mkirkwag wrote:How hot are your cables to the touch?
Remember (assuming you've carefully read all the detailed posts above), I'm using a rheostat (lamp dimmer) to reduce my cable's heat output by 40%, but more importantly, my actual (measured) 15 watts (varies by season) is distributed along a longer CPAP hose (10 feet) and longer Repti-Heat-Cable (15 feet), so my hose and cable will be cooler than yours. FYI, my cable is "warm to the touch" at a 15 watt output.
Please, use common sense, but more importantly, always err on the side of safety. If it feels too hot, it probably is. If you can't touch it continuously without it feeling uncomfortable, I'd say it's probably too hot.
mkirkwag wrote: I'm afraid to use it.
Then I'd suggest you stop using it and buy yourself an Aussie Heated Hose that is intended for CPAP use. These Do-It-Yourself (DIY) solutions aren't for everyone. In fact, if you don't have some of the equipment mentioned already laying around, like my Kill-o-Watt meter, a volt-ohm meter, a lamp dimmer switch (rheostat), a 3-way plug, an electronic timer, etc., etc., you may end up spending as much, or even more, for the DIY solution as you would for the "real McCoy" (Aussie Heated Hose).
As an aside, I studied electronics and electricity in high school, spent two years studying science at a university, have been a "lay hobbyist" with these types of things my entire life, had a father who was a SAC air force mechanic who had me cleaning parts while he rebuilt the family car engine as I looked on, have a father-in-law who was an electrical engineer and to whom I can ask many of my "dumber questions", and have also managed to play safely with very dangerous toys
most of my life (exceptions apply) .
IMO, some DIY solutions, perhaps this one since it involves electricity and heat, should be avoided by otherwise intelligent people from less technical backgrounds and sensibilities (aka: non-nerds), who may not understand, nor wish to accept, otherwise avoidable risk, or who may not possess the anal retentiveness and accompanying mild to moderate obsessive-compulsive nature so often required to continuously monitor and assess DIY equipment functionality to insure the highest possible level of personal safety when utilizing solutions that are "outside-the-blister-pack".
Let me summarize... If you are a person who likes things that are dangerous, that go really fast, or perhaps even explode, then you are a "shoe-in" for the Repti-Heated-Cable solution. If you are a more cautious person who prefers to avoid risk, who runs away from danger instead of toward it, or who views emergency situations with trepidation instead of attraction, then you may be better suited for the Aussie Heated Hose solution.
mkirkwag wrote: Does this sound like the normal amount of heat?
I can't tell from here, but if you have
any doubts, you may be better served by saving your dimes and buying an Aussie Heated Hose. While there are a couple reports that it too has had safety issues, at least it is specifically intended, designed, tested, and approved for your application (CPAP).