Heat Tape

[Reptilebasics]

That is pretty good- I had not tried it with glass. Rate of climb was pretty slow and steady and not much of anything will combust at that temp. You can hold your hand on it. Of course the animals would be parked at the other end of the tub- this is a point I make often to people. Do not over do it on the heat, you will kill animals faster with heat than cold if they have no way to get off of it. Always allow for this and have a gradient!

I actually tested a few elements in a much more "hard core" way. I used a piece of 1" think fiberglass insulation on the top and the bottom of the element. Had very similar results out of both elements.

[MrLang]

How does this compare with the same test run on the other tape? I saw that video because a youtube friend had commented, got a little spooked, but I trust science a lot more than a random dude on youtube.

[The Serpent Merchant]

I'll run the same test on my old flexwatt in the next day or so. Keep in mind that the old flexwatt is only 2 feet of 11" 20 Watt per foot

[Reptilebasics]

I had very similar results. Again, this varies a lot depending on backround temp and the insulators used and how well they "sink" the heat. To put this in a little perspective- You take a hot shower and wash your hands in water at around 115. The number sounds big but is not. The danger here is that the laminates used (either make) will not tolerate that for ever and will start to break down and wrinkle. Eventually this changes the resistance at the point in the element and it fails.

[Reptilebasics]

You want to calculate the wattage density (watts/sq ft.) - the 1" width is your difference in wattage.

[Robyn@SYR]

The single best feature of the new THG heat tape is the new connector style. We have been waiting for the arrival of the one piece molded wire and plug, rivets already attached. Those just came in, so the new connector style starts shipping next week. Easy to retrofit as well.

We are using a riveted connector that is both simple and secure. It is secured WITHIN the laminate (see the pics below). This connection is not possible with the flex watt product, as the bus bars are not wide enough. We also use an insulating tape to cover the connection, no more clunky two piece plastic insulators. You can trim the tape as needed with scissors. The tape actually fuses together.

You won't have to worry about loose, or loosening, alligator clip sets that often provide a tenuous connection. It is also less expensive. All around, both the heat tape and connectors.

You can use a $2 school supply hole punch from Office Depot to make the holes, and the rivets can be set with a variety of tools. If you are going to be doing dozens (or hundreds) of connections, you can use a professional hole punch and crimper.

3 current sizes- 3", 4" and 12". 6" coming soon.

[Robin@Exclusive]

When I saw the video, I had to laugh... the inconsistancies were plentiful and the ignorance was even greater.

This product is amazing. No two ways about it. This is a product that was designed for REPTILES, not contruction like calorique.

There are so many improvements with this brand it's mind blowing. The rivet style connectors are ingenious, the durability, the copper bus & the heat consistency throughout.

We have had nothing but positive reviews here in Canada.

Clearly the gentleman (loosely used term) in the video had an agenda and it wasn't fact based..

C'mon...Really?? "silver" bus lines? "silver" is a better conductor than copper? LOL - sheesh.

[kitedemon]

I have a few questions,

The first is there a Canadian supplier I would like the chance to tinker with it.

Aaron, That is a tough test there. Did you run an open air test with the product on a hard surface with out something in direct contact? My tubs I have lifted 1/8 inch. I'd be very interested in this result.

My flexwatt the 11 inch hits 143º at 75º room temp uncovered. Too hot to be safe during a failure. The 17 inch flexwatt during the same only hit 88ºF I use it as a secondary heat source even if the primary fails and the fail safe fails it still never hits critical mass.

The connectors are quite elegant, much nicer. I am guessing if one felt so inclined the leads could be soldered to the rivet as well.

I have never been a bit fan of flexwatt it simply gets too hot for my tastes it just never felt 'safe'. I prefer the to see the use of lower wattage heaters there is no real need for a reptile heat appliance to get much over 100º-110º . I am very glad to see you all to take that to heart and also the commercial UTH some of them as well.

I have often wondered if it were possible to have a thermal decay patch built into to the carbon elements. That would melt down at the 130º mark to protect against shorts or thermal gain from contact. I suppose such a thing would be cost prohibitive? Perhaps built into the end of the cord close to the connector a thermal switch option. Just thinking out loud here.

[The Serpent Merchant]

I have a few questions,

The first is there a Canadian supplier I would like the chance to tinker with it.

Aaron, That is a tough test there. Did you run an open air test with the product on a hard surface with out something in direct contact? My tubs I have lifted 1/8 inch. I'd be very interested in this result.

My flexwatt the 11 inch hits 143º at 75º room temp uncovered. Too hot to be safe during a failure. The 17 inch flexwatt during the same only hit 88ºF I use it as a secondary heat source even if the primary fails and the fail safe fails it still never hits critical mass.

The connectors are quite elegant, much nicer. I am guessing if one felt so inclined the leads could be soldered to the rivet as well.

I have never been a bit fan of flexwatt it simply gets too hot for my tastes it just never felt 'safe'. I prefer the to see the use of lower wattage heaters there is no real need for a reptile heat appliance to get much over 100º-110º . I am very glad to see you all to take that to heart and also the commercial UTH some of them as well.

I have often wondered if it were possible to have a thermal decay patch built into to the carbon elements. That would melt down at the 130º mark to protect against shorts or thermal gain from contact. I suppose such a thing would be cost prohibitive? Perhaps built into the end of the cord close to the connector a thermal switch option. Just thinking out loud here.

I'll run an open to the air test, maybe even turn the A/C on to cool the room off a little (got to love Florida "winters") at the same time that I test my old style flexwatt

[Reptilebasics]

I have a feeling we will prevail in this heat test that more closely resembles the actual reptile application but I would rather watch someone else do it I am happy with the results presented. Not a run away train on the temp and a pretty slow curve getting to its peak in a pretty severe scenario. Look at the temp being quoted on the old style 11" in OPEN AIR. Granted 75F room but it will still hit the peak insulated temp found with the new element. Now cover it up?

I agree, much of the element gets warmer than it really needs to. I believe this is an artifact of our hobbies constant need to borrow existing things from other industries. The way we went about it was slightly different. Initially I was after a target temp range and let the wattages fall where it may. Too little and it won't do the job intended or will be running flat out all the time to do so. Too much and it is, well, too much. You accelerate the breakdown of the laminate if things do get out of hand, you stand a hugely greater chance of cooking animals, etc. We tweaked it until it was in the zone we were after and then did the math on the wattages. That is the reason they are a little different than what we are used to up till now. This was not a copy and paste or knockoff exercise as the video might imply. The people behind this did a little thinking and testing first.

As for the thermal decay idea-
One drawback is indeed the cost but there are some other issues. I have played with thermal decay style fuses quite a bit. First is they have to have a significantly higher "break" point than the normal operating temp. If you run too close with them they will blow after an extended period that can be a little unpredictable. No one would be happy if their normally operating element just up and quit after a few months. So where do you draw the line and how consistent will it be in actual practice? Go too high with them and then they really don't accomplish much either. I am working on a new gadget that hopefully will help out with this issue some but we are still a little ways off.

You can get the new element in Canada from Exclusive Snakes. I have also talked to Greg and we will see where he is at when his current supply runs low.