flexwatt can not be cu in the way you want the metal end are what causes the current po heat the black ink( special ink ) to make heat it can be cut in smaller than 1 ft lenghts but you need ot tape the black ink part up. I use he 11 ( in 3 ft lenghts) to heat my ( just shy of 4 ft wide rack wit h34 /40 qt tubs with no problem ( once I got a proper tstat) you can run a dimmer as a secondary control if you think it will heat up too fast ( after the tstat plug ) andjust cause it ot take longer to get ot the shut off temp. this will help limit how fast it heats up.

I am about ot order another large flexwatt order andi don't use the connectors they show i solder my connection and then tape them well with electrical tape. I set each shelf flexwatt as individal plug so if I happen to empty a shlf I can unplug it and help save some juice lol...

My snakes have been very happy and safer since i swapped to the tstat control ( no more close calles with meltdowns.from dimmer control giving out )


and yes flexwatt can cause a fire. I got luck when m,y dimmer control went south it allowed he 3 inch flexwatt to go wide open and it burnt the (scapr ) pieces of lamonate flooring . I only found out when my niece was helping me move the cage it was used to heat and pointed out the burnt marks and the smell of it.. I had spacer bewteen the floor and the cage but I guess they were not big enough to prevent the no air movement or the failure of the dimmer ( it went wide open and then brunt out ( I found the dimmer control very hot to the touch and had unplugged it and I only had 80 watts being used ( and the dimmer was reated 300) so it was just my luck lol

that might ove been what prevented a fire ( or th fact the printed ink part was all broken were the plastic melted.

but I never had this problem with my 11" wide stripes ( beats a couple doors down )

below are the 2 pieces ( wire up parallel)