0 pied; 1.0 vanilla

    Other species: 1.0.3 pacman frogs (sunkissed, super apricot, super blue, super lime green); 0.2 crested gecko; 1.0 hypo hog island boa; 0.1 normal boa; 1.0 rottweiler; 1.0 chihuahua

    instagram = lesliep91

  11. #10
    BPnet Veteran Montypython696's Avatar
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    The heat tape is from RBI its THG heat tape.
    I've got quite a few...

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