Thermostat question...

A little while ago I set up my rack system and used 3" Flexwatt heat tape and ordered a BAH-1000 Thermostat to help control the tape and prevent a burn or heating issue. In the last few weeks I have determined that the 3" tape is not efficient enough to heat my whole rack with the number of strips I employed so I decided to remove them and replace them with the 11" Flexwatt instead and save the other 3" stuff for little projects, etc.

Today as I received my 11" Flexwatt from the Bean Farm I read the set of instructions provided with it and makes mention of the following:

Need to use with heat tape:
>600 watt incandescent rotary on/off Dimmer
>Helix Proportional Thermostat>
Do Not USe normal thermostats. If they are not proportional they will allow the heat tape to overheat.

And in their catalogue I see a thermostat they sell under the name Alife Reptile Temperature Controller (which is packaged and "appears" to be the exact same thing as my BAH-1000 thermostat) and at the bottom of the add it says (not reccomended for use with Flexwatt)

Now I have a dilema...the add for my BAH-1000 states the following: will accurately control Incandescent Bulbs, Heat Mats, Ceramic Heat Emitters, Radiant Heat Panels, Heat Tape, etc. So do I trust it with my 11" Flexwatt or should I shell out more $ and get a different - better, thermostat? The description of the BAH-1000 made no mention of the word proportional and I guess I don't know if its a safe or even effective thermostat for the Flexwatt.

Thanks

Lee

uhh...didn't I just talk to you lol...

http://www.bigappleherp.com/Reptile_Supplies/Product/Electronic_BAH1000_Thermostat_924105.html

This should ease your mind

Well, it should ease my mind but thats where I got the quote that claims its ok to use with heat tape...while the identical (different label) model at the Bean Farm mentioned it was not ok to use with heat tape...

See? Or I am making no sense...heheheh, sometimes I do wonder...

Thanks CKA

Hows the snow?

Lee

I have the Bah-1000 as well and I remember that it did state that it could control flexwatt. THe BAH-1000 is not a porportional thermostat though, a proportional thermostat (just in case you or someone else dosen't know) controls the amount of electricity that is going to the heater to make it maintain the proper temp. The BAH-1000 is just an on off one, in that it clicks on lets the heater heat to whatever temp it is set at and then turns off and once it goes below a certain temp it clicks back on.

It is possible that some safety issues have come up and thats why they are telling you to use the different thermostat.

I would do as the previous poster suggested and contact the supplier. But that's just me and I have been known to be paranoid.

If you are that concerned about this issue, i'd recommend calling the guys at Helix directly. They have a website with contact numbers. I have used my Helix with both 11" and 3" and have never noticed an issue.

I am curious about the 3" issue. What problems are you having with the tape providing heat? I use 3" exclusively in my racks and have never had an issue maintaining the set temps. Send me a message if you are interested in "brainstorming" cause and/or solutions. Out of curiousity, how did you run the tape?

CAV, thanks for the input. I don't think I'll call Helix since I don't own their product and I doubt they'd want to discuss my issues with the other thermostat.

As for the rack & heat tape...I don't think its the fault of the tape, it works and generates heat just fine, I just don't think I have enough strips or rows of heat tape to maintain the temp's I need, especially during the winter here (drafty old house) Everything apears to work fine mechanically its just not enough for the size rack and number of tubs. I'll snap a pic over lunch to show the number and location of the strips in relation to the tubs but I am still planning on re-doing it with the 11" tape some night this week, I also ordered a Ranco proportional thermostat and will use the BAH-1000 & 3" tape on a smaller rack or maybe a quantine space. Nothing goes to waste

I do want to thank you for the excellent post you made on the Racks awhile back, it was the tempate that I used for making mine, albiet mine are not nice looking trimed oak style racks...just simple stuff.

Thanks,

Lee

Here are the rack pics as promised...nothing fancy as I mentioned earlier but I thought I'd post them anyway:





Oh, and please pardon the "stuff" you see stuffed in the other tubs...they are empty awaiting the weather to break so I can fill them with new animals and they became a good place to keep the stuff I was using when I made the rack and to house my extra hides, water bowls, etc.

Thanks again,

Lee

Careful what you wish for....

Once you fill that rackfilled up, you have to build another. It is a vicious cycle!

I'm sorry about the thermostat confusion. The basic Helix unit is also a Model #1000. You might try centering each strip of Flexwatt behind the tubs. The heating is much more efficient if it is directly behind the tub, versus the space between the tubs. Also, make sure that the temp probe is directly in front of the tape (inside the tub on the back wall). Otherwise, I don't see anything that looks amiss and the 11" tape should solve any problem.

A tip: If you are still finding it hard to maintain the desired temps, you can drape a light sheet over the front of the rack at night. This will help retain some heat. I often run into a similar situation during the summers in Texas when the A/C can drop the room temp below 70.