Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Now, I know orignally Flexwatt was one of the types of heat tape used to keep pipes from freezing in cold weather. There are other brands out there but so far all of them have an activation temp of 30 degrees F and a deactivation temp of 55 degrees. So my question is, how does Flexwatt differ from them and maintain a temperature? Is it in the wiring of it so it doesn't shut off or what? I've never dealt with it yet... using mostly store bought heating pads or undertank heaters but I have a gorgeous cherry wood cabinet setup that was given to me with 4 individual shelves and glass doors that swing up and slide inward. Light fixtures were put into the back panel but I prefer to use undertank heating for my leos which are what would be in there.

Also, while I'm writing this... what can you use as an adhesive with flexwatt to make it stick to the bottom of say a plastic cage or a wood shelf? I know foil tape would work somewhat but I'd like to get as full a contact as I can with the heat tape and the surface its attached to... it'll all be run on dimmers or thermostats but basically I need to know if there are others besides flexwatt you can pick up at a hardware store and wire a bit differently so they stay on constantly. None of my hardware stores carry the stuff...nor heat rope or anything else but the other brands of heat tape designed for pipes.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

Thanks

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Lucien

1.1 Columbian Redtail Boa (BCI)(Sutekh and Isis)
5.11.Leopard geckos (1.2 Blizzards (Caine, Phoenix, and Mirage), 0.2 Tangerine Albinos (Tequila Sunrise ...Tiki for short, and Casper), 1.0 Tremper Albino (Mycah), 0.3 Poss. Het. Albino (Annika, Lace, and Aris), 1.1 dbl. het blizzard x tang albino (Malice, Malfeas), 1.0 Full Stripe Chocolate Tremper Albino (Discord), 0.1 pastel (Raven) and 1.2 Normals)
0.1 Savannah Monitor (Kiros) (R.I.P. November 18, 2005)
13 rats (plus pups)
2 Dogs (Loki and Storm)
2 cats (Ashe and Hercules)

>>There are other brands out there but so far all of them have an activation temp of 30 degrees F and a deactivation temp of 55 degrees.

It sounds like the product you're describing is not Flexwatt or anything similar but instead sounds more like pipe heating cables. Flexwatt doesn't have any built-in thermostatic control, that's why it's so important to use it with a rheostat or a thermostat [either on-off or proportional].

Also, the Flexwatt -to the best of my knowledge- that everyone sells is actually a product made by a company called Calorique and is primarily designed as radiant heating for homes and is intended to be installed in the ceiling behind drywall or some similar covering. It's also intended to be operated full-on which is why it doesn't get too hot [relatively]. It's simply a case of a product adapted for use with reptiles, which is the case with almost all products we currently see for sale.

I can't help you with any of your other questions. I don't own or use any Flexwatt, but I have researched it extensively. I personally don't like belly heat because I think it's unnatural in most cases. I prefer to use heat sources that come from above or from the back/side as I think that is more natural in terms of being most like what an animal would encounter in the wild and also helps maintain a better thermogradient, at least in how my cages are setup. Maybe some of our more Flexwatt-knowledgeable keepers will weigh in on the subject for more information.
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Matt Campbell

Big animals, little animals, plants - right down to the sea itself. We need them, not just for their own sake, but because all this has to be here for everybody forever. Only one thing is certain: if we are to preserve our environment and save this priceless wildlife we need much, much more knowledge.
Harry Butler from 'In the Wild With Harry Butler' 1977

Flexwatt does not come with any type of controller. You need to either wire in a dimmer or plug it into some type of rheostat / thermostat controller. I've used dimmers and don't recommend them. I used the 600 watt leviton dimmers on racks that were running less than 200 watts. They are not made to run 24/7. So they turn off, stop passing current. All you have to do is turn the dial all the way down and then back and they will come back on. In the meantime your reptiles have gotten cold. If you do use one, I recommend that you check it 2x a day. This may seem like a minor problem but it can be worse. As an example: I fed several colubrids in the a.m., left for two days, and came back to find they had all regurged. The dimmer turned off and they got cold. Spend the money and get a better controller.
I've always used foil tape to hold down the flexwatt. Even when there was groove routed into the shelf. Just place small pieces along the clear plastic edge of the flexwatt. Do not completely cover the flexwatt in foil tape. Also, you want a small gap for ventilation. 1/16 to 1/8 inch is sufficient.
When I kept leos in tanks I made my own heat pads out of flexwatt mounted on pressboard with foil tape and small squares of ensolite to raise the board up off the shelf and closer to the glass bottom. I've also made small thin boxes that were completely closed except for a wire coming out of one end. I placed flexwatt inside of these and sealed the hole with silicone sealer. You can make these out of door skins or paneling and 1/2" thick molding. Drill small holes along the edges in the molding. This way the flexwatt is ventilated but crickets cannot crawl into the box. I would place these in the tank and cover them with sand or bark.

Have you thought of radiant heat on the ceiling of each cage? They work very well although they cost more than flexwatt. I think that they would look good in your setup if it is what I am thinking of. Just a thought.
Wil Combs
Captive Bred Creations