DO NOT hook your thermostat up to an extension cord!

Lately ive noticed that my temps have needed a lot of adjusting lately, when normally my thermostat does great. I wake up this morning to find (out of three that is hooked up) the bottom flexwatt turned off, the middle one hot, and the top one even hotter! The top one was at 104 degrees! So as I'm trying to find a solution I start thinking, why are they all so different? I hooked them up right? That was one of my concerns, that somehow I did not hook the flexwatt up correctly. So before I go and order some new ones pre wired I take one last look and remember that I have my thermostat hooked up to an extension cord that I keep my lights hooked into(over head light So i can see the rack). I plug the TS into the wall and now everything seems to be going back to normal, even the one that was giving out no heat.

Anyone else had this problem? I just didnt think that a EC could cause such a problem:rolleyes:

I had a similar issue with my flexwatt not working, and then suddenly working again. I'm pretty sure that it is a problem with the connection between the flexwatt and the metal connectors. Did you have your connectors crimped on with the special tool or did you do them yourself? A weak connection can cause fluctuations in temperatures.

the temps are going back to normal now so I am sure that it was changing the power source.

i have mine plugged into a power strip, is that bad?

What type of thermostat are you using?

I use Helix and I don't have any issues using an extension cord or power strip.

I've never had a problem using one with my Helix's or Herpstat Pro's. I have had simular issues with trying to use an old cord when putting my flex watt together or an old power strip with worn out plugs to go between the T-stat and flex watt. Not again. I alway buy a new cord for each piece of flex watt and each rack gets new power strips when I put it together.

You have to make sure if your using a power strip or extenstion cord that it is rated for the amount of power you are using! It's a serious fire hazard if you buy cheapo from wally world and expect it to work like a heavy duty cord.

http://www.ul.com/consumers/cords.html

http://www.ul.com/regulators/educati...nsionCords.pdf

Like Connie said above, using an extension cord or power strip is just fine as long as it is rated correctly and the connections are tight between the two.

That was my thought as well. Normally an EC shouldn't cause problems...unless its not rated correctly. Remember, those t-stats use and put out a lot of power, so the cord you use has to be able to fully support that power. Normal old house ECs don't cut it with a t-stat.

Glad you caught it when you did, tho.

Thank you for the info on that, I'm guessing that was it. I think this needs to be more widely spread because i had no idea!

so it would be a better idea if i plugged it into the wall outlet, because i dont know what wattage the power strip is and didnt think anything of it

i know i know, but right now i am using an Alife thermostat from beanfarm until i get a helix

It's always best to have t-stats plugged into the wall unless you are certain of the amp/volt capacity of Ex. cords or power strips. Most strips should be able to handle it, especially the ones made for computers, but it's best to be safe. :)

And as for the Alife... hey we use what we can afford until we can afford better. At least you have a t-stat to control things.

atp, the wattage of the of a power strip or extension cord should be written in tiny lettering toward one of the ends of the cord.

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Originally Posted by TripleMoonsExotic

atp, the wattage of the of a power strip or extension cord should be written in tiny lettering toward one of the ends of the cord.

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Some times a wattage is not listed, but an amp value is listed. You can obtain the wattage value by multiplying the amps X volts. Light duty interior extension cords tend to be made of 16 gauge wire. The wire is normally rated at 8 to 12 amps depending on the insulation used. Even at 8 Amps you are looking at 880 Watts. Thats more than most proportional T-stats can handle. A couple exceptions would be the Herpstat Pro, Herpstat II, and a Helix with power expansion modules. Now if you have some lamps plugged in as well this could be where the issue is coming from.

Most house hold circuits today are only rated at 15 Amps (it cost less money since they only run 14 gauge romex) unless you install or have an electrician install a special heavy duty circuit in which case most of those are 20 Amps with a few exceptions being 25 to 30 Amps. (12 gauge romex is rated at 20 Amps and 10 gauge or 8 gauge can be used under special circumstances as well.) From my experience if you get above a 30 Amp need in a house you get into two phase 220 VAC circuits like what would be used on an electric cloths dryer, central air conditioner, electric stove, and complete house electric furnaces.

Since Flexwatt is wired in parallel all sections in the circuit will see the same voltage and as long as you use the same kind of flex watt for each strip in a rack (i.e. 4", 3",...) the resistance should be the same as well. This means that each strip will draw the same amount of current (Amps). In the end each strip will draw the same amount of Watts as long as all parallel connections are properly made. If the supply coming in drops to 50 volts all pieces of flex watt will see the same voltage, draw the same current, and use the same number of watts to create the same number of BTU's of heat. With all this known an extension cord powering a single channel proportional thermostat can not affect the balance of heat each piece of flexwatt delivers, unless the pieces of flexwatt are different sizes. This is all basic electronics using Ohms Law and Watts Law.

With all this said I highly recommend you re-examine all the electrical connections between the proportional T-stat and each individual piece of flex watt. On a side note as connections heat up and cool down their resistances can change. Things could very well be balanced now due to a temperature change at one of the connection locations. If the temperature of this location changes again due to a draft or something you could see (Hopefully you see it before something bad happens!) the imbalance come back.

Good post, well said. :)

well i just went ahead and plugged it into the wall outlet
all the temps are the same and its working good