Flexiwatt problem?

[mischevious21]

So after moving to an apartment and being forced to get rid of all of my reptiles for a few years, I'm finally back into my favorite hobby It took almost two years to convince the boyfriend (whom I met shortly after getting rid of my collection), I have myself a beautiful female baby butter, a 10 male spider and 10 female het ghost. So I decided with the quick growth of snakes to build a rack. So I have everything I need and almost everything put together, but I'm having a problem with my Flexiwatt. Two of the three strips are working great, but the strip I have the thermostat probe taped to won't heat up. The clips are securely attached, and seeing as my boyfriend did not believe me and grabbed each side and was electrocuted (not bad, but enough for a laugh lol) we know the clips work.. Any ideas anyone?

[Billy305]

I'd try and solder them. Even thought the clips may be getting power, it might not be transferring to the tape. I've had tape not work on clips, cut off a few inches and solder it then it works fine

[mischevious21]

Thank you, Ill give that a try and give an update in a few minutes.

[mischevious21]

Looks like I'm done until after work tomorrow- my sodering iron apparently doesn't work either.. It's been a few years since I've needed to use it for anything, so its probably better I get a new one anyways. I will post if I'm still having any problems after that.. Now I'm just working on getting the temps right for the finnished shelves..

[kitedemon]

Switch the clips to the opposite end there could be an issue or break with the powered end. I too would solder them but in the mean time...

[mischevious21]

I just got out of work and got home, and now there's a new problem. I still have to get the new soldering iron, but in the mean time every flexiwatt strip I put the probe on stops working. I came in and the one strip still does not work, but now the working strip the probe was attached to also stopped working and the strip without the prove was at 115 degrees. So I moved it to the working strip and taped it down without touching the clips or anything else while I checked out the strip that stopped working.

The clips were still completly secured, so I waited to see if it would just start working and nothing. So I switched to the opposite end of the tape and still nothing. Then I realized after about 30minutes that the strip that had been at 115 was down to 78. Now none of the strips work- they all worked fine until I would attach the thermostat probe, then they completely stop working.. I'm leaving now for Home Depot for the soldering iron (and hoping their still open, I forgot its Sunday), but I just find it peculiar that they all worked until I put the probe on the strips..

[WmHrbst]

How are you attaching the probe to the strip and what temperature are you setting your tstat at?

[mischevious21]

I'm taping it at the base of the probe to the shelf on the rack, so only the probe itself is on the flexiwatt and there is no tape on the probe itself. I have it set to 89, which has been keeping it at 90-92 on the warm side.. While it was working, anyway.

[kitedemon]

Is the probe cable running a long side the power line? They can interfere with each other.

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What kind of t-stat is it?

[mischevious21]

Yes I was running the lines parallel, Im changing that now. And its a Ranco thermostat