Flexwatt Question

[Kizerk]

i've heard alot of people use the 3 inch flexwatt. my question is how?

for example let's say the tub is 33x16x5 if i had a rack, how would i place the flexwatt? the length of the tub is 33 inches, so i dont understand how 3 inch of flex watt (run the width) will provide enough heat, because what about the other 30 inches? or is the tape being run 1/3rd the length of the tub? if so, how are all the flexwatt wired in one level of tubs

i'm pretty sure i'm missing something here

[tmlowe5704]

a lot of people use 3" flexwatt on their tubs that size, if your room temps are not too stable and get a bit low sometimes, spring for the 11" just for the extra area and the heat can reach further up. if it is in a room with stable temps, you are fine with 3"

[Pork Chops N' Corn Bread]

Some people also like to use back heat for leos or some colubrids that don't reguire a hot spot of 90+

[Kizerk]

hm... does 3 inch of flexwatt really produce that much heat to cover enough space for an adult ball pyton?

[Spaniard]

hm... does 3 inch of flexwatt really produce that much heat to cover enough space for an adult ball pyton?

My basement in the winter drops to around 70 degrees. I have a multiple tub set up that is not enclosed and I needed to use a foot of 11 inch on the warm run by a helix; in order to get the cool side up i needed a one foot strip of 3' flex what controlled by a dimmer switch. Give yourself time to have the enclosures running for a trial period before you put the snakes in...took me a while to get everything just right.

[tmlowe5704]

hm... does 3 inch of flexwatt really produce that much heat to cover enough space for an adult ball pyton?

depends on the ambient room temps

[Kizerk]

hm, so where would i place the heat tape, running the width of the tub (near the edge) or more so towards the center for the tub, but not in the middle

[TekWarren]

I am using 3" in a rack and the room is kept at stable temps with a heater. I have my flexwatt more towards the back which is all enclosed. I'd say maybe 1/3 from the back of the tub is about where I have it. The temps are good in my tubs but I also have a layer of material over the flexwatt that helps spread the heat some. I was thinking of using larger sized FW in a new rack but as said above with a room at a good temp you may not need to cover as much area to achieve the desired hot side temp.

I'm interested in what others have to say and what works for them. The cool side temp should be considered in the setup, having to much FW could cause the cool side to be warmer than it should be. I'd be interested in other configurations such as:

hot < cool
hot > cool
hot = cool

meaning you have more hot side than cool side or vice versa or you try and create equally hot and cool sides.


Edit: I'm going to make this question a poll