why doesnt my flexwatt heat up? plz help!

ok guys i need some serious help here...

i ordered a herpstat ND and 3" flexwatt and need to heat up an enclosure for ball pythons. i have been test running it since yesterday but the flexwatt barely warms up and the enclosure stays at room temperature. i have the flexwatt plugged in the the herpstat and it is programmed for 95 degrees for my test, but it seems nothing is happening.

im using this flexwatt and thermostat to heat an enclosure that i am planning on moving some of my bps into. this is my first time using heat tape so im wondering if im doing something wrong...

any advice would really help and be greatly appreciated.

thanks!!!

Where is the probe located

Did you test the flexwatt without using the T-stat first? is the flexwatt all one piece, or individual strips? flexwatt at 95 doesnt feel hot, its right around body temperature

I bet the probe isn't on the flexwatt.

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Originally Posted by Kilo

I bet the probe isn't on the flexwatt.

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How much money do you have for said bet?:D

If the probe wasnt on the flexwatt, that would make the temp skyrocket as it would be running at full capacity ;)

i tested it without the thermostat first and it gets warm but not enough to burn or anything and when i plug it in the the thermostat it gets a little less warm(i think...) and my probe is maybe 4" away from the tape.

bumping it up cuz i need the help!

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Originally Posted by bigballs

and my probe is maybe 4" away from the tape.

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Not exactly sure what you mean by that, but the probe should be right on the heat tape. Do you have a digital thermometer or tempgun, or some instrument to measure temperature?

Edit: Do you have anything else plugged into the receptacle you're using for the flexwatt/T-stat?

When we were setting ours up I had to use the digital and IR on the flexwatt before I was convinced it was heating up right because as mentioned before 95 doesnt really feel too hot relative to our natural body temp - especially if ambient room temps are already fairly warm - it's just not going to seem "hot" they way heat pads or other solutions we had (until that point) been used to.

How is it wired - single, serial, parallel?

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Originally Posted by Uncle Festae

How much money do you have for said bet?:D

If the probe wasnt on the flexwatt, that would make the temp skyrocket as it would be running at full capacity ;)

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Yep i was just going to say the same thing :cool: .To the poster,how did you make your connections for the power supply to the flex-watt? It might not be touching properly.

How are you measuring your temps and where?

my heat tape is a single connection and is the only thing plugged into the thermostat. the connection was done for me by the supplier.


im going to try putting the probe directly on the heat tape. that is probably my problem.

i guess i would need to set my thermostat temperature higher than the desired temp to make up for the loss of heat from the tape to the desired area???(make sense...?)

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Originally Posted by bigballs

my heat tape is a single connection and is the only thing plugged into the thermostat. the connection was done for me by the supplier.


im going to try putting the probe directly on the heat tape. that is probably my problem.

i guess i would need to set my thermostat temperature higher than the desired temp to make up for the loss of heat from the tape to the desired area???(make sense...?)

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The only thing that the flex-watt will do without having the probe directly on it, is it will get hotter.Something is wrong somewhere.You should be able to set your thermostat at the desired temp and the thermostat will shut down when it reaches your desired temp.If you raise the setting higher then you should have you could have a problem arise(fire from a malfunctioning device and such).I am not trying to scare you just letting you know these things.

i placed the probe on the thermostat but it cooled the heat tape because i guess it was at full power but if thats full power how is it supposed to heat the whole enclosure??

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Originally Posted by bigballs

i placed the probe on the thermostat but it cooled the heat tape because i guess it was at full power but if thats full power how is it supposed to heat the whole enclosure??

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Ok i am VERY confused here:( .I just reread this whole thread and you have never mentioned what size of enclosure you are attemting to heat.Not being rude here,are you attempting to heat a large enclosure with a peice of 3" flex-watt? If so this will NOT heat a large enclosure.I also caught you say you are wanting to heat up "a enclosure" to place your snakes in.I hope you are not placing more then one snake in this "enclosure",if so you are setting yourself up with some major ball python problems.Please calmly post everything about your setup you are attempting to heat up.Otherwise it may be next Christmas before we are able to correct the problems here.Like i said not being rude just confused lol.

ok joe here we go...

i have built a "display rack" out of wood and plexi glass and the dimensions are 3' long by 2' wide by 4' high. i have a piece of 3" flexwatt running down the back of the enclosure. the flexwatt is 3 feet long(should be 4' feet but came to me 3') and is boxed in by 1/8" hardboard(the wood with holes in it).

i need to get one side 92-94 and im wondering how to get the heat tape hot enough to heat this thing. i was told that a 3" strip of flexwatt running down the rear or the enclosure would be more than enough to get the temp that i want. it seems that the flexwatt doesnt emit enough heat. how do you guys do it and what do you use?

i placed the probe on the heat tape but i dont think thats going to work. if i place the probe somewhere in the enclosure where i want it to be 92 degrees then wouldnt that warm up the enclosure to the temp i want?

thanks everyone for all the ideas and comments please bear with me i just need to get this working as soon as i possibly can!

thanks again!

