Cutting and securing Flexwatt

[ADEE]

How do you do it?

How do you cut the flex watt when you order a foot too much hahaha

How do you secure it to the cooler? Duct tape, Aluminum tape, exc?

Photos PLEASE!!

Also, for those of you who breed... do you set up your egg boxes before you get eggs, like you do when you set up and get the incubator running?

[SatanicIntention]

What did you get? 11", 4" or 3"? the 11" has markers every foot and you can cut there. With the smaller stuff, just cut in between the thick, black lines(heating element). You want to cut through the clear part.

Rememeber to seal up the thicker conducting strips that run long ways on the flexwatt with electrical tape . You don't want anyone getting shocked

I secure flexwatt with foil tape. Good for high temps/humidity since it's made to be used outside and everywhere really.

Did ya'll have the connections done for you? I solder all my connections, it just feels much more secure than those stupid clips, LoL.

[ADEE]

Yes, Rich did the connections for us He is so awesome, yet another happy service provided by him. We got 11" flex watt for our incubator, you can tell he had cut it himself (not perfect straight edge lol) and I figured we would just follow suit and cut to our need but wanted to be 100% sure. I will seal up the end with electrical tape as soon as i find it hahahaha. I suppose I should unplug it when i do that right?


Thanks Becky for once again coming through for us!!!! You really are awesome.

[SatanicIntention]

Hehe, yeah, I would unplug it Just flip some little pieces of electrical tape over those two exposed ends and it's all good.

[whytepizza]

Rubber silicone works great too! I used to melt rubber bands over the clips to seal it all up in a 'nice little package.' but i found liquid rubber silicone (like the stuff they sell for 'pleasure') works well too (someone TOLD me to try the liquid latex rubber, i swear!). anyway, it has worked well for me, but i still put electrical tape over the far end. I found out why the hard way

[ScottyDsntKnow]

I would not trust electrical tape for a long term app. I've never done a flexwatt wiring but I've wired up plenty of other stuff in my day and I've seen old electrical tape fall right off wires when moved. It gets brittle after awhile and the adhesive loses its bonding power.

Not sure if you can use heatshrink tubing but that'd be my first choice to cover an exposed electrical connection. Next would definitely be some RTV. Liquid rubber silicone? I hope that is a joke, if so I need to get yet another sarcasm detector.

For a good tough silicone rubber covering use "The Right Stuff" black RTV that you can find at any auto parts store to cover any exposed connections. This stuff is way better than ultra black or orange RTV in a tube. I use it to make intake manifold gaskets when I rebuild small blocks and it has yet to fail me.

For a cover for the flexwatt I don't see why some good duct tape wouldn't work. Aluminum tape would probably work too but I don't like the idea of using metal tape above a conductive material. If the flexwatt tape ever shorts in one spot then the whole aluminum tape area is going active on you. Not fun.