Heat tape ??

[toph427]

I was planning on building a rack in the next couple weeks that is 5 or 6 shelves holding 2 15 qt. or 1 32 qt. tubs. I have been looking into everything and had a question about the heat tape. I understand how to use it I just wanted to know if you use one piece for all the shelves and run the tape up the sides or if you cut 5 or 6 separate pieces for each shelf. If you have separate pieces, do you wire them separately and plug them into an extension cord which is in turn plugged into the thermostat? Thanks for the help in advance

 

[Fencer04]

There are a number of ways of doing this. I only have 3 rows on my current rack and I have 3 separate pieces and wire them separately. I did this because I don't like the idea of having that extra heat tape sticking out there being hot.

For my next unit I think I am going to wire each of the shelves to a switch and then the switches to one plug that goes into the thermostat. This way I can turn off the shelves that I am not using.

To answer your question more precisely the major benefit of individual wiring is that you can unplug pieces you aren't using. If you wrap it, you only have to buy one wire set (the most expensive part).