My heater problem

[ariana]

what is heat tape and is it better than a UTH? just curious.
im going to be using the UTH now. full time. im pretty excited

 

[LeapinLizards]

Heat tape, or Flex Watt is basically an UTH that you wire yourself. It doesn't have the protective covering like some pet store brand UTH have. You can buy it from http://www.beanfarm.com/store/agora.cgi?cart_id=7412080.5723&product=Heating&xm=on . Personally, I think they are better than UTHs for a couple reasons:
1. They are a LOT more energy efficient.
2. You can cut the flex watt to your specifications.

The only downfall is that you have to do your own wiring, and a lot of people get nervous about that.

 

[jakemyster44]

I am a FlexWatt (heat tape) fan as well. I was actually turned on to it by Heather. At forst the whole "wire it yourself" idea made me think twice, but I got it and in just a few minutes I had it rigged up and ready to go.

 

[Sunrise Reptile]

The Bean Farm is a good source for heat tape, but these folks will even wire your heat tape for you. Then you don't have the hassle. Just an alternative I think is worth mentioning. :main_yes:

 

[acpart]

I'm a bit nervous about flexwatt because of a number of reports I heard (some on this forum) about hot spots that actually melted plastic tubs, even with a thermostat. Personally, besides the UTH's, I use zoo-med heat cable which is coated and can be configured however I want it.

Aliza