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

[JDC]

For $100 plus shipping I can sell you my 2 month old pinpoint 2 stage temp comtroller.
I upgraded to GHL when my system grew.

[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