# heat tape



## brick

looking to buy heat tape, for some racks im building, anyone know where i can get it in the UK??? its everywhere in the states, but dont want to have to re wire everything to US standards!!!

need help finding it!!
cheers


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## blue-saphire

brick said:


> looking to buy heat tape, for some racks im building, anyone know where i can get it in the UK??? its everywhere in the states, but dont want to have to re wire everything to US standards!!!
> 
> need help finding it!!
> cheers


is this same as heat cable?


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## blue-saphire

or do you mean somert like this 
Livefood UK Ltd.


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## charliet

brick said:


> looking to buy heat tape, for some racks im building, anyone know where i can get it in the UK??? its everywhere in the states, but dont want to have to re wire everything to US standards!!!
> 
> need help finding it!!
> cheers


The problem isn't rewiring it, it's getting the right voltage. The US made stuff works at 120V whereas the UK mains electricity is 240V. There may also be problems with safety standards in the UK. Good luck finding it here.


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## brick

charliet said:


> The problem isn't rewiring it, it's getting the right voltage. The US made stuff works at 120V whereas the UK mains electricity is 240V. There may also be problems with safety standards in the UK. Good luck finding it here.


yeah ive been having the same conversation on a US forum, about if it is possible to use. Just thought there must have been some breeder out there in europe that had fiqured out how to use. As i have been tempted to buy a rack from the states, Freedom Breeder for example but this is the main problem the heating aspect.

The heat tape they had in the states, just looked a lot more easy to do what you wanted with it, also a lot cheaper. I guess i will end up with the heat strips from Habistat, will just cost a fair bit more, im buying or making my own rack, and im looking at at least 30 cages for adult medium sized boas. 

have also thought about using heat cable, does anyone have opinions of heat strips vs heat cable?

and cheers for the previous responses

dave


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## zukomonitor

i have been told that heat tape like flexwatt is illegal in the UK for safety reasons

i asked the same question and thats what i got anyway: victory:


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## rachel132002

Hmm just seen a pic of a huge roll of it and a place local to me had that last year i just thought it was some kinda funky heat mat you could cut to size but seemingly not, will ask about it next time i see the person.

Rach


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## brick

yeah cheers, be great to know it something similiar does exist in europe!!!


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## zukomonitor

rachel132002 said:


> Hmm just seen a pic of a huge roll of it and a place local to me had that last year i just thought it was some kinda funky heat mat you could cut to size but seemingly not, will ask about it next time i see the person.
> 
> Rach


flexwatt can be cut to size, but the wiring involved in putting it to the mains makes it illegal

nothing to do with voltage etc just it has no sealed connection housing


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## sweetvicky

The tape is the flat stuff right? I was of the opinion it was banned in the UK because there was a lot of problems arising from flaws in the tape and how it was laid (not stuck evenly or something) causing local hot spots which burns through something.
One specific case I read said they had hatchling racks using the stuff, connected of course to a stat, and a local hot spot burned a hole in one tub and the hatchling escaped, and overheated the ones eitherside of it to the extent the poor hatchlings died  This doesn't happen all the time, he had something like 80ft of tape in total and used it for a year, but better safe than sorry right?!

I'd go with heat cable, far cheaper by the foot than a heat strip and get it in longer continuous lengths. A cheaper sustitute for the exo terra stuff is the stuff used in gardening for keeping the soil warm. Soil warming cable I think its called, you can find it in gardening shops or ebay, about 10m for £35


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