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Does anyone know how long one should expect Flexwatt to last? When Flexwatt burns out, what does it do? Is there a sudden increase in temperatures from a resistor going bad and allowing too much current flow or does the resistor short causing a total loss of heating? I've been using the heat pads that are sold at pet stores and on the web, but I'm wondering whether I should transition to Flexwatt someday.

The specifics of my question come from a friend who has Flexwatt heating in a year-old rack system. The stuff has just stopped heating on some shelves. Jiggling the connections and reconnecting them doesn't bring back the heat. Replacing the entire section in kind does bring back the heat. These symptoms suggest that this strip of Flexwatt went bad. Is that a reasonable conclusion?

How does Flexwatt compare to heat pads in terms of life? Should I plan on needing to replace all of my heat pads every year or two? If so, would I be more likely to get better life from Flexwatt?

Thanks,

Bill

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It's not how many snakes you have. It's how happy and healthy you can keep them.

basically the inside of most heatpads is flexwatt.

flexwatt should last for a good long time if it is hooked up to a thermostat and isn't being run at max capacity all the time.....but...its still a man made product and does have the potential to stop working.

i have some heat pads and flexwatt that have been running for over 5 years straight with no problems...and i know folks that have some over 10 years old.

the best idea is to always have some extra heat pads or heat tape sitting on a shelf just in case.
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Stu
www.2amCreations.com
Not even remotely close to the most extensive collection of ball python morphs in captivity!

I can't speak of the life span of flex watt, or heat matts for that matter. But I can say this, flex watt is a whole lot cheaper than heat pads, so if it does go out, its not that expensive to replace. Another aspect of flex watt that I like over heating pad (I know you only have a few snakes Bill, this is why I mention this) is that it allows for expansion. You one day might to get another snake, or for that matter, you graduate your current snakes up to a larger enclosure. Flex watt allows you to just add to the current set up. This to me is a great advantage.

Heat pad goes out, cost is anywhere from 15 to 30 bucks.
Flex watt goes out, cost is about 3 bucks a foot, depending on size.

Best of luck,
~Johnny