Heat Blanket Order

[cuddy]

Hey out there,
I am going to be getting a heat blanket from Michaels Enterprises and have two quotes (see below) If you order more than one at a time you get significant savings so I am hoping to go in on an order with someone.....ANYONE!! Please let me know if you are interested. I am going to order the 240v rated blanket.

12" x 78" 240v 2800w 11.67 amps.
72" Teflon Leads w/Tab (center 12" side)
72" Thermocouple Wire

Qty. 1 price: $497.75 + shipping

Qty. 2 to 9 price: $348.43 per heater + shipping

----- or -----

18" x 78" with tab middle of narrow end, 72" Teflon coated lead wires and 72" thermocouple wire.

Price: Qty of 1 - $575.80, Qty of 2 to 9 - $431.85 each


Matt
handmade@meierskis.com

[Skammy]

My hi-heat was cheaper :o
$371 just fyi

Silicone Wire Wound
14 Inch By 72 Inch
220 Volt / 3300 Watt
K Type Thermocouple
Split Heater (7.5 Amps)
2 – 30 Inch Silicone Leads
$296.50
+
$75.00 (One-Time Engineering Charge)

[cuddy]

What the?!?!? Do you mind telling me where you ordered yours through?

[Skammy]

http://www.hiheat.com/

[Jekul]

I've heard some mixed reviews from Hi-Heat. I've had good luck with mine, but I know CoSurfer had some troubles initially. You might want to PM him to see if he'd order the brand again. Also, why only 12" wide? I would go 16-18" if you're making a pair of skis, or at least 14" if you're making boards...It's a small price to pay to make sure you have a more even heat distribution.

[COsurfer]

I didn't have a very good experience with hi-heat. Both the blankets I bought burned out. They replaced one but just ignored my emails and calls to have them replace the second. I even emailed the CEO and no response.

[doughboyshredder]

I don't get it.

I paid 220 dollars each for four blankets from mei 240 v 13x72 2800 watts.

Are you requesting pricing using your name, or a business name?

[SHIF]

Whichever heater blanket you choose, don't waste money getting a built-in thermocouple.

This photo shows my ski press temperature controller is set to 185F. The TC that is attached to the aluminum press plate is reading 185F. The Fluke thermometer is measuring the thermocouple that is embedded within the MEI silicone heater blanket. This is proof positive that the embedded TCs are crap! If this TC was my controller feedback, I'd overcook my skis for sure.



-S

[COsurfer]

This is proof positive that the embedded TCs are crap!

That is exactly what happened to my blankets with a factory installed TC. They got way hot, fried a board to the point of melting the ptex and also fried the blankets! In addition make sure you sandwich your blankets in aluminum sheet. They will tell you the blankets are designed to take on many thousands of pounds but they wont. They can also get stretched in your press around the tip/tail molds.

I paid 220 dollars each for four blankets from mei 240 v 13x72 2800 watts.

Are you requesting pricing using your name, or a business name?

DBS, you must have got your blankets right before a price adjustment. I tried everything to get the prices down and no one budged. I wish it only cost $220! [/quote]

[krp8128]

DBS, you must have got your blankets right before a price adjustment. I tried everything to get the prices down and no one budged. I wish it only cost $220!

Last summer ( IIRC) I was able to get MEI to honor a 2-month old quote and I got a few of us here a killer deal. I think the prices went up somthing like $120 a blanket due to raw materials....

[cuddy]

Thanks guys for the heads up on this stuff. I am hesitant to jump in to quick as these blankets are expensive so I appreciate the input. I have limited electronic experience but am a licensed A&P so I have some basic all around knowledge. I also have a good friend who is an electrician so I am going to be banking on his help. So it sounds like I should get an aftermarket thermocouple? Do all blankets come with one installed and you simply remove and replace? Also, can you guys give me any hints on certain epoxy's you have had experience with and what temps and pressures you go with? I was surprised to hear that you can overcook the skis. Getting late and fresh snow falling so got to get some rest.
Well thanks again.
Matt

[MontuckyMadman]

my 5" wide x 70" long blanket at 110v is 1500 watts and rated to 600F.
easy to overcook if the thermocouple fails, or is in the wrong spot or falls out.
QCM and entropy bio resins.

[COsurfer]

I am so sick of thermocouple problems I could scream! I spent 3 hours today trying to figure out why my thermocouples were showing errors on my temp controllers. I never really figured out the problem I just messed with it enough it started to work so I tried to press a snowboard. During the press one thermocouple read 350 degrees and one read 110 degrees. I know they were both way off but I dont know how to fix it. The embedded TC are sooooo worthless!

Shif, I like your idea of adding a separate TC but don't understand how you tie in your Fluke thermocouple to your existing setup. Can you explain?

[SHIF]

...I like your idea of adding a separate TC but don't understand how you tie in your Fluke thermocouple to your existing setup. Can you explain?

The photo shows my Fluke thermometer reading the temp of the TC embedded inside my MEI blanket. I only did this to demonstrate the errors that embedded TCs exhibit. I never use the embedded TC.
Using Kapton tape, I mounted a pair of Omega thermocouples, type K, to my hot plate just outside the ski foot print. One of these is connected to my temp controller, the other is a spare in case I accidently cut through the fine TC wires during a ski build. When I plug this spare TC into my Fluke it reads exactly the same temp as my controller display.

Your errors might be caused by backward wiring of the connectors. In the US, all TCs are red lead negative (-).
http://www.omega.com/toc_asp/frameset.h ... _SPECS_REF

-S

[falls]

Hi SHIF
With your TC's do you have them in from the side or in from the end?
Is the TC between the heat blanket and the aluminium skin.
Do you think that the Kapton tape insulates the TC from the heat blanket a bit or is the strip of tape so narrow that the heat within the aluminium skin is uniform across the width and this is actually the temperature you measure?
20 questions! thanks (I have had a heat blanket for a while and just now running out of room temp epoxy so need to bring it into play to cure the sicomin that i have next).