How to Solder Flexwatt

Been asked by many, and seen many asking how its done. As most know clips are a PITA and are the main cause for electrical fires/malfunctions when they get loose.

This is just a Quick Video on how to solder, if followed you will be successful on this every time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GPUj...ature=youtu.be

Only thing I see is there is no flux when you actually connect the two joint together. I was always taught there needs to be flux everytime you heat it, as it leaves an opportunity for oxidation when you reheat them, which can cause a cold joint. Reason their not good is someone who is inexperienced may not identify the cold joint and it feels snug at first, but vibration or temperature changes can break them. Since you did this as a how-to for the inexperienced, you might want to tell them to dab some flux on the joint before they connect the two together. little tin of it cost a dollar.

good idea to do this though, someone needed to.

Flux isnt needed when soldering this application. Now when doing other applications like circuit boards and other stuff where you dont want the oxidation to happen and ruin the circuit then id suggest using flux.

The only thing that I do different is that I prefer using the liquid electrical tape on the soldered end. Thanks for the informative video......:gj:

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Originally Posted by dragonboy4578

The only thing that I do different is that I prefer using the liquid electrical tape on the soldered end. Thanks for the informative video......:gj:

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I want to use it, But i cant find it anywhere under $5 to make it worth not using the tape.

I still see an advantage to knowing there is no oxidation in the joint, especially for the inexperienced. I've solder quite a few automotive wires together with the same method and found some of the joints broke apart, given a car is going to go through a lot different conditions than a rack. Later I learned to dap the wires in the flux before hand and it was never a problem. Things my failures have taught me.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

I want to use it, But i cant find it anywhere under $5 to make it worth not using the tape.

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the coolness factor makes it well worth it lol. yea I think I bought it for like 8 bucks or something.

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Originally Posted by RichsBallPythons

I want to use it, But i cant find it anywhere under $5 to make it worth not using the tape.

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The main reason that I use it vs. the regular tape is because I was give a bottle of it....lol

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Originally Posted by OhhWatALoser

I still see an advantage to knowing there is no oxidation in the joint, especially for the inexperienced. I've solder quite a few automotive wires together with the same method and found some of the joints broke apart, given a car is going to go through a lot different conditions than a rack. Later I learned to dap the wires in the flux before hand and it was never a problem. Things my failures have taught me.



the coolness factor makes it well worth it lol. yea I think I bought it for like 8 bucks or something.

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Ive never used it for Flexwatt, but no harm in doing so. But when I did electrical wiring up peoples car audio systems, Volt modding GFX cards I used Flux.

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Originally Posted by OhhWatALoser

Only thing I see is there is no flux when you actually connect the two joint together. I was always taught there needs to be flux everytime you heat it, as it leaves an opportunity for oxidation when you reheat them, which can cause a cold joint. Reason their not good is someone who is inexperienced may not identify the cold joint and it feels snug at first, but vibration or temperature changes can break them. Since you did this as a how-to for the inexperienced, you might want to tell them to dab some flux on the joint before they connect the two together. little tin of it cost a dollar.

good idea to do this though, someone needed to.

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Flux is sometimes in solder now, or mine is anyway.

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Originally Posted by Kylegep

Flux is sometimes in solder now, or mine is anyway.

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yes it's in the one he using, rosin core. But it burns of when he tins the wire and the flex, so when he actually connects the two, there's none left.

Rosin core solder is what is generally available in places like Radio Shack and is the way most solder is made that IS NOT for plumbing. The flux is actually in the core of the solder.

Another tip- If you remove the laminate on the black side of the heat tape it is about 10X easier :). The Silver side has the laminate adhesive on it and is a real pain to thoroughly remove from the buss bar. Give the wire a good firm tug after the solder has cooled, a "cold" solder joint will give way very easily. We like the 15 watt or 40 watt iron from Radio Shack- cheap and easy to come by. Don't use the same iron you use to melt holes in plastic tubs, the plastic residue can sometimes make it hard to get a good joint.

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Originally Posted by Reptilebasics

Rosin core solder is what is generally available in places like Radio Shack and is the way most solder is made that IS NOT for plumbing. The flux is actually in the core of the solder.

