Multiple racks with Helix?

End Times · 07-27-05, 07:52 AM

I'm in the process of rack building and was wondering if is it possible to run more than one rack off of one single Helix DBS Proportional Thermostat?

If so, how many racks could I run off of one? I realize whatever you're running has got to be within a certain wattage, what I guess I'm really asking is how many plug-ins does the Helix have, and can you get more than one probe in order to monitor more than one rack?

The reason I ask is I checked out Strictly Balls and saw how Mykee built several "mini-racks" that could just be stacked on top of one another. I like that idea, as that way you can choose to only heat the smaller sections that are being occupied rather than heating an entire rack that may be half empty.

Oh, awesome site by the way, Mykee!

mykee · 07-27-05, 10:07 AM

Thanks for the compliment, it's a work in progress (just ask my Webmaster). The racks that you saw on my website are running off of one Helix. What I mean to say, is that I have two, three or as many as five racks for each size of rubbermaid that I use which are the same dimensions, and house the same number of rubbermaids, and use the same length of heat tape. The Helix DBS-1000 (which I use exclusively) can handle 500 watts of power per module without any add-ons. Which means you can safely run:
50 ft. of 3" heat tape @ 10 watts/foot
60 ft. of 4" heat tape @ 8 watts/foot or
25 ft. of 11" heat tape @20 watts/foot.
I run 4" heat tape in all of my racks; least amount of power needed, manageable size to work with and perfect size for all the rubbermaids that I use.
I currently run 13ft. (X3) of 4" for my hatchling racks (Rubbermaid #2218 I believe)
17ft. (X2) of 4" for my yearling racks (Rubbermaid #2220's I believe) and
12ft. (X5) of 4" for my adult racks (Rubbermaid #2221's I believe).

End Times · 07-27-05, 10:27 AM

Perfect. Thanks so much, Mykee. I was planning on the 4" too. 11" is way too wide, as I'll be using Sterilites model #1856 which are 22 and 3/4" long, by 16 and 1/2 wide, by 5 and 1/2 high, so 11" would be like half the darn container!

3" seems a little narrow for balls to snuggle up on, so yeah, 4" seems ideal to me too.

Invictus · 07-27-05, 03:21 PM

Thanks for the compliment on the site. It's my proudest work to date by far, and like a fine wine, will improve with time.