flexwatt length question..

[Ehatcher]

I had originally planned on wiring my rack by snaking the flexwatt through it in one piece...but i got to thinking about something.

Does flexwatt begin losing heat the longer the length is? Say you have a 20 ft piece of flexwatt... Would the end with the wires show higher temps than areas towards the insulated ends due to the energy transfer?

Would two 10 ft strips snaked through the rack display better heat transfer, rather than one 20 ft strip?

Am i over thinking this? lol

Thanks.

 

[project1]

im not sure but in my schooling (becoming an electrician) you would just up the wire size for what ever distance you would have voltage drop but seeing that your self probly wont be more than 6ft i wouldnt think it would be a problem but iv have yet to use the stuff so i really dont know

 

[brothaT]

With Flexwatt the main thing you have to worry about is too many amps flowing through the heat tape. I believe if you have the 8 watt/ft tape the specs recommend keeping the length under 40ish feet, so you should be fine if you have that kind of tape. There won't be any real difference in heat between the two ends, unless you're worried about fractions of one degree.