accurite is junk, or is it ranco that is junk?

I had a cheap thermostat for my uth and the temps shifted from 85 til about 93. I have an accurite temp. I checked out what a good thermostat was on here and everyone highly recommended the ranco or johnson. I spent 80 bucks and got the pre-wired ranco. My thermostat probe and the accurite probe are both under half inch of substrate(cypress mulch) directly on the glass above the uth. Guess what, my temps still change just like the cheap thermostat, 84 to about 91. Which one is junk, the accurite or ranco?

When you set your Ranco up and programmed it, what did you set your Differential Range to?

To add to that, it probably isn't the Ranco. I would check what you set it to first. Then go from there.

Ranco is a non-proportional thermostat, that will cut on and off, so the temps will vary.

What did you set it on? And what is the differencial?

This is from Reptile Basics thermostat FAQ

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They turn on 100% when the temperature falls a degree or two below the set point and they stay on until the temperature gets a degree or two above the set point. This means that if you set your thermostat at 80 degrees your actual temps can vary between as low as 76-78 degrees and as high as 82-84 degrees.

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I set my differential to 1-I hate to get a whole new accurite and set it all up, it seems like its right most of the time, my thermostat kicks on and off, just not quick enough(my outlet has red light on it so I know when it is on and off)It seems that when it kicks off the temp is 91 like it should be, but by the time it kicks back on it takes awhile for it to warm back up therefore letting my temps drop to far? I dunno

How long have you let it sit undisturbed? Sometimes it can take a while for things to settle down...especially if you keep opening the cage/tub or otherwise messing around with it.

Also...what kind of UTH are you using? It's possible that the problem isn't with your t-stat. A cheap UTH may not be heating reliably.

I also forgot to mention I have had Acurites crack out on me too. When the battery runs low at all, the temps flucuate really bad.

If you have an older battery in there try replacing that too.

They both are about 2 weeks old and sit all day undisturbed while I am at work. What is the point of setting the temperature differential to a 1 degree difference if it is going to let it fluxuate about 6 degrees?

It shouldn't flucuate, at least mine doesn't. Maybe I am lucky with mine. The most it ever flucuates is a degree or two but thats it.

What are you using to hold the probe in place? I have learned the hard way to keep the probe on the outside of the tub/tank.

Houdini has moved his and the temps went haywire. If the probe is off the heating device at all it will flucuate quite a bit.

My temps will do that too but I've learned that its the accurite. Like someone said, if the battery is even the tiniest bit low, it takes horrible readings. Keep tons of extra batteries on hand.

I'm more likely to trust the $90 machine than the $12 *batteries required machine. Y'know?

1. Trust the ranco.

2. Secure the probe to the heat source on the outside of the tank somehow. With 2" of substrate, you may need to turn the Ranco's temperature setting a few degrees higher than what you want your hot spot inside the cage to be. Then, measure the hot spot inside the tank with the accurite and adjust the Ranco accordingly.

Hope that helps.

I also had what i thought was alot of fluctuating so after a lil advice i purchased a temp gun so i could check at any moment. Low and behold my ranco was always within a degree of what the display said and what the actual temp was and my lil accurite could be 4 or 5 degrees off what the ranco said so that 12 bucks spent on the accurite was a waste i ended up tossing it!

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

1. Trust the ranco.

2. Secure the probe to the heat source on the outside of the tank somehow. With 2" of substrate, you may need to turn the Ranco's temperature setting a few degrees higher than what you want your hot spot inside the cage to be. Then, measure the hot spot inside the tank with the accurite and adjust the Ranco accordingly.

Hope that helps.

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Keep in mind, however, that if you're using Flexwatt you should never set the thermostat temp above 95. Flexwatt is not designed to be used above that temperature per the manufacturer's warnings.

Our accurites are kinda funky too. I have taken temps that are 10 degrees off before with our temp gun. And it doesnt help when the snake dunks it in water dish. Then you get all kinds of crazy.
We have the ranco on a... 3 degree difference? I think, it works like a charm, and its always spot on for us. :)

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Originally Posted by CntrlF8

Keep in mind, however, that if you're using Flexwatt you should never set the thermostat temp above 95. Flexwatt is not designed to be used above that temperature per the manufacturer's warnings.

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I'm afraid it's almost mandatory that BP owners using flexwatt let the tape get over 95 degrees. I've done some tests and the 11" definately gets hot enough to burn things and start a fire, and I would never let any heat tape go at full power, but to get an enclosure to 94 degrees, I've found that the heat tape has to heat to at least 97-98 degrees. For me at least. Depending on the enclosure and substrate you are using, you might have to set it to get even hotter, which I think that anything under 110 is safe, as long as the temps inside the enclosure stay under 95. I don't go over 98, but as long as you're not setting this up on cardboard or something with a really low combustion temp, I don't see any problems going over 95. Does anyone disagree?

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Originally Posted by CntrlF8

Keep in mind, however, that if you're using Flexwatt you should never set the thermostat temp above 95. Flexwatt is not designed to be used above that temperature per the manufacturer's warnings.

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Not true, I don't know where you got that from.

Straight from Calorique's (the manufacturer of FW) website:

http://www.calorique.com/documents/TIS/TIS118-1.pdf

This one says the maximum operating temperature is 185 degrees.

More here:

http://www.calorique.com/Technical5.html

I have been using the Rancos for a while and I noticed the same inconsistency in temperature. I will tell you that a lot of it has to do with glass. Glass is not nearly as good at maintaining a temperature as plastic. My Reptile Basics cages and racks are spot on with the same thermostats. My glass cages can be plus or minus 3 degrees.

The last thermostat I bought was a Johnson Controls from RBI and it has worked out better for me than the Ranco.

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

Not true, I don't know where you got that from.

Straight from Calorique's (the manufacturer of FW) website:

http://www.calorique.com/documents/TIS/TIS118-1.pdf

This one says the maximum operating temperature is 185 degrees.

More here:

http://www.calorique.com/Technical5.html

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That's not for the flexwatt product.. Calorique makes many products, most of which are meant for use in heating buildings, not reptile enclosures.

http://www.beanfarm.com/heating/flexwatt_userinfo.pdf

Thanks for everyones input. I guess I'll just go with the ranco reading and disregard the accurite. I just have heard so much hype on here about having to have an accurite. I guess I will be in the market for a temp gun