Another tip- If you remove the laminate on the black side of the heat tape it is about 10X easier :). The Silver side has the laminate adhesive on it and is a real pain to thoroughly remove from the buss bar. Give the wire a good firm tug after the solder has cooled, a "cold" solder joint will give way very easily. We like the 15 watt or 40 watt iron from Radio Shack- cheap and easy to come by. Don't use the same iron you use to melt holes in plastic tubs, the plastic residue can sometimes make it hard to get a good joint.

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Great tips! Thank you!

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Originally Posted by Reptilebasics

Rosin core solder is what is generally available in places like Radio Shack and is the way most solder is made that IS NOT for plumbing. The flux is actually in the core of the solder.

Another tip- If you remove the laminate on the black side of the heat tape it is about 10X easier :). The Silver side has the laminate adhesive on it and is a real pain to thoroughly remove from the buss bar. Give the wire a good firm tug after the solder has cooled, a "cold" solder joint will give way very easily. We like the 15 watt or 40 watt iron from Radio Shack- cheap and easy to come by. Don't use the same iron you use to melt holes in plastic tubs, the plastic residue can sometimes make it hard to get a good joint.

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Exactly why I tug on my connections once done to make sure they stay on. And once i Melt the plastic with solder iron, I just scrape where i melted to remove any plastic that is left over.


You Wanna make a Video soldering connection from the other side and post it in this thread. So others have 2 ways of connecting.


Forgot to add to those looking to buy Solder, Stay away from the Thick Plumbing solder. It may be cheaper, but its not for electrical and most solder irons cant melt it properly. Electrical Solder is thin and melts very easy and is what you want.

Technique is really the same whichever side you solder on, just is easier on the "black" side. As long as the plastic is gone you are all set!

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Originally Posted by Reptilebasics

Technique is really the same whichever side you solder on, just is easier on the "black" side. As long as the plastic is gone you are all set!

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So are you essentially melting the plastic and the black part to expose the metal under the black, then solder wire to it.

Yes, same thing but different. The laminate originally is two pieces of thin plastic. The element is the black lines which is sort of an ink type stuff with a specific carbon content to give a fixed resistance. This ink is then screened printed on to one side of the laminate and then it is laminated together. Sort of an ink sandwhich?? The side that you can see the silver buss bars has the laminate glue and the other side that is concealed by the black ink does not. Try cutting your little rectangles on the black side- they will come right off the buss bar. Very pretty!

While I am here and talking heat tape-

Several notable fires have occurred this year, one in the last few days. Fortunately no one has been significantly hurt that I am aware of, other than animals of course. There is understandably a lot of concern out there. My friends at PE had probably the most high profile case. After visiting them very shortly after the fire and looking around I learned quite a bit from a really horrible mess. I am using what I learned to try to develop some new things we can use in this hobby to help make us a little safer and even sometimes save us from our selves. Maybe save us from some things we can't always see. Safety is an ongoing and never ending process in most human endeavors.

Couple of things to keep in mind here- Two of the fires I have personally looked at and/or talked at great length with the victims. Neither had heat tape any where near the fire. It simply was not heat tape. I have some strong suspicions about a third and hope to learn more soon. Lesson- There are a couple of types of elements. I sell heat tape and not some of the others because I like the fact that heat tape, while not infallible, has a built in self destruct, it melts itself at the failure point very readily. If combined with self extinguishing materials it will scare the hell out of you and make a mess but is very, very unlikely to burn or allow substrate to burn. Some elements do not self destruct so easily. Every element available to us has risks as does anything that makes heat.

So what am I trying to say? No matter what source of heat you use, check it out. Use it right. If you do not know how to set it up or use it right then find out. Even then sometimes things just go wrong. How many fires a year occur from clothes dryers? Get a smoke detector. If you have a monitored alarm system for a few bucks you can add a smoke detector to that which will cry for help whether you are there or not. I have one and have had one for years. When I had my retail store at least 6 times a year I would have a customer tell me about how they melted their carpet or scorched their furniture by setting a heat lamp on it without thinking about it. We are involved in a hobby that requires heat and things that plug in, please think about this!

Thanks so much for the video! I just soldered up my first set of flexwatt. Three strips connected in parallel. They work great!

i got some stuff to do my flex watt and wanted to know if i got the right stuff.