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Originally Posted by bigballs

ok joe here we go...

i have built a "display rack" out of wood and plexi glass and the dimensions are 3' long by 2' wide by 4' high. i have a piece of 3" flexwatt running down the back of the enclosure. the flexwatt is 3 feet long(should be 4' feet but came to me 3') and is boxed in by 1/8" hardboard(the wood with holes in it).

i need to get one side 92-94 and im wondering how to get the heat tape hot enough to heat this thing. i was told that a 3" strip of flexwatt running down the rear or the enclosure would be more than enough to get the temp that i want. it seems that the flexwatt doesnt emit enough heat. how do you guys do it and what do you use?

i placed the probe on the heat tape but i dont think thats going to work. if i place the probe somewhere in the enclosure where i want it to be 92 degrees then wouldnt that warm up the enclosure to the temp i want?

thanks everyone for all the ideas and comments please bear with me i just need to get this working as soon as i possibly can!

thanks again!

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OK i think i have solved your problem.You are attaching the flex-watt to the wood on the back of the enclosure,am i correct? If so the wood is soaking up all the heat.It will never reach the desired heats.Just so you know ahead of time that wood is going to soak up the liquid poo like a sponge.It will not last long unless you used a water sealer.Who told you that a section of 3" flex-watt would heat that type of enclosure up? Let alone sell you 4' and send you 3' thats bad.I will be right back and i will post a pic of what i am using to house my adult ball python breeders.

Here is a link that shows my 41qt rack that i house my adult breeders in.Yes i did buy it as it sets. http://www.ball-pythons.net/forums/s...ight=41qt+rack

joe, my flexwatt is boxed in on the inside of the enclosure. it is not pressed up against anything and the front of the box allows heat to escape into the enclosure. i just need the heat tape to get to a high enough temp to emit proper heat.


ill take pics soon maybe it will help...

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Originally Posted by bigballs

joe, my flexwatt is boxed in on the inside of the enclosure. it is not pressed up against anything and the front of the box allows heat to escape into the enclosure. i just need the heat tape to get to a high enough temp to emit proper heat.


ill take pics soon maybe it will help...

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OK i understand now.Even though i doubt you will be able to get the correct temps.On my 41qt rack it has a section of 11" flex-watt on each shelf for belly heat.The 3" flex-watt is probably reaching the correct temp in that area just not in the entire cage.

ok i saw on your rack the heat tape under the tubs for belly heat and your probe on the lid. what is your thermostat temp set at?


the way you have it is similar to the way im trying to do it.

i dont understand why the heat tape wont get hot... heat bulbs will burn you if you touch em and will heat up an enclosure nicely but the heat tape only gets warm and doesnt even seem to emit any heat... how am i supposed to achieve the proper temps?

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Originally Posted by bigballs

ok i saw on your rack the heat tape under the tubs for belly heat and your probe on the lid. what is your thermostat temp set at?


the way you have it is similar to the way im trying to do it.

i dont understand why the heat tape wont get hot... heat bulbs will burn you if you touch em and will heat up an enclosure nicely but the heat tape only gets warm and doesnt even seem to emit any heat... how am i supposed to achieve the proper temps?

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My thermostat is set at 90 and each shelf can range +1 or -1.How long are you allowing the flex-watt to heat up before you check it? Do you by chance have a temp gun? I have a temp gun and i randomly use it to check the heat in all of my enclosures.Now on the heat lights yes they will burn you,thats because you are touching its small surface area.Flex-watt is stretched out and its surface does not heat up as fast.Try this allow the flex-watt to heat up for say 4hrs without being plugged into the thermostat.If after the 4hrs it barely feels warm to the touch something is wrong with the flex-watt itself.

First of, your flexwatt is working. Flexwatt either works or it doesn't, there is no in between.
What are your ambient temperatures in the room that the enclosure is located?
You are only going to be able to transfer so much heat from the heat tape to the space in which you are trying to heat. You have too much heat loss to obtain the temps that you want.
I would say that your best bet would be to either raise the ambient temps in the room or try using a radient heat panel.
You say the enclosure is 4' high? Is that all open space?
Wil

i know my heat tape is working. i just don't understand how to use it properly. the enclosure is 4' high but is sectioned off four times so each section in the 4' enclosure is one foot. i think you're right about the ambient room temp being too low and that is my problem. i am moving the enclosure to the room it will be in permanently and the temp in there is around 72. do you think that will still be too cold for heat tape?? what can you suggest i do to get proper temps? should i add another heat source as well as heat tape or should i use a space heater to heat up a section of the room???

thanks guys i really appreciate all this help. im sorry if im sounding dumb here but i have never used heat tape before and really wanted to start because of all the good reviews i hear about it on our forums.

please keep it coming!

ok here's the pics of what im trying to heat!


https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...5/S4020001.JPG

side view

https://ball-pythons.net/gallery/fil...5/S4020002.JPG



the heat tape in the back will not be exposed and will be covered by a 1/8" thin strip of hardboard with predrilled holes.

thanks!

definitely will not heat it right. what some people do with enclosures like that is get a piece of plexi glass cut to be the same size as the floor and put the FW under that and seal the edges.

but if i did that would it heat the whole enclosure or just the floor to 94?


i think i need to modify this for heat lamps...

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Originally Posted by bigballs

but if i did that would it heat the whole enclosure or just the floor to 94?


i think i need to modify this for heat lamps...

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If you use heat lamps you need to be wary of the wood getting hot and possibly burn.I really dont think you will ever be able to correctly heat that enclosure well enough for a ball python.

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Originally Posted by bigballs

but if i did that would it heat the whole enclosure or just the floor to 94?


i think i need to modify this for heat lamps...

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it will only heat the spot over the tape. the heat will branch out a little, but only the small area over will be that hot

thanks for the encouragement joe but i think i'll get it done!;)