New way to wire flex watt??

[Kylegep]

So I had a questions about wiring flex watt, currently I have my racks wired by jumping one strand to the other like most people do. I am now building a new one and was wondering if it would be ok to wire each one individually, and plug it into a power strip which would then be plugged into my thermostat. Any comments would be appreciated and recommendations.

[Jessica Loesch]

Yes, you can do that, but its a lot of wires and a pain in the butt.

[Don]

That is how ARS racks are wired. Works fine.

[Robyn@SYR]

Nothing new about it, we have done it that way for many years. Works great.

[mr.spooky]

thats the easiest way to do it...
spooky

[decensored]

parallel vs. single wiring.

Single wiring is actually better. The parallel wiring (which is the way most DIY racks are wired) are good for the fact that you can run all of your flexxwatt off of a single plug but if you have an issue with one connection than its a pain in the butt to fix. On the other hand single wiring is a pain with all the wires. If you don't mind all the plugs than its the best way to go IMO. If you lose a connection you lose one strip of flexx vs. losing the heat to the whole rack or enclosure system.

Cheers.

[Kylegep]

Ok, thanks everyone!!!

[RichsBallPythons]

How i do ALL my Racks, to save power when a shelf not in use.

[youbeyouibei]

How i do ALL my Racks, to save power when a shelf not in use.

x2

You put the time and effort in doing it singly now versus having to find alternate heat while fixing the wiring if it goes out in a parallel setup, usually in the middle of the night, during a blizzard, when the beer in the fridge is skunky and the snow is hub deep to a Ferris wheel and NOTHING is going right and...hahahahahahaha!...entirely up to you but to me, it's worth the hassle in the long run to do each one in single connection setups, even if it means more plugs, because you can shut off a shelf you're not using, replace a bad connection waaaaay easier than an entire rack if you have a fail in a section of flexwatt it won't effect the entire rack, just a single shelf/section of heat tape instead of having to track down where the failure is in a multi-foot long section of flexwatt and then cut and splice or replace the faulty section. For the cost/labor involved the dividends are well worth it, at least to me. Just my two cents. Good luck, whatever you decide.