Grounded Thermostat vs NonGrounded?

Can any describe to me the difference between the grounded Helix and the Non grounded Helix please. I am looking to pick one up but want to get exactly what i will need. Thanks!

Also another question in regard to this, I am building 2 smaller sized racks, one that will hold 4-5 26 qt tubs and one that will hold 8-10 6 qt tubs, can I hook both racks heat tape up to one helix or do I need one each? Thanks!

As far as I know, unless your using heaters/flexwatt on a metal rack, then the grounded version isn't necessary.

1 thermostat should be enough as long as you don't exceed the recommended wattage rating on it. You should be just fine.

That's my understanding too - grounded is only needed when dealing with metal racks.

With flexwatt you can run multiple racks off one tstat as long as you follow two rules...

1) Do not exceed the wattage that particular tstat is able to handle.

2) Run flexwatt of the same type, in other words, all 3" or all 4" or all 11", don't mix flexwatt sizes on the same tstat.

However for the best and most professional advice on anything to do with tstats and flexwatt I'd always recommend you speak directly to Rich at Reptile Basics. His contact info can be found here www.reptilebasics.com There is also an excellent set of FAQ's at this site explaining flexwatt, tstats, etc.