Flexwatt

[boasandballs]

Isn't 3" space of heat kind of a small space for an adult bp?

You would think so, but it's fine. We have about 300 breeders and they all have the 3" heat tape. All the Freedom breeders and American rodent racks have 3".

Now if your room is cool, you will probably need more than just the 3" belly heat.

[twh]

I have heard issues with overheating with the 3" 10 watt flexwatt, is this true or just a rumor?

I use 4" flexwatt.

in the event of thermostat failure or probe malfunction the 3" 10 watt can get upwards of 150 degrees.the 3" 6 watt will give you all the heat you need with a better margin of safety plus lower operating cost with many racks.

[seeya205]

Should I put like one foot strip on each shelf and just weave one whole piece through the whole rack?

[boasandballs]

Should I put like one foot strip on each shelf and just weave one whole piece through the whole rack?

I weave mine, less posibilitys of conection failer. Besides the cost and the work is way less as long as your height between shelves is less than a foot.

[j_h_smith]

Should I put like one foot strip on each shelf and just weave one whole piece through the whole rack?

The next rack I build will have flexwatt strips for each level in the rack. I will plug each level into a power strip when in use. If not in use, I will unplug that level and save thousands upon thousand of dollars in electricity.

Jim Smith

[Sarin]

in the event of thermostat failure or probe malfunction the 3" 10 watt can get upwards of 150 degrees.the 3" 6 watt will give you all the heat you need with a better margin of safety plus lower operating cost with many racks.

Thanks for clearing that up.

Should I put like one foot strip on each shelf and just weave one whole piece through the whole rack?

It's totally up to you... Me personally, I have a separate strip of flexwatt per shelf. It is more costly and time consuming but I prefer it this way because I can turn off any heat I do not need, and have higher/lower temps if I happen to want to house another animal with different heat needs then a Ball.

[jben]

I have a separate strip for each shelf of 4" flexwatt.

[seeya205]

The next rack I build will have flexwatt strips for each level in the rack. I will plug each level into a power strip when in use. If not in use, I will unplug that level and save thousands upon thousand of dollars in electricity.

Jim Smith

That's what I was thinking! The rack I plan on building will be half full plus the top two shelves are for the babies when they come! This way I am not heating empty space!

[seeya205]

What is the lifespan of Flexwatt?

[BPelizabeth]

we kind of copied the reptile basic CB70 rack style when we made our rack. We did 2 rows of 4 inch tape for each shelf.