6ft 1.8m 16 gauge/13amp/125volts/1625 max watts extension cords.
http://www.walmart.com/ip/GE-6-Outle...oules/17190414
http://www.walmart.com/ip/30-Watt-So...-Iron/16539504

Yes everything is fine. Its overkill and the best way to do this to minimize the overload risk.

No way you would ever overload the extension cords. Just make sure connections are good and insulated and your good to go

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Originally Posted by Pickenprod

Thanks so much for the video! I just soldered up my first set of flexwatt. Three strips connected in parallel. They work great!

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I would of went against parallel wiring. As if something goes wrong you have to redo all the connections rather one shelf.

All my racks have their own plug per shelf. Yes its a lot more wiring, but some extra time organizing it its a life saver if needing to replace a shelf's heat

This is how my racks are done, Each rack gets its own surge protector and plug per shelf.


I number everything, The power strips number is which rack its powering, And numbers on the cords, represent which shelf its powering. And then each plug has a smaller number indicating which surge protector it goes to.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...10900448_n.jpg

is the solder that comes with the soldering iron the stuff i need?

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Originally Posted by armison89

is the solder that comes with the soldering iron the stuff i need?

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If is says Rosin Core on it then yes

yes it does thanks. i will be doing a diy thread in the next few days with lots of pics.

I would just add that cheap vinyl insulated cord the insulation burns easily and at low temperatures I would recommend using a high heat flame retardant insulation on the wires, the type found on cord designed for heaters. IMO anything that might help prevent a fire is worth the effort.

So i just did my first try at soldering flexwatt, but I watched this video AFTER I completed all 4 sections... I did not put any solder onto the flexwatt, but rather melted it over the top of the wire and sort of smashed it on and rolled it around. I have insulated all the metal and plugged it in, and it is working. If there is a poor connection, will it not work at all? Or basically, how do I know if I have a good connection? I gave it a little tug (not too hard though..), and it definitely holds when I carry the heat tape by the cord, does this mean I'm probably good? Thanks!

So my heat tape is now maxing out between 100-110 depending on the piece (just laying flat on ground). Does this mean I might not have a good connection? I'd rather re-do it all now than have to take the rack apart later to get to it... Thanks for the input!

I would take it all apart and make sure you do it right. Saving yourself some time and a few bucks is not worth the risk of running a few extreme fire hazards 24/7.

Yeah I decided on that... so I re-did 1, gave it a huge tug, still stuck. I have them all plugged in right now to see what the max out at and even the one I just re-did is still maxing out around 100. I'm starting to think this has been an epic fail! The solder I'm using is pretty thick (.062"), could that be affecting my ability to do this correctly?

open air flexwatt will only max in 100-110. Within in the racks itll hit up to 120F. So your fine with your connections

Well I have a rack half complete, so I decided to stick down a sheet of flexwatt, put a tub on top, and placed another shelf on top of it. I plugged the heat tape into the thermostat, set it for 100, and it's STILL climbing, after 10 minutes it's only at 93. I remember in your video you said that an advantage to soldering is that it heats up much quicker, does this slowed heat-up time possibly have anything to do with my connections?? Thanks again for your help guys!

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Originally Posted by gardenfiend138

Well I have a rack half complete, so I decided to stick down a sheet of flexwatt, put a tub on top, and placed another shelf on top of it. I plugged the heat tape into the thermostat, set it for 100, and it's STILL climbing, after 10 minutes it's only at 93. I remember in your video you said that an advantage to soldering is that it heats up much quicker, does this slowed heat-up time possibly have anything to do with my connections?? Thanks again for your help guys!

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Its possible, How are you measuring the Heat tape and temps inside tub.

Heat tape has the thermostat probe (ve-200) taped to it, which is giving me the reading of the heat tape temperature, and a temp gun (zoo med) to measure all surface temps (I have checked it against a friend's PE-2, and it is accurate to that within a degree).

Are electrical connections an "all or nothing" deal (i.e.- electricity flows, or it doesn't), or can the amount of electricity they carry be affected by poor connections?? I swear I tugged hard and they stuck!

When i first wire up racks I only check temps once every hour as takes time for it to fully heat the tubs bottoms

Ahh okay, well thank you for your help! I ended up buying a smaller diameter solder so I can be more precise, and wrap the wires to prime them first. I figure I'll just re-do them just for the piece of mind. Thanks again!