Heat Tape Mishap (pics and questions)

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Originally Posted by westcoastjungle

What is the purpose of the reflector tape stuff! The flexxwatt needs to breath a little or it will overheat. .

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Actually this is not true...according to Clorique (the manufacturer) it does not need an air space to operate correctly. The way this works is that you have an aluminum channel on top (this acts to protect the flexwatt from the tubs and helps to conduct the heat upwards), then the flexwatt, then on the bottom is the relfectix which reflects extra heat back towards the tubs...the end result is a very effecient heat distribution system (below the reflextic is an open air space).

This is the same system that several large rack system manufacters use (including ARS and I think Freedom). I also use the exact same setup he has (I wrote a DIY for this site on the rack he is using) and have had the same heat system working flawlessly for a year now.

Thanks for the quick replies!

the thermostat that i neglected to mention is a Helix DBS-1000... which i understand to be a high quality thermostat...

the power in the house here has been experiencing power ... dims?... see... i dont even live in this house, its my brother who is taking care of the snakes for me while away. so i notice things like the lights dimming every once and a while and they just shrug it off like its no big deal.
the thermo is not plugged into a surge protector. never thought that would be an issue... (stupid.)
however i am hesitant to pull the whole system because my money for the snakes doesnt grow on trees. haha

the snakes are all 100%. i promise. i did a thorough checkout of each one this morning as soon as i saw what had happened.

the two pieces were wired in parallel. and they were the only two ive had hooked up so far. im thinking of isolating the next two level i hook up to see if the same thing happens... this time taking better care to tape off anything could possibly short out...

i never taped over the cut ends of the flexwatt because from what i understood there were designated cut marks where it was cool to cut and not tape. however some extra tape wont hurt, and you probably know better than i do about this sort of thing, so ill throw some on there next time.

the setup i had for the heat tape would look like this if viewed from the side...

reflectix---heattape---aluminum

so in theory, aluminum heats up right along with the heattape underneath the tubs to heat the inside. while the relectix just keeps the heat directed upward. it worked like a charm for the first couple months. (its the same setup i got from LordJackel)

i have yet to set anything up again...

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Originally Posted by zx92027xz

the two pieces were wired in parallel. and they were the only two ive had hooked up so far. im thinking of isolating the next two level i hook up to see if the same thing happens... this time taking better care to tape off anything could possibly short out...

i never taped over the cut ends of the flexwatt because from what i understood there were designated cut marks where it was cool to cut and not tape. however some extra tape wont hurt, and you probably know better than i do about this sort of thing, so ill throw some on there next time.

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With that type of flexwatt you should use electrical tape on the ends. Here is a volt meter with probes touching the cut ends (on the metal strips).

http://www.sunsetpythons.com/images/flexwatt.jpg

Uncovered that could definitely cause a short against metal.

Neil

The dimming could be an issue if it is frequent as it would cause the thermostat to draw more than it needs thinking it isn't getting enough power.

Also, the untaped ends could have shorted on the aluminum - I think the thermostat should have caught this type of an issue (not certain though) and the heat build up should have registered with the themostat and shut it off as well...so I guess I go back to the dimming power.

Something is wrong but it sounds tricky to diagnose. Good Luck

I'll take a wild stab at it, looks like 3 inch heat tape.... which is normally 10 watts. This stuff DOES need a breathing space or it will melt as it did and even melt containers if it is touching them and in some cases kill animals.

A thermostat is vital to controlling flexwatt. 3 inch flex watt is the hottest type of flexwatt available.

It just looks like with a room temp of 70F the tape is on for long periods of time, which is what causes it to melt if it has to heat through more then half inch thick shelves on racks. I have only ever seen this happen and experience it first hand on several occasions with 3 inch flex watt.

I think you can purchase 3 inch that is only 6 watts.... never heard of problems with the lower wattage stuff.

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Originally Posted by Sputnik

I'll take a wild stab at it, looks like 3 inch heat tape.... which is normally 10 watts. This stuff DOES need a breathing space or it will melt as it did and even melt containers if it is touching them and in some cases kill animals.

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Where is this written? According to Clorique it should max at about 140 degrees which isn't hot enough to melt anything. Obviously this is only when it is working correctly not shorting out...so if this has changed I would like to know for future reference.

Thanks :)

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Actually this is not true...according to Clorique (the manufacturer) it does not need an air space to operate correctly. The way this works is that you have an aluminum channel on top (this acts to protect the flexwatt from the tubs and helps to conduct the heat upwards), then the flexwatt, then on the bottom is the relfectix which reflects extra heat back towards the tubs...the end result is a very effecient heat distribution system (below the reflextic is an open air space).

This is the same system that several large rack system manufacters use (including ARS and I think Freedom). I also use the exact same setup he has (I wrote a DIY for this site on the rack he is using) and have had the same heat system working flawlessly for a year now.

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I have Freedom breeder racks and the flexwatt is open at the bottom, no reflexx covering and has been working spot on for years.

140 degrees is pretty friggin hot and i would think adding the reflector stuff would amplify that.

I did hear someone say that after Katrina the proportional T-stats would not work correctly on generators and the Ranco type on/off type worked better. Probably due to the fluctuation in electrical currents which seems to be the problem here.

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Originally Posted by westcoastjungle

I have Freedom breeder racks and the flexwatt is open at the bottom, no reflexx covering and has been working spot on for years.

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Do they offer the Reflectix as an option? I am just curious as that is how ARS does it. And just so I am clear it is mounted to the underside of a metal track correct?

I considered Freedom racks but ended up going with an ARS rack just cause they are local to me and shipping is tremendous.:)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by westcoastjungle

140 degrees is pretty friggin hot and i would think adding the reflector stuff would amplify that.

I did hear someone say that after Katrina the proportional T-stats would not work correctly on generators and the Ranco type on/off type worked better. Probably due to the fluctuation in electrical currents which seems to be the problem here.

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I agree that 140 is hot but it takes 220 degrees to melt the plastic in polystyrene tubs.

I am glad you remembered the point about Katrina...Tim (who I think made the comment) knows about that so hopefully he will chime in here if that could be the issue with what happened.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

Where is this written? According to Clorique it should max at about 140 degrees which isn't hot enough to melt anything. Obviously this is only when it is working correctly not shorting out...so if this has changed I would like to know for future reference.

Thanks :)

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It's not written anywhere that I know of, it's based purely on first hand experience.

Below is a plastic container that bore the brunt of 3 inch.... nothing shorting out, it's the length of time that can cause damage if flex watt is touching something else. 3 Inch Flexwatt is more then capable of melting itself and containers.

We leave a quarter inch gap now for all shelved racks where the containers sit on a shelf and are heated from under and or above.

http://i152.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/100_2051.jpg

Again, this is purely my own experience with 3 inch.