Wiring a thermostat?

[Bettacreek]

Well, I figure that I might as well suck it up and deal with it, and just wire a thermostat instead of mucking around with a dimmer. So... how exactly do you do this? How do you know which wire is the wire that brings the power in? Do I just clip the wire on the heat source, strip a little bit of the power wire, wire a new wire to it, then wire that to the thermostat, then another piece from the thermostat back to the other end of the original power wire? Is this how it's done exactly? How do I keep it from electrocuting or causing a fire? Is electrical tape enough to prevent this? Thanks in advance, I couldn't seem to figure it out on the DIY threads, I think my brain is refusing to work.

[Stewart_Reptiles]

How to wire a ranco t-stat http://www.reptilebasics.com/ranco_instructions.htm

[shadi11]

First off and slightly backwards yes electrical tape will keep you from electricuting yourself. wiring your thermostat I would suggest splicing an extension cord to wire the thermostat and cutting off the end of another cord and connecting that cord to your heat tape. The reason i suggest running and extension cord for your thermostat is you only need to wire the stat once and if you want to change the heat source you don't have to rewire everything. The wiring diagram with the ranco and johnson controls are about the same. What thermostat did you buy. Hope i helped a little.