convert a soil warming cable into a heating mat
 

Hi I have a soil warming cable and thermostat that I used to have in a sand
box on a bench in my greenhouse. However it was very heavy and my bench
collapsed. So I thought I would update my bench and propagator and use the
soil warming cable to make a pad similar to this.

http://www.keengardener.co.uk/produc...cm-(42w).rails

So what type of material should I use to make the pad from? And how would I
fix the cable to the material? I suppose I could put it in the middle of
two layers and sew it in place with nylon fishing line but would that melt
with the heat?

I did try using a sheet of expanded polystyrene but the cable is melting
into it plus I used cable clips and they keep coming out of the polystyrene
and I am worried it might catch fire.

So any suggestions?
Thanks, Jenny

convert a soil warming cable into a heating mat
 

Jenny wrote:
Hi I have a soil warming cable and thermostat that I used to have in a
sand box on a bench in my greenhouse. However it was very heavy and my
bench collapsed. So I thought I would update my bench and propagator and
use the soil warming cable to make a pad similar to this.

http://www.keengardener.co.uk/produc...cm-(42w).rails

So what type of material should I use to make the pad from? And how would
I fix the cable to the material? I suppose I could put it in the middle
of two layers and sew it in place with nylon fishing line but would that
melt with the heat?

I did try using a sheet of expanded polystyrene but the cable is melting
into it plus I used cable clips and they keep coming out of the
polystyrene and I am worried it might catch fire.

So any suggestions?
Thanks, Jenny

Why not use perlite or vermiculite instead of sand?

--
Jeff

convert a soil warming cable into a heating mat
 

Jenny wrote:
Hi I have a soil warming cable and thermostat that I used to have in a
sand box on a bench in my greenhouse. However it was very heavy and my
bench collapsed. So I thought I would update my bench and propagator and
use the soil warming cable to make a pad similar to this.


I did try using a sheet of expanded polystyrene but the cable is melting
into it plus I used cable clips and they keep coming out of the
polystyrene and I am worried it might catch fire.


I used a soil warming cable on a sheet of expanded polystyrene a few
years ago and found that the insulation had vanished from the cable.
Possibly the heat depolymerised the plastic and the styrene dissolved
the insulation. Care !

Paul

--
CTC Right to Ride Rep. for Richmond upon Thames

Do NOT put electrical cable near polystyrene, it can, due to chemical reaction, seriously damage the insulation depending on the plastic used for cable covering.

The reason the cable is melting is that it needs to be able to loose heat uniformly which it can't do if one side is on a heat insulator.

A stronger bench and go back to sand is the best way forward imho.

convert a soil warming cable into a heating mat
 

In article ,
says...
Hi I have a soil warming cable and thermostat that I used to have in a sand
box on a bench in my greenhouse. However it was very heavy and my bench
collapsed. So I thought I would update my bench and propagator and use the
soil warming cable to make a pad similar to this.

http://www.keengardener.co.uk/produc...cm-(42w).rails

So what type of material should I use to make the pad from? And how would I
fix the cable to the material? I suppose I could put it in the middle of
two layers and sew it in place with nylon fishing line but would that melt
with the heat?

I did try using a sheet of expanded polystyrene but the cable is melting
into it plus I used cable clips and they keep coming out of the polystyrene
and I am worried it might catch fire.

So any suggestions?
Thanks, Jenny



Sorry but if you have to use your cable make another sand bench there is
no other safe way (make it on the ground) you could change to heat mats
which are much lighter and they just have a layer of capillary matting
over them so hardly any weight at all.
--
Charlie Pridham, Gardening in Cornwall
www.roselandhouse.co.uk
Holders of national collections of Clematis viticella cultivars and
Lapageria rosea

convert a soil warming cable into a heating mat
 

The message
from Charlie Pridham contains these words:

Sorry but if you have to use your cable make another sand bench there is
no other safe way (make it on the ground) you could change to heat mats
which are much lighter and they just have a layer of capillary matting
over them so hardly any weight at all.

Years ago when you could pick this sort of thing up from charity shops,
I acquired an Eclectic Blunkett and made a propagator over it.

It was very effective, though Elfin Safety would have been appalled...

--
Rusty
Growing old is mandatory; growing up is optional.
Direct reply to: horrid dot squeak snailything zetnet point co period uk