flkexwatt question :)

[starmom]

Call Jeff at Helix and ask him

[frankykeno]

I couldn't put my hand on my copy of the DBS-1000 User Manual (gawd but I need to re-vamp my filing system) so I went to the Helix page and pulled the copy of the manual there.

Here's a direct quote from page 2...

Connect the heaters. If more than three outlets are needed, an adapter block, or standard power strip with a
ground adapter can be plugged into one of the Controller’s outlets. Avoid using plug strip’s with built-in surge
protectors as these may produce a short circuit if a surge occurs and may cause an internal fuse to blow or they can
cause errors to pop up. Each System has built-in surge protection ability and there is a customer replaceable 6 amp
“fast-acting fuse” in the system to protect it against heater/wiring failures or short circuits to the controller’s output.
The fuse will “blow” if more than 500 watts of heaters/lights are plugged in or if there is faulty electrical wiring
on the heaters.

*their bold and underline not mine*

You can find the entire User Manual for the DBS-1000 by going to this page and clicking the link "User Guide and Specifications" at the the bottom of that page (pdf format).

http://www.helixcontrols.com/DBS1000_Info.htm

[Ginevive]

Thanks for the info. And thanks for posting the link Jo; I try to keep instruction manuals, but you know.. lol.

[ScottyDsntKnow]

Those instructions make no sense to me. A good surge protector will PREVENT a short circuit if a surge occurs, that is the whole point of them. The one I have is rated to 2300 joules and will kill itself for the greater good if the surge is too much for it to handle. It also has a nifty light that indicates whether the plug its plugged into has a good ground going or not. Many houses have 3 prong plugs but no ground hooked up for whatever reason.

[frankykeno]

I don't know Scotty. I tend to follow advice the manufacturer of a device gives me. I figure there must be a reason they not only said it but bolded and underlined that bit so I never questioned it.

[Gloryhound]

Those instructions make no sense to me. A good surge protector will PREVENT a short circuit if a surge occurs, that is the whole point of them. The one I have is rated to 2300 joules and will kill itself for the greater good if the surge is too much for it to handle. It also has a nifty light that indicates whether the plug its plugged into has a good ground going or not. Many houses have 3 prong plugs but no ground hooked up for whatever reason.

The reference in the instruction manual is for plugging a surge protector into the outlet of the Helix and not plugging the Helix into one for its power source. In the configuration as mentioned the the surge protector will not work correctly. Since the Helix is a proportional T-stat its output is not always at 120 VAC (actually in a good rack system it should never get to even 50% in my opinion as my Herpstat pro rarely exceeds 20%). At this lower voltage the surge protector may not work properly. Also if the surge protector functions the it opens the circuit in no time flat. Surge protectors generally do not have Arc Flash protection since 120 VAC in not considered a voltage requiring it to protect people particularly at the currents found in homes. Arc Flash is basically a small explosion that occurs as the electrical contacts are opened. (In larger switch gear, 4160 VAC +) the temps can spike to a level close to the surface of the sun in the path of the actual arc.) During this function current across the arc can jump to significantly greater than the normal current the circuit sees for just a milli second or less. Due to how quickly this current spikes up normal fusible circuits may not have time to react before the current hits a level that other electronic components could be damaged.

Yes a lot of "May" and "Could" in all that, but all it takes is once and you have a paper weight that looks like a Helix T-stat!

[ScottyDsntKnow]

Oh, that is for plugging a surge protector into a Helix. I see how that would be a problem but I also fail to see anyone's logic in putting a surge protector THERE and not right out of the wall. A surge protector is ALWAYS the first thing off the wall and everything else goes from it. I guess it would be for ppl who don't understand that a power strip and surge protector aren't the same thing.

The surge protector I have is blatantly obviously a surge protector but some of garbage ones you can get at local chain stores look just like a power strip.

So basically you DO want a GOOD surge protector on all your stuff, just make sure you use it as the first thing off the wall and if you must split your thermostat's outlet plug into multiples for whatever reason then use a basic splitter and NOT a surge protector as a splitter. A better option is to just wire up your heating sources in sequence. Wiring flexwatt in sequence for 1 plug is ridiculously basic and I see no reason to not do it like that.

[Gloryhound]

So basically you DO want a GOOD surge protector on all your stuff, just make sure you use it as the first thing off the wall and if you must split your thermostat's outlet plug into multiples for whatever reason then use a basic splitter and NOT a surge protector as a splitter. A better option is to just wire up your heating sources in sequence. Wiring flexwatt in sequence for 1 plug is ridiculously basic and I see no reason to not do it like that.

I like to have a plug on each strip of flex watt so I can power off sections not in use by unplugging them. If I have an rack with 18 15 qt tubs in it, each tub will have 1 ft of 4" 4 Watt flex watt on it. Lets say it runs at 25% so each foot is using 1 Watt an hour. I'm only using 8 of the tubs, so I have an extra 10 ft that I do not need or 10 Watts of power I don't need. Over 30 days that equals 7.2 Kilo Watts of power that I can use for nothing or unplug and save the money otherwise spent. If you are paying the average 12 cents per kiloWatt you save almost 1 dollar on your electric bill. Doesn't sound like much, but I like to track my electric use. By all means power up those un-used sections of flex Watt though as it helps to pay my salary since I work at a power plant!