MAJOR flexwatt issues

I'm having some trouble hooking up my flexwatt. I got 3 feet by 17 inches and tried hooking it up. It's not heating up as much as it should. At first it would not make any heat at all. It does produce some heat but not very much at all. I'd appreciate it if someone who has experience with flexwatt let me know what problems I may be having.

Did you get it pre-wired or did you wire it yourself?

My first guess is the electrical connections to the Flexwatt. They may not be properly touching the conductors of the Flexwatt, which could lead to poor functionality.

I wired it myself. I was thinking there was a poor connection. There is copper wiring wrapped around the connnectors, I don't really know how I could get that connection any better unless I had a soldering iron.

At first I think I had problems because the connecters weren't biting into the flexwatt strong enough. I am pretty sure that I fixed that, because I started getting heat. I don't know if I messed it up from the first time I clamped it down unsuccessfully or if it's something else that's the problem.

I'm planning on heating through 3/16" of plexiglass so It's going to need to get hotter than where it's at now.

I appreciate the advice. I'll try to get a better connection until I figure out anything more.

Yes, use a soldering iron lol.

We recently lost connection on one of our sections of flexwatt running our adult rack. Thankfully an alarm went off and we found that one of the connectors had come loose probably by just moving things around by the connector. Anyway I had to resecure the connector to the flexwatt. I would suggest soldering the ends on but be very careful not to overheat the conductor. It can become unlaminated to the rest of the flexwatt and make it no good.

Alright, thanks for the tips. I'm not too experienced with electricity and what not, but I think I understand what I'm doing. I decided to go for the soldering iron. I'm going to abandon the connector and solder the wire straight onto the flexwatt. Hopefully I can get a better connection when that is done.

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Originally Posted by ev477

I'm not too experienced with electricity and what not

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Paperclips + wall socket = bad.

:)

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Originally Posted by Nate

Paperclips + wall socket = bad.

:)

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OOooohhh THAT'S where it all went bad! :D

i only have 1 foot by 4 inches and it took abt 45 minutes to warm up completely and after 45 mins it read 96*F on the probe 15 min later jumped to 106 i soldered mine tho. did u give it time to heat up or just plug it in and go DANG NO HEAT ITS BROKE! lol just wondering not tryin to be mean :)

This might be helpful to you.

http://www.arbreptiles.com/cages/flexwire.shtml

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Originally Posted by Rejekt

i only have 1 foot by 4 inches and it took abt 45 minutes to warm up completely and after 45 mins it read 96*F on the probe 15 min later jumped to 106 i soldered mine tho. did u give it time to heat up or just plug it in and go DANG NO HEAT ITS BROKE! lol just wondering not tryin to be mean :)

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I let it sit for over an hour. It was warm but it wasn't heating through the plexiglass at all. I am very impatient though, it's very frustrating to have no immediate results from plugging it in :P

I got the soldering iron and made a test strip with a small section of flexwatt that I cut off the end. It's getting warm but I'm waiting for it to get hot still :rage:

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Yes, use a soldering iron lol.

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Make sure you scrape the plastic off the point of contact if you're soldering!

Alright... I am still having problems... I got it soldered together and plugged it in. It has been on for almost two hours. I have it under a piece of plexiglass. The temperature above the plexiglass is only reaching 80 degrees. I need the temperatures to be 80-86 on the cool side and 90-92 on the warm side.

The flexwatt I have is an 18"x 18" section that is 10 watts per square foot. I am starting to think I don't have enough watts or something. I am not certain why it is not heating up very much.:taz:

Where do you have the thermostat probe, and what is it set to?

Hi Evan, sorry to hear your frustrations with this.

From past experience I know that the 17 inch flex does not get very hot. When I saw your thread, I went and wired up a few sections just to see what we are up against. It has been on for over thirty minutes now in a room that is 78 degrees and it has reached only 95 degrees using an infra red thermometer directly on the surface.

I will let it run and see how well it does, but I am quite sure that you will need to look into a different heat source for the temps you are trying to achieve.

I checked a chart showing the emissivity of different materials, and while it doesn't specifically state Plexiglas, it does give a very high factor for plastic. Going on that, I think your idea to cover the heating element with plastic is a sound one.

Also, what are you using to measure the temperatures and from what distance?

Could you describe the enclosure setup in detail?

Are you using a thermostat, if so where is the probe placement in relation to the heat source?

This will all be important in order to get things worked out.

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Originally Posted by littleindiangirl

Where do you have the thermostat probe, and what is it set to?

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I tried it without the thermostat plugged in, plugging the flexwatt directly into the wall and had the same results. The thermostat probe is between the flexwatt and plexiglass underneath the cage.

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Originally Posted by LarryS

Hi Evan, sorry to hear your frustrations with this.

From past experience I know that the 17 inch flex does not get very hot. When I saw your thread, I went and wired up a few sections just to see what we are up against. It has been on for over thirty minutes now in a room that is 78 degrees and it has reached only 95 degrees using an infra red thermometer directly on the surface.

I will let it run and see how well it does, but I am quite sure that you will need to look into a different heat source for the temps you are trying to achieve.

I checked a chart showing the emissivity of different materials, and while it doesn't specifically state Plexiglas, it does give a very high factor for plastic. Going on that, I think your idea to cover the heating element with plastic is a sound one.

Also, what are you using to measure the temperatures and from what distance?

Could you describe the enclosure setup in detail?

Are you using a thermostat, if so where is the probe placement in relation to the heat source?

This will all be important in order to get things worked out.

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I did some problem solving, I have been determined to make the flexwatt work because everyone raves about how godly it is on here....

I had it set up initially like a wood frame, that would look like this: IIIIII, then the flexwatt, then the thermostat probe, then the layer of plexiglass. I got it up to 80 degrees when I taped a the thermometer probe directly on top of the plexiglass when it was inside the cage.

I thought for a few hours.... and came up with an idea to insulate the flexwatt. So I tried using bedsheets in the wooden frame under the flexwatt to trap some heat. This worked and I got the temps up to 95 inside the cage. After I got this to work in practice, I went ahead and wired my second flexwatt sheet for the cool side.

Everything is hooked up and good to go. My boa's chillin' on the warm side which is at 93 degrees and the cool side is at 80 degrees. I'm thinking about adding a little insulation on the cool side to bump it up a few degrees, it was hovering around 78 earlier today.

I had to make sure the flexwatt worked how I wanted it to before I went ahead with the plan, that's why I was panicking and worried about it. The design I have has a plexiglass skirt with epoxy sealing all the cracks... It's probably better to show it than to explain it, so I'll do that if I ever get access to a camera...

Thanks for all the tips again:)

I'm glad to hear that it is working.

I would recommend not using the material for an insulator though. A reflective foil would be far safer, and work better as well.

I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of the cage you built. I love DIY projects.