Chief Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I have a 1/2 HP PCI Chiller at 9.9 amps, 110 volts, 1089 watts. I also have a Finnex 800 watt heater. I would like to control both pieces of equipment on a dual stage temp controller. The Ranco/Aqualogic dual stage controller will handle a maximum of 1000 watts. I am at almost double their max wattage. What are my options? Two single stage controllers? Can an Aquacontroller, or Reefkeeper handle the wattage? Can I build a relay? ( I am a little lost when it comes to relays or anything else electrical ) DOH! Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madmike Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Your are fine with the ranco controller as it only controls 1 of its outlets in the "on" position at a time. There would never be a need to heat AND cool the water at the same time. I have a C050 PCI also and run a 1000 watt fire plug inline heater and the ranco works great! The Aquacontroller will handle the heat if you want also, but the temp probes are more prone to failure. I have a ACIII and choose to only control heat and cooling related activities like fans and turning off the lights if it gets too hot. The Ranco temp probes are used on many industrial applications and I have never heard of a failure. HTH Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theron Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I agree that a ranco two stage would be fine. I ran a 1200W ac unit and heaters with mine. Only one stage active at one time. BTW, I have had one go bad, but it detects the error and shuts down both stages. It is some kind of memory error. Theron Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 Thanks, That explains everything. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Do you guys use the ranco temp probe as is or have you sealed it in heat shrink or something? I've read the probes need to be sealed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theron Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I have two that I purchased used. On one the probe has been sealed with heat shrink. The other was stock, I believe. The one with the stock probe, quit working with a memory error. The one with heat shrink, the probe failed on me. I replaced the failed probe with the stock probe from the defective unit. I now have one working unit. I used mine for a long time before I knew about sealing the probes. It is intersting that the one that was supposed to be sealed is the one that failed. So right now the one I am using is stock and have not had a problem with it. I have thought about sealing it with some epoxy or something. With that said, I am going to replace the heating functions of the ranco with my controller soon. I still think they are a nice reliable unit, but for the price I think it would be best to spend a little more for a controller and get many more functions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 From what I have been reading, the Ranco's need to be sealed. The Aqualogic ( rebranded Ranco's ) have a Titanium probe that does not need to be sealed. Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Anyone have a link? I have a ranco I no longer use but would be worthwhile to seal it in case I ever need it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Theron Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 http://www.rancoetc.com/thermal-well-aquariums-clear-heat-shrink-tubing-p-150.html?osCsid=4ea363dd1b17ea9e034904272c005395 My probe was sealed like this, but I think I let the probe get submerged below the heat shrink tubing and some saltwater leaked in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 Pretty basic, I will stop and get some next time I'm at electronics store. Who would have thought the probe was not water resistant, crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chief Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 So I finally bought an aqualogic dual stage temp controller. Best purchase I have made to date. My Finnex controller was stuck on 24/7 and my chiller was always on compensating for it. Now my temp stays at 78 and I am using much less electricity. (clap) Jay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
impur Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 They sure are nice. A necessity IMO. Now you can spend that money you save on electricity for more frags Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CA2OR Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Wow....glad it worked out well for you. How much was it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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