HELP, Flexwatt shocking cage NEED HELP

JWFugle · 10-13-14, 12:39 PM

so i have an AP cage setup with flex watt and i get shocked if i touch the substrate without shoes on.

i have triple checked my connections, rubber sealed( sticky rubber tape that comes with reptile basics flexwatt conectors) all conections. im at a loss and way to irritated over something so simple causing so much trouble. i noticed before the animal was in there so thanks for that.

i tried running a ground from inside the cage with aluminum tape and running that to a wire which i then plugged directly into my surge protectors ground plug. didnt help, still got shocked.

i have mulch and topsoil in the cage and only the top soil shocks me. so some how i believe it is inducing a charge on the topsoil. but i cant figure out why it wont go away when i ground it.

please help, ive read several other forum pages who had similar issues and none ever figured it out

**millertime89** · 10-13-14, 01:18 PM

Wait... do you have the flexwatt IN the cage?

JWFugle · 10-13-14, 01:25 PM

as bad as it sounds yes. i wanted to try it. before all hell breaks loose on me, I DID NOT PUT THE ANIMAL IN THERE. EVER.

i was trying it out to see if it would heat the cage better without having to heat through the bottom of the cage, the table its on and figure out how to keep the cage from crushing the connections with the rubber protectors, as it says to avoid in the instructions. ive seen it done inside the cage else where on this site and others so i gave it a try. theirs worked so i figured mine could too.

**millertime89** · 10-13-14, 01:29 PM

Yeah, just stop. Remove it and check the tape itself, there might be an expose point. NEVER put it in the cage. Period.

JWFugle · 10-13-14, 03:01 PM

alright. so how can i keep the cage from crushing the connection points? with out leaving a 3in. strip of flexwatt hanging out the side of the cage.

**millertime89** · 10-13-14, 03:18 PM

That's what I do. Works fine even if it isn't the prettiest. Are you using the old style connections or the new ones with the pop rivets? If you're using the new one they can be placed under the cage without issue as you can't crush the pop rivets any further.

JWFugle · 10-13-14, 03:49 PM

i have the pop rivets, and yea i kinda wondered what harm it would do having weight on an already crushed metal. so you suggest to tape the flewwatt to the bottom and let it rest on it as is? just making sure im understanding. i dont want to redo this 10 times again...

**millertime89** · 10-13-14, 04:56 PM

I don't even bother taping it. The weight of the cage holds it in place just fine. As long as you're not constantly sliding the cage/flexwatt around you shouldn't have any issues. Although you may have to get some new flexwatt as you may have already damaged it to the point where it can't be used since it's already sending a current through the cage/substrate. You need to inspect it very carefully.

Mikoh4792 · 10-13-14, 10:15 PM

Easy fix....rubber feet(With adhesive backing).

http://www.amazon.com/StarTech-4-Inc...ds=rubber+feet

I use this on all enclosures

MyKuLoO · 10-14-14, 12:23 AM

Not sure if you have store called Daiso in your area but they have furniture padding (to prevent scratches on wood floors) that you can use to elevate the tank. They are $1.50 for 4 pieces.

Dan84 · 10-14-14, 01:19 AM

Another option would be to fix it to the table or stand that the tank is sitting on.