LF Inexpencive temp controller........

[lastlight]

You can buy Rancos on ebay. Got mine for about $60 I think. Be careful you get the 120V model if you go that route. I accidentally got a version that requires 12VDC input so I had to buy a power source for it as well. When I wired mine I followed a tutorial I found online from some BBQ forum. Turns out those guys use them too.

By the time you hack apart a few good extension cords etc you're likely better off getting pre-wired. I love these and won't run a system without one now.

[Dez]

My wife is my free temp controller. She monitors the tank temp all day while she's home and if it goes above 80 degrees she turns the fan on. The heater is set at 79 degrees. If it goes above 82 degrees then she proceeds to turn the halides off and leaves the T5's on. You should try it sometime. It works great.

[Leah]

Originally Posted by Dez

My wife is my free temp controller. She monitors the tank temp all day while she's home and if it goes above 80 degrees she turns the fan on. The heater is set at 79 degrees. If it goes above 82 degrees then she proceeds to turn the halides off and leaves the T5's on. You should try it sometime. It works great.

[lastlight]

Originally Posted by Dez

My wife is my free temp controller. She monitors the tank temp all day while she's home and if it goes above 80 degrees she turns the fan on. The heater is set at 79 degrees. If it goes above 82 degrees then she proceeds to turn the halides off and leaves the T5's on. You should try it sometime. It works great.

And obviously she's doing a pretty darn good job too! I'm not sure she can beat the check frequency of a controller but the built-in AI if there's an issue is much more advanced!

[Lance]

Originally Posted by Dez

My wife is my free temp controller. She monitors the tank temp all day while she's home and if it goes above 80 degrees she turns the fan on. The heater is set at 79 degrees. If it goes above 82 degrees then she proceeds to turn the halides off and leaves the T5's on. You should try it sometime. It works great.

Controller vs Wife

Controller: Wife:
- inexpensive (+1) - expensive
- can't cook - can't cook either, but tries to (+1)
- small footprint (+2) - hogs the whole bed
- can't do laundry - does laundry (+2)
- energy consumption small (+3) - hot baths, hair dryer, curling iron,
- car gas & oil, TV, etc. etc. etc.


Sorry Dez. Gonna stick with my controller!

[fkshiu]

Jehmco sells re-badged and pre-wired Rancos at pretty reasonable prices if e-bay concerns you.

http://www.jehmco.com/html/temperature_controller.html

[Myka]

Originally Posted by The Grizz

This will not work on my tank as the light's are on 4 different timer's and I have not run a heater on this tank AT ALL since it has been up and running. With all the pump's for return, closed loop, 2 skimmers with feed pump's and a pump for my NP pellet's my temp never got below 78 or above 81 until the summer heat and the AC in my house does not affect the room the tank is in as much as the rest of the house.

Ok. What are you thinking the temperature controller will do? All a temperature controller does is control when the heater comes on and when the fans/chiller come on by sensing the temperature. If you don't have a heater to run anyway, then buying a temperature controller seems like quite a waste. I think you will find that if you simply hook up some fans to a temperature controller that the fans will be on constantly when the lights are on anyway.

I have multiple timers as well - the lights that stay on the longest are 2 T5s that run for 12 hours a day. The timer that runs those lights has two 3-prong outlets, one for the fan, one for the lights. It's a lot cheaper than a temperature controller which you really don't need - especially if you're trying to save your Pesos.

I know you're not keen on a chiller, and I don't blame you. Your tank stays nice and cool, but holy mackerel the chiller puts off a tonne of heat into the room.

Another thought which may work for you would be to install a small in-window air conditioner for your fish room. You can find these small units for around $100. Then you don't have to sweat your balls off while you enjoy watching your tank.

[lastlight]

Originally Posted by Myka

Then you don't have to sweat your balls off while you enjoy watching your tank.

So *that's* what happened to you. Nice work =)

On a less serious note...my fans kick on at 80 and they run for about 5 min before shutting off (tank's at 79).

[Leah]

[quote=lastlight;532249]So *that's* what happened to you. Nice work =)

Hope the *new plumbing* was new and not used.

[The Grizz]

Originally Posted by Myka

Ok. What are you thinking the temperature controller will do? All a temperature controller does is control when the heater comes on and when the fans/chiller come on by sensing the temperature. If you don't have a heater to run anyway, then buying a temperature controller seems like quite a waste. I think you will find that if you simply hook up some fans to a temperature controller that the fans will be on constantly when the lights are on anyway.

I have multiple timers as well - the lights that stay on the longest are 2 T5s that run for 12 hours a day. The timer that runs those lights has two 3-prong outlets, one for the fan, one for the lights. It's a lot cheaper than a temperature controller which you really don't need - especially if you're trying to save your Pesos.

I know you're not keen on a chiller, and I don't blame you. Your tank stays nice and cool, but holy mackerel the chiller puts off a tonne of heat into the room.

Another thought which may work for you would be to install a small in-window air conditioner for your fish room. You can find these small units for around $100. Then you don't have to sweat your balls off while you enjoy watching your tank.

My tank only hit above 82 on hot days. Case in point, today is cool and overcast here with a little rain and my tank with all the light's on has not gone above 80.5. If I was to run a fan when the light's came on on days like today it would drop the temp to low. With a controller that can run a heater and a fan I can program it to turn on fan when above 80 and a heater when below 78. That way I can maintain a steady temp with only a couple degree fluxuation .