Ranco Thermostat Giving Me Problems

My thermostat is giving me issues and I am hoping maybe some of you have dealt with this before and know how to fix it. When I plug the thing in, it seems fine, all the controls work. However, on the power strip, the light on the reset button is very very dim, and I am not getting any power to anything I plug in on the strip. Could this be a bad strip? Or is it something inside the thermostat?

I appreciate any info anyone has!

If you are not getting a error message on the Ranco, your strip or the wiring to it may be bad.

have you tried plugging anything into the thermostat directly? if not I suggest that you do so. this should tell you if the thermostat is working or not.

You can also test the strip by plugging it directly into a outlet.

I have a ranco on one of my racks. I have little to no light on the power strip either and I know its on. It still runs fine and gives me heat.

Is this a new thermostat? Have you given the flexwatt time to warm up? Maybe crack the thermostat open to check the wire connections. I wired the power strip into the thermostat unit myself. And Reptile Basics does the same method. If yours looks like theirs, then you can't directly plug the strip into the wall as there is no prong plugs. Nor can you plug the flexwatt directly to the thermostat as it has no outlet unless you have a stock Ranco that isn't modified.

Maybe try plugging a light or something else into the strip to see if it that will turn on.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk 2

I'm not getting an error message of any sorts. It shows the temp like normal.

My strip is wired into the thermostat and the thermostat doesn't have an outlet on it. It is not a new thermostat, I have been using it for a little over a year with no issues. I cracked it open and all the wiring looked fine, but I didn't put a multimeter on there to check everything. Does anyone know what numbers I should find if I test it? I don't have a manual for the unit

What mode are you using on the multimeter? What mode is the thermostat set to? The numbers will vary based on the amount of power thee thermostat is sending and what if anything is plugged into it.

You can get the manual online. Sounds to me that it is a wiring issue. Either from Therm to the power strip or in the power strip. You can also look for info on these on homebrewing websites. Homebrewers use these a lot for their fermentors.

Rich from RBI sells these kind of pre-wired Rancos on his website. I believe he wires them up himself so he may be able to help you troubleshoot. I recommend hitting him up at sales@reptilebasics.com

I seriously doubt that it is an internal problem with the thermostat if the only time it acts up is when the OP plugged something else into the wall outlet. My guess is that the OP is overloading the circuit that the thermostat is plugged into.

Sorry I must have delivered the info a bit confusing. Its not working at all no matter where it is plugged in, by itself or other. And it has been working plugged into the outlet its currently in for over a year.

In all honesty I don't know what setting it is on. I have the temp set at 88 and the dif at 1. Otherwise, I don't know what settings there are.

I will look for the manual online, and I will email RBI if I can't figure it out