HELP thermostat wont work

[kon1]

i just bought a new ranco thermostat from reptile supply and it will heat up the heat tape then not work and idk what to do please help

[2kdime]

What do you mean?

It kicks the heat tape on then doesn't work?

Ranco thermostats are an on/off thermostat.

It heats up until the probe reads the set temperature and then kicks the thermostat off.

[kon1]

it works and will set one tub to the right temp. all my other tubs go to like a 100 degrees and stuff. it only keeps one tub at the right temp

[dr del]

Hi,

Are all heating elements the same size, type and wattage?

Are they in a rack or freestanding tubs or tanks?


dr del

[kon1]

they are in a rack. they are all the same heat tape. one will heat up to 92 the other heats up to over 100 and one wont heat up at all. but when i plug the non working one directly in the wall it works

[dr del]

Hi,

Have you tried remaking all the connections between the thermostat and the heat tape?

How are you connecting the heat tape to the thermostat and where have you put the probe for the thermostat?

Are all the lengths of heat tape the same? (probably are just checking ).


dr del

[kon1]

the probe is in the bottom tub inside on the spot where the heat tape is. they are all plugged in to the strip chord thats attached to the thermostat and yes thier all the same length

[2kdime]

Are they all the same width of Flexwatt?

[dr del]

Hi,

Well here's the first idea to try.

Tape the thermostat probe directly to the heat tape in the middle shelf of the rack. It's best to do this in a place where the movement of the tub sliding in and out won't displace it - to one side or behind the tub works fine depending on how you built the rack.

The one that doesn't heat up at all sounds like a wiring issue though so try it in a different socket of the thermostat to rule that in or out if you can.

In a rack the top tubs will usualy be slightly warmer than the middle one with the thermostat probe and the lower tubs will be slightly cooler.

The difference is generally only a few degrees though.


dr del

[DrLew]

.....make sure the heat tape you are using is identical - if the wattage is different - you're going to get 2 different temps......