Flexwat, how safe is it really?

I am using 11" on my rack and it is daisy chained with a 12" section at each level. I have always been concerned about it because of some horror stories I have read. Just talked to a friend and he told me all of those stories are due to people not using a thermostat. Is this correct? He also stated some were also misuse of the product and that it is a very safe product. Anyone on here have a bad experience with it?

No even with a reliable T-stat something can go wrong just like it can with any heating devices however it is rare, the best you can do is make sure you have a reliable thermostat, make sure not to use cheap power cord (some people do) and back up your t-stat.

And yes I had an issue and while I thought the T-stat was at fault it turned out that after testing it was not, there was an issue with the heat tape itself (which was properly installed, recessed and ran without issue for 3 years prior), the results were one melted tub and nothing more since I use PVC rack which is fire resistant.

http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/DSC_0004.jpg

http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/DSC_0003.jpg

http://i954.photobucket.com/albums/a...e/DSC_0001.jpg

When dealing with electrical and heat devices there is ALWAYS a risk but again it is rare.

Any electrical device can fail. Some are due to user error, others to manufacturer error and others due to material error. Best you can do is use a quality T-stat like a Herpstat that has full shutdown features on any kind of error be it too low of temp or too high of temp. But again, nothing is 100% guaranteed forever. If you dig enough, you can find horror stories for heat tapes or RHPs. Now heat tapes will probably be more common as they have been around longer and are more prone to user/setup errors.

With that said, I have used RHPs and flexwatt and both have worked fine.

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Originally Posted by Deborah

No even with a reliable T-stat something can go wrong just like it can with any heating devices however it is rare, the best you can do is make sure you have a reliable thermostat, make sure not to use cheap power cord (some people do) and back up your t-stat.

And yes I had an issue and while I thought the T-stat was at fault it turned out that after testing it was not, there was an issue with the heat tape itself (which was properly installed, recessed and ran without issue for 3 years prior), the results were one melted tub and nothing more since I use PVC rack which is fire resistant.

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FDSC_0004.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FDSC_0003.jpg

https://ball-pythons.net/forums/cach...2FDSC_0001.jpg

When dealing with electrical and heat devices there is ALWAYS a risk but again it is rare.

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i am
jist wondering why power was still supplied to the tape if it was getting hot enough to melt things? I use the stuff but am thinking of trying to get away from it, as it kind of worries me. Not sure if I can though. I am thinking about putting radiant heat in a small room, the size of a walk in closet. The animals wouldn't get a hot spot though and I am thinking the temps in the room would have to be about 85 degrees.

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Originally Posted by Bcycling

i am
jist wondering why power was still supplied to the tape if it was getting hot enough to melt things? I use the stuff but am thinking of trying to get away from it, as it kind of worries me. Not sure if I can though. I am thinking about putting radiant heat in a small room, the size of a walk in closet. The animals wouldn't get a hot spot though and I am thinking the temps in the room would have to be about 85 degrees.

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84 is fine. 84 to 88 works for me. There is absolutely no need for a hot spot if you provide these temps. Remember though, even radiant heat can still fail in a spectacular fashion. I trust oil filled radiators the most.

I am actually thinking about the safest heat option I can think of. I am thinking about baseboard heat panels that are used, and have been used, in houses for decades. My only concern is what it would cost to run one non stop each month. I am wondering if that would be worth it or if I should go with an oil heater. These are all just thoughts on having as I still need to build the room out. I just think having heat figured out first would make it easier as I still need to run conduit for any outlets I need.

Living where you live, I think I would use the central heat to get the room up to whatever your normal living temp is then use a radiator to bump the temps the rest of the way. My single radiator does fine down to about 65 then it cannot keep up and my auxiliary heat kicks in. Even in the coolest months for me it rarely dips below 75 in the house. It gets cold where you are so you are going to need to heat far more than me depending on how far you let your house temp dip.

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i am
jist wondering why power was still supplied to the tape if it was getting hot enough to melt things? I use the stuff but am thinking of trying to get away from it, as it kind of worries me. Not sure if I can though. I am thinking about putting radiant heat in a small room, the size of a walk in closet. The animals wouldn't get a hot spot though and I am thinking the temps in the room would have to be about 85 degrees.

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Originally Posted by Bcycling

I am actually thinking about the safest heat option I can think of. I am thinking about baseboard heat panels that are used, and have been used, in houses for decades. My only concern is what it would cost to run one non stop each month. I am wondering if that would be worth it or if I should go with an oil heater. These are all just thoughts on having as I still need to build the room out. I just think having heat figured out first would make it easier as I still need to run conduit for any outlets I need.

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If you want need to run something for the entire room to maintain ambient temps vs ambient temps and hot spot you want to use a oil filled heater with a reliable external t-stat. This is the safest method baseboard heaters are not safe.

Ambient temps alone can be done I do it 8 months out of the year on average and only use ambient and a hot spot during the winter. I use what works with the room and since the room gets in the mid 80's during the warm months rather than cooling it and providing a hot spot I just cut it off the AC and use the heat to run my snake room free most of the year.

Baseboard electric heaters are less safe than an oil heater? I have seen baseboard heat run as the only source of heat in both apartments and old houses I lived in. The average temp in the room I am debating is mid to high 60s year around, so I know I'll need heat in there. One person suggested running two strips of 11" flex and run one at 89 and one at 79 to create a warm and cold spot. Just not sure what this will do for ambient temps especially since it will be a concrete floor.

Does anyone on here run an oil heater? If so what does it do to the electric bill?

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Originally Posted by Bcycling

i am
jist wondering why power was still supplied to the tape if it was getting hot enough to melt things?

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Its called a short, it can happen in anything electrical. Let that sink in for a second and then look around your house..........
I visually check mine at least once a month.

Wouldn't a short throw the main breaker?

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Originally Posted by Bcycling

Wouldn't a short throw the main breaker?

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Not all the time. Thats how most house fires start.

Actually, around here most start with dryer vent clogged, followed by electrical issues. I am still looking for issues online about baseboard heaters and can't seem to find to much that wasn't user error. They seem very safe from what I have read. Putting a lot of thought into this, I hope I'm not offending anyone I just want to get as much info and input as I can before I decide what I will do.

Actually, around here most start with dryer vent clogged, followed by electrical issues. I am still looking for issues online about baseboard heaters and can't seem to find to much that wasn't user error. They seem very safe from what I have read. Putting a lot of thought into this, I hope I'm not offending anyone I just want to get as much info and input as I can before I decide what I will do.

I personally wouldnt worry too much about flexwatt as the amount of people and years it's been used vs how many incidents of fire that were product error are probably pretty slim. If you are really worried, Flexwatt now makes a fire retardant version of Flexwatt. Havent tried it as i just use normal on all my cage stacks. Does kind of make me wonder if they are just improving on their design with the times or if they think there is a problem with it haha. J/K, I'm betting they are just upgrading it as any other product does after so many years.

I would like to see that new product. Any information on what it's called?

Here ya go. http://www.calorique.com/reptile-hea...ile-heat-tape/

And also here. https://beanfarm.com/collections/heating

The flame retardant stuff has a weird looking coating on it vs old style Flexwatt is sandwiched between 2 clear sheets of plastic.

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Originally Posted by Sauzo

Here ya go. http://www.calorique.com/reptile-hea...ile-heat-tape/

And also here. https://beanfarm.com/collections/heating

The flame retardant stuff has a weird looking coating on it vs old style Flexwatt is sandwiched between 2 clear sheets of plastic.

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Intersting. That's the stuff I am currently running I think. Looks identical. I'm going to have to check on that, although I didn't get it from bean farm I don't think.