Flexwatt and Cords

Say you had a rack like this (or similar in style):

http://www.boaphileplastics.com/Rhin..._blanket_6.jpg

How would you set up the flexwatt? Would each of the shelves need it's own cord or is there anyway to avoid having a million cords?
Thanks for the advice!

Did the person who made your rack make grooves for heat rope or flexwatt?

A million cords? I only see 6 shelves, though. :P

Here's a pic of a quarantine rack that I wired with FW. I added the connectors so I could shut off the shelves I didn't want heated, but you could just as easily install permanent connections. (The shot is from the rear of the rack before I put the back on.)

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil.../0/2/Rack2.jpg

What Lawrence did is a perfect way to inline wire the shelves.:gj: With or with out the connectors. Good luck!

I personally solder one cord per shelf and have them color coated on the t-stat plug. There for i can unplug shelves im not using and tuck away the wires.

Heres my setup as you can see one per shelf plugged into power strip behind the rack. Wires on the side im holding is just to show you


http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/100_3186.jpg
http://i577.photobucket.com/albums/s...s/100_3189.jpg

I would be very careful using connectors on 120 Volts AC circuits. If they happen to go high resistant, they will start a fire. I'm not sure, but I think they are rated for 24 Volts DC, not 120 Volts AC. I could be wrong. 120 volts and a potential of 15 amps will probably fry these connectors.

Jim Smith

That rack was just an example, not the actual thing, mine will have ten tubs...too many cords in my opinion, thanks for the inlineing picture, don't know if I'll go with the connector idea, but I still might be able to cut back on the cords a bit doing something like that.

The guy I bought my Flexwatt from told me that you can run one long piece, Run it throught out the shelfs from top to bottom, it will kinda look like a zig zag pattern.. good luck.


Cheers

http://www.beanfarm.com/heating/Flexwatt_parallel.pdf

this might help

Quote:

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Originally Posted by j_h_smith

I would be very careful using connectors on 120 Volts AC circuits. If they happen to go high resistant, they will start a fire. I'm not sure, but I think they are rated for 24 Volts DC, not 120 Volts AC. I could be wrong. 120 volts and a potential of 15 amps will probably fry these connectors.

Jim Smith

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That is what I was thinking. If I were to use the connectors, I would have installed them with male end going to the wall. As it sits right now if you unplug one of the upper shelves, you will have an unprotected hot wire sitting out. Anybody notice that also?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by twistedtails

That is what I was thinking. If I were to use the connectors, I would have installed them with male end going to the wall. As it sits right now if you unplug one of the upper shelves, you will have an unprotected hot wire sitting out. Anybody notice that also?

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That's why the main cord has them, too. I just plug the cord in from the top down depending on how many shelves I want heated.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by xdeus

That's why the main cord has them, too. I just plug the cord in from the top down depending on how many shelves I want heated.

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Oh, it looks like you have them plugged in from the bottom up.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by zeke

The guy I bought my Flexwatt from told me that you can run one long piece, Run it throught out the shelfs from top to bottom, it will kinda look like a zig zag pattern.. good luck.


Cheers

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I did this with my very first rack. However I did notice a much larger current draw on that electrical circuit. There's a lot of flexwatt tape not really doing anything but heating air and not doing anything for the reptiles.

Jim Smith

I don't have pics right now, but I routed a groove about 3/8 deep and 1/2" wide in the side of each shelf and one 3 1/8 wide by 1/8 deep in the top of each. The flex is recessed in the top one and the wires are soldered to each piece and ran through the ones on the side of the shelf before the side panel was installed. There is a male drop cord end at the top of each rack and a female at the bottom for stacking. I know, confusing, I'll get pics...