Heat tape was designed for radiant floor heating. It was picked up by the herp world as a cheap way of heating a large collection. it is basically laminated plastic sheets and sandwiched between the sheets there are two thin strips of copper on either side of the plastic laminate then running from one copper strip to the other are a bunch of what I think are graphite strips. You hook the positive end to one copper strip and the negative to the other letting the current pass through the graphite strips and the resistance to current flow generates heat, presto heat tape. It is sold in I think three widths and by the foot. There are breaks every foot were you can cut it for however many feet you need. It carries a level of fire risk as if it gets to hot it can start a fire so you have to be careful with it. hope that helps.
It carries a level of fire risk as if it gets to hot it can start a fire so you have to be careful with it. hope that helps.
Chuck
And to note, there's the same risk with even commercially made under tank heaters, which is another reason that all UTH's should be controlled by a quality thermostat.
I believe some have measure temps on flexwatt (heat tape) not controlled by a thermostat to heat to 140 degrees (someone correct me if I have that number incorrect - but it's high enough to burn your snake).
Always be sure to control ANY UTH with a quality thermostat.
i ran a piece uncontrolled just to test the connection i made and it only got to 124˚ (measured with an IR thermometer), which is still hot enough to burn your snake.
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Originally Posted by Chuck
