Covering Heat Tape?

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Originally Posted by Foschi Exotic Serpents

Then it seems unusual to me that people do this if that is the case. I have seen it recommended on here to cover the outer edges and I recommend it to for obvious reasons. Maybe you're right about covering all of the heat tape and I've personally never done that but I have put a strip just one tape roll width along the 2 ends (front to back) where the bottom lip of the tub rubs lines into the heat tape. In my opinion, this is much safer than wearing through the plastic covering the wires of the flexwatt, thus exposing them creating the possibility of shorts, fire, and who knows what.

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I use aluminum tape around the edge of my flexwatt, everybody does. What this thread is talking about is completely covering the flexwatt tape. Doing so is dangerous.

I have used thin lexan and electrical tape to make a 'skid' track for the tub over the flexwatt. My logic was if it wears through and I didn't notice it will not conduct electricity either. I am a bit of a spaz and clean the entire opening of my rack every month so the flexwatt gets a close inspection every month too. It is a killer for time 3.5 hours to clean the rack or more but I know it is clean and I know it is free of shorts or even wear marks.


I think there are a variety of ways of dealing with flexwatt no one right or wrong but one critical thing to do on a regular basis is inspect it!!