Flexwatt tape temperature

When you have flexwatt tape for the racks, does the temperature of the first tape the same as the others on the other shelves? What I'm saying is when you have a thermometer in one tub and it reads 90 degrees, the other 3 tubs on different shelves be the same temperature?

The ones closer to the floor are usually colder and vice versa.

I once tested a 3.5 foot section of Flexwatt - 3" wide @ 6 watts/foot - with a temp gun. I tested both through a thermostat and plugged directly in the wall.

Along the stretch, I got readings that varied as much as 5 degrees on the same strip, with the hottest spot right at the connection.

So, no, you will not get exact temps. However, if the flex is the same on each shelf, it will be close enough. If you have a temp gun, and you find the same results, I would put my thermostat probe on the hottest spot. For me, that was right at my connection.

If anyone else has tested with a temp gun, I would love to see if this is typical.

Oh, un regulated, I was getting temps from 109 to 114. Regulated, with thermostat set at 85, it was anywhere from 83 to 87.

I like the 6 watts per foot, because if a thermostat DOES happen to fail, it does not have as high an output as the 10 watts per foot.

yea i was wondering because i'm going to have heat tape for three shelves and I know that all of the temperatures are going to be the same. SO i wanted know from people who have larger racks and more experienced with heat tape how many thermometers they use for one rack and what shelve on the rack you would put your thermostat probe.

on all my racks i have flexxwatt. every rack has its own themostat and i always put the probe in the middle of the rack. there will at times be a little flucuation on the lower tubs but not alot which is good considering all my racks are 6 ft high. but yea you should have a temp gun so you can tweak your setup if needed. ryobi has a good red dot temp gun at home depot for like 40 bucks

where can i buy cheap clips and insulator sets for the flexwatt?

http://www.reptilebasics.com/flexwatt-heat-tape

he will even set it up for you. hes got gret customer service too. always answwers emails fast.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by knox

I once tested a 3.5 foot section of Flexwatt - 3" wide @ 6 watts/foot - with a temp gun. I tested both through a thermostat and plugged directly in the wall.

Along the stretch, I got readings that varied as much as 5 degrees on the same strip, with the hottest spot right at the connection.

So, no, you will not get exact temps. However, if the flex is the same on each shelf, it will be close enough. If you have a temp gun, and you find the same results, I would put my thermostat probe on the hottest spot. For me, that was right at my connection.

If anyone else has tested with a temp gun, I would love to see if this is typical.

Oh, un regulated, I was getting temps from 109 to 114. Regulated, with thermostat set at 85, it was anywhere from 83 to 87.

I like the 6 watts per foot, because if a thermostat DOES happen to fail, it does not have as high an output as the 10 watts per foot.

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I can't give you exact temperature measurements, but mine plugged into the thermostat with a power strip gives me about 5 *F difference on a 12" section.

Thanks, Garden.

It's always nice to have personal experiments backed up by other data.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by knox

I once tested a 3.5 foot section of Flexwatt - 3" wide @ 6 watts/foot - with a temp gun. I tested both through a thermostat and plugged directly in the wall.

Along the stretch, I got readings that varied as much as 5 degrees on the same strip, with the hottest spot right at the connection.

So, no, you will not get exact temps. However, if the flex is the same on each shelf, it will be close enough. If you have a temp gun, and you find the same results, I would put my thermostat probe on the hottest spot. For me, that was right at my connection.

If anyone else has tested with a temp gun, I would love to see if this is typical.

Oh, un regulated, I was getting temps from 109 to 114. Regulated, with thermostat set at 85, it was anywhere from 83 to 87.

I like the 6 watts per foot, because if a thermostat DOES happen to fail, it does not have as high an output as the 10 watts per foot.

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I do the same thing. I use the lowest wattage I can get away with. Not only is it less likely to fry a snake (not only does it not get as hot but the surface area is smaller) but it is also a lower fire risk too. I use a backup on/off thermostat hooked to my proportional so if the main thermostat fails, the on/off one will shut it down. Can't be too safe with this stuff.

It is really not that precise a heating element. On longer lengths, around 20 ft, I have seen temps differ by as much as 15 degrees. That is why we break it up into smaller sections, to cut down on the variability some.

We might try and take advantage by putting males in the cooler sections, or females, if that is part of the program...

I use 17" flexwatt as a cool side heating and 4" on the hot side. The 17 doesn't get much over 87ºF unregulated so it is fairly safe to use as a secondary heating source. The 4" can get quite hot mine hit 130ºF unregulated. It is all over the place for even heating too.

I fight to clean my rack once a month or so the tubs are easy but the underside of each shelf where the snakes can contact is a monumental pain. I have been trying to fine out what methods people use to do this crazy hard task and one very interesting idea was not to use flexwatt and use cable instead. It is water resistant so cleaning can be sloppier. It is UL approved so at least in Canada it makes it WAY WAY cheaper if you plan on having a business. (for commercial use items it must be wired by a licensed electrician to meet the code.) I have given very serious though to switching but am kinda stuck on the flexwatt as it cost me 250$ to have it wired and installed.

Something to think about...