2 different size heat tape

I want 2 build a rack sometime in the future and I had a question. Would it be possible to wire 2 different size heat tapes(like 4" and 11")
in parrallel and run off the same thermostat? I ask because I want 2 be able 2 put the males in side by side(and use 4") and the females in sideways(and use the 11") with just one tub vs. the males with 2 tubs per shelf. thank you for the help

No...as the wattage is different as is the resistance between the different sizes. If you were to do it you would overwhelm the 3" and most likely burn it up. Also, you wouldn't get consistent temps.

You need 1 thermostat per size of Flex...but you can run the same size in parallel without issue.

Hope this helps

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Originally Posted by lord jackel

No...as the wattage is different as is the resistance between the different sizes. If you were to do it you would overwhelm the 3" and most likely burn it up. Also, you wouldn't get consistent temps.

You need 1 thermostat per size of Flex...but you can run the same size in parallel without issue.

Hope this helps

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Have you tried this before? I do it and it works fine here.. I have a few helixs running 11 and 4 inch tape.. temps are perfect....

Well i as i have never tried this myself, but being an electrician for a living gives me a great understanding of how it works. So as long as you are not drawing more watage combined than your thermostat can safely control there is not an issue. Now getting the temps to be what you want them to be could be a seperate issue. Just remember not to exceed what your particular thermostat can safely handle. Another note would be not attempting to push the thermostat all the way to the edge either, since this is an electrical item if you were to run it at say 98% of its rated capacity there is a chance this could lead to a failure faster than say 75% constantly. Now that may be argued by some who run there thermostats all out all the time and dont have any issues, that is just my opinion having a 9 year electrical background. Hope this helps.

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Originally Posted by JASBALLS

Have you tried this before? I do it and it works fine here.. I have a few helixs running 11 and 4 inch tape.. temps are perfect....

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Nope I haven't as Clorique says (for the reasons posted) it isn't recommended and voids your warranty. Up to you what you decide and I am glad it is working out for you :gj:

Ok, things make a little more sense now. thank you for all your help, everybody!

I do. On two of my racks actually.

One rack is my 6-tub rack that holds 41qt tubs. It has 1ft panels of 11" for the hotspot, all parallel wired. Then it has 2ft sections of 11" flex, that is also parallel wired. I use a Herpstat 2 to control it. Everything runs fine.
This is not how it looks now, but that's pretty much it:
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...y/f4cdc587.jpg
How it's wired in the back, the other wiring goes down the middle and through the shelves:
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...y/6b29828b.jpg

My other rack is an 8 shelf rack that holds either 8-32qt tubs or 16-15qt tubs. It has 3" flex running along the back as a hotspot(2ft of it), and it has 2ft of 11" running along the front, to help with ambient temps. The 3" is controlled by a Helix, and the 11" is on a dimmer, that is then connected to the Helix. Just dial it down a bit, and you get perfectly steady, non-fluctuating temps. Works awesome :)
Being built and making sure I'm not catching anything on fire:
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...y/89756a63.jpg

Wiring:
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...y/e5764f90.jpg

With snakes inside(definitely not up to full capacity in the pic)
http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u...y/ea554cee.jpg

Just a ? satanic why so much heat tape is the room they are in that cool?

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Nope I haven't as Clorique says (for the reasons posted) it isn't recommended and voids your warranty.

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How can they warranty anything that you basically have to manufacture yourself? I didn't even know they offered a warranty.

Becky, I notice that you're heating the entire tub instead of only 1/3 to 1/2 like is usually seen. How is that working out for you? How do your snakes get cool if they need to? Do you have some vertical space so they can climb? And what is your reason for putting the 11" and the 4" right next to each other? Are they controlled by different thermostats? Do you have warm and warmer zones instead of cool and warm?

Mark

I explained it in my post. My room stays about 75-77, too cool in my opinion to rely on the heat tape to do anything for ambient temps.

The big 6-tub rack is controlled by a Herpstat II, which has two separate outputs. One side is set at 95(the probe is in a tub over the heat tape) the other side is set at 84.5(probe also in tub over the heat tape). Works great this way and the snakes thermoregulate regularly. Everyone is still eating weekly(except for Amani, but she IS the queen afterall, she's just on every 2 weeks now) and doing fine. They are normally found on the warm side or stretched across the whole tub. They move their hides as needed :).

In the smaller rack, the 8-shelf one, the 3" is the hotspot controlled by a Helix set at 95(probe is taped inside an empty tub). The 11" acts as the cool side and is always between 83.5-84.5. It is controlled by a dimmer, that is then plugged INTO the Helix. I dial it down a bit and the temperatures stay perfect. They never fluctuate. Just in case the dimmer fails, it's still connected to the Helix which won't let it get above 95 or so, meaning the snakes would be fine until I noticed it.

So! Instead of heating the room like most people do, to 82-84 degrees(or whatever), the heat tape takes care of it for me. I'm moving in about 2-3 months or less, so the snakes will have their own 5x12 closet that will be heated and humidified to their content.

The baby racks are small enough that the 3" takes care of it. Cool side stays around 80, hot side is 95. The babies are quite happy :)

Oh ok i was just a lil confused, just seemed like alot but if it works and they are happy that is all that matters!!

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Originally Posted by MarkS

How can they warranty anything that you basically have to manufacture yourself? I didn't even know they offered a warranty

Mark

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The warranty I am referring to is the typical..."against manufacturing defects" and that is won't burn your house down when wired as directed type...wiring 2 separate wattage pieces to the same circuit voids this portion. You have to keep in mind Flexwatt was created for subfloor heating in homes...which has specific code requirements. Pry doesn't matter anyway as you said in the end you are wiring it yourself so trying to go back and blame them would be an uphill battle. :D

I think Becky has it right though...by adding the dimmer switch in the middle she is effectively matching wattage amoung the different sizes and sounds like it works like a charm :gj:

And that it does! I will likely unplug the extra heat tape when I move since I won't need it, but it's good to have just in case. It barely uses any electricity regardless. I do need to resolder some connections since the tubs run over the connections for the 11" flex everytime I pull a tub out.

I am also going to router a groove directly under the heat tape so I can put the tstat probe under it instead of in a tub.