New heat tape wiring that I tried.

[mattb]

If you use the clip setup you just undo the clip and put in new flexwatt. Which it sounds like your doing anyway.

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The only thing is you shouldn't reuse the clips. That's asking for trouble. Taking them off is going to weaken them. All it would take is one to fail then you would have a short.

[Zuma22]

What kind of clips are you referring to?? And why can't you reuse them?

[mattb]

What kind of clips are you referring to?? And why can't you reuse them?

I believe that he is talking about these clips.



I would never reuse any clips of any kind because when you pry the clip off and clamp it back down you will weaken the metal and it could very well break without you knowing after you covered to with electrical tape and it could cause an arch to happen and that's how fires start.

I would never recommend that anyone reuse anything like clips or connectors. Shortcuts like that are dangerous.

[PitOnTheProwl]

Actually it is up to the installer.
I have and will reuse them IF I am the one that installed them and removed them.
Most if my work is soldered but I do have racks with clips too.
If you are careful to remove them and don't open them all the way back up you shouldn't stress the "hinge" at all.
The hinge will stress crack on a new unused clip too if you fold it down too quickly.

I wouldn't reuse them if you used a hammer to pinch them down but a nice slow crimp with pliers is the proper way.

AGAIN--- it is up to the user and their ABILITY

[PitOnTheProwl]

If you daisy chain the wires like you are talking about I think if you have a failure at one connection the others above it will be affected.

No, your connection failure will be at the "connector" to the flex-a-watt but because your wires are either crimped in the connector or soldered there should still be a connection for power to flow.

[Tannerrrtx]

The wire I used is just your standard extension cord. The connectors I have had for a long long time I think I had them left over from when I was in the army. The heat tape is just soldered.

I don't know about the connectors from radio shack because I haven't looked at them. But the ones that look like mind that I have found at Home Depot are rated for 600 volts. The project box I got from Radio shack.

I will say some people at radio shack can be helpful. Others have no clue what they are talking about. I know I went there to get things to put together my STC-1000 thermostat and one of the people working there kept asking me all kinds of questions. This was the finish product of that project.

i just ordered one of these stc 1000s
how do you like yours?

[cory9oh4]

Great idea.