Reptile & Amphibian Forums

On the 3" element, is there a minimum length for a single piece? I have a friend asking about using a single piece of 3" to heat one 16 qt tub. All my applications are using longer pieces.
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Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

>>On the 3" element, is there a minimum length for a single piece? I have a friend asking about using a single piece of 3" to heat one 16 qt tub. All my applications are using longer pieces.

So long as its cut properly, one element will still operate. Although the amperage drawn and the heat produced might be drastically differnt than we are used to. The smallest piece I have ever used was 8" of element. Worked fine but I found it was hotter than expected by a degree or 2.

Good Luck
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

0.1 Sunglow "Khal" RTB **Coming Soon**
0.1 Snow "Khal" RTB **Coming Soon**
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.0.14 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
1.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.0.15 Normal Suriname Hybrid's
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
3.6.17 Red Bearded Dragons
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1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
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0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
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I'm not sure that is quite the correct answer.

The 3" flexwatt is rated at 10 watts per foot. That means that two feet will have twice the wattage as on foot. 20 feet of flex watt will be equivalent to a 200 W light bulb.

Wattage is equal to Voltage x Current. The voltage is going to remain constant at 110 V or what ever your household voltage is. As you increase the wattage you will be increasing the current until the load is too great for your circuit.

If your home is wired with 14-gauge wire as many homes are then you will have 15 Amp breakers. The maximum save load on a circuit is 85% or in this case 12.75 Amps. 110 volts x 12.75 A = 1402.5 Watts. That is the maximum safe load. That equates to 140 feet of 3" flexwatt.

Just a point of interest, 4" flexwatt is only 8 watts per foot. Many people use it because it is less likely to produce hot spots that you sometime get from 3".
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Wade's Weptiles & Wodents

Sorry Wade amperage is equal to wattage divided by voltage.

Since watts are the work being preformed and volts are the power to do the work amperage is the flow of power required to do the work.

In other words a 60 watt light bulb draws .54 amps, in our case the shorter the length of heat tape the less amps drawn vs the equal heat produced. Since the heat produced is a factor of the work accomplished.

Regardless you can still use any lenght you wish so long as you cut the tape IAW manufactures specifications, like I said, as he asked.

Cheers
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

0.1 Sunglow "Khal" RTB **Coming Soon**
0.1 Snow "Khal" RTB **Coming Soon**
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.0.14 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
1.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.0.15 Normal Suriname Hybrid's
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
3.6.17 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child

Sorry Jeremy, but you just repeated what I said and tried to make it look like your idea.

"Wattage is equal to Voltage x Current. The voltage is going to remain constant at 110 V or what ever your household voltage is. As you increase the wattage you will be increasing the current until the load is too great for your circuit" is what I said.

"in our case the shorter the length of heat tape the less amps drawn " is what you said.

How is that different. If I say something wrong, correct me, please. Don't try to look like your correcting me when you are simply repeating me.

Sorry Jeremy, I said "Wattage is equal to Voltage x Current". Is that not exactly the same as your next sentence?

>>Sorry Wade amperage is equal to wattage divided by voltage.
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Wade's Weptiles & Wodents

Let me ask you this when you read my post, did you go what was the point of that? Cause that was the intention, because when I read you post thats what I said.

My origional;
"Although the amperage drawn and the heat produced might be drastically differnt than we are used to"

Your post had nothing to do with that correct statement in fact you just agreed that it was infact a true statement. I just worded my response so that you would.

In Dave and my typical applications we run probably 10-12 amps through our tape to achieve our temps. His friend now running a smaller piece will draw less than one amp for the same temp. That was my point, a vast difference, we aren't used to.

>>Sorry Jeremy, but you just repeated what I said and tried to make it look like your idea.

Not my idea, you can talk to James Watt about that one.

>>If I say something wrong, correct me, please. Don't try to look like your correcting me when you are simply repeating me.

Wasn't trying to correct you or say you were wrong just tryed to make you see my point.

Perhaps I should have worded the phrase "Sorry Wade my point is..."

Best of Luck

Thanks Jeremy, like I said, I' ve always used longer pieces and wasn't sure if it was OK to go shorter. Of course in the tiem it's taken to ask, the guy I was helping has decided to copy my design for a two wide sterilite 1754 15qt or one wide 1756 32qt so is a moot point.
-----
Thanks,

Dave Colling

www.rainbows-r-us-reptiles.com

0.1 Wife (WC and still very fiesty)
0.2 kids (CBB, a big part of our selective breeding program)

LOL, to many snakes to list, last count:
21.29 BRB
19.19 BCI
And those are only the breeders

lots.lots.lots feeder mice and rats

>> the guy I was helping has decided to copy my design for a two wide sterilite 1754 15qt or one wide 1756 32qt

I like that setup in fact my hatchling rack is that configuration as I know one of yours is. Very versitle and easy to make. I use Lidded, which is just that much easier to make.

Best of Luck
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Jeremy

"I am become death, the destroyer of worlds" July 16, 1945 Robert Oppenheimer

0.1 Sunglow "Khal" RTB **Coming Soon**
0.1 Snow "Khal" RTB **Coming Soon**
1.1 Double Het "Sharp" Snow RTB's
1.1 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.0.14 Hypomelenistic RTB's
0.2 Pastel Hypo RTB's
1.0 Double Het Stripe Albino RTB's
0.1 Suriname RTB
0.0.15 Normal Suriname Hybrid's
0.1 Anerthrystic RTB
3.6.17 Red Bearded Dragons
1.1 Rhinoceros Iguana's
1.0 Green Iguana
1.0 Ball Python
1.1 Cream Golden Retrieviers
1.0 Pomeriaian
0.3 Catus Terribilis
0.1 Spouse
1.0 Child

..........facts straight 3" flexwatt is made in two versions,6 watts per ft. and 10 watts per foot.have fun !

I use have used pieces that are about 4-5 inches long on plastic critter keeper type boxes for years. Length is of no consequence in a continuous, parallel heater like Flexwatt (other than too much length on a single circuit, where your current draw exceeds your breaker.)
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Mark