Ranco failed, Johnson Controls failed, what's next?

[bidny]

So, I've been trying to "do things right" by using a secondary heater controller for my tank's Eheim Jager heater. Didn't want to cheap out, given the fact that a faulty heater can easily crash a tank. So, I did my research and found out that folks generally recommend a Ranco controller.

Used the Ranco successfully for a couple of years before it started throwing an error code. I can't recall if it was throwing an E1 or E2 code. But the more I researched it, the more I found folks with similar issues, requiring a whole new controller. This didn't exactly inspire confidence, so I started looking again.

Came across Johnson Controls, which also had a large following. Picked up one of these units. Again, used it for a couple of years.

Then the other day, my wife and I smelled something funny coming from the tank. It smelled like an electrical component burning up. I quickly figured out that it was the Johnson Controls unit and unplugged it. The unit was hot and smelled horrible. I'm certainly glad we were home at the time.

So, now I'm stuck. I'm not sure what to try next. I could go with an Inkbird, but that seems like a step back, not forward, in terms of quality and safety. Anyone have any thoughts? Recommendations?

Thanks!
-Steve

 

[bidny]

BTW, this will also be attached to a Reef Angel controller. My new build will be using Finnex heaters without a controller of their own, so I want to have the Reef Angel controlling the heaters and another heater controller as a backup.

 

[alton]

I have always set my heaters at 78 and my RKL at 76 to control my heaters. That has worked fine for nine years. If you are changing to finnex heaters then use a finnex controller with the RA as your back up or vice versa.

 

[n2585722]

You might check these out. I have never tried them. https://premiumaquatics.com/products/autoaqua-smart-temp-security-heater-chiller-safety-control.html

 

[mcgyvr]

You can't escape bad luck

Seems you might just want to make it something you change every couple years since you don't seem to be having good luck with what are really quality products that shouldn't fail..
I used my reef angel only as the temp controller for years without issue..
I now use a inkbird with no issues so far..

If you want quality that comes at a price and I would direct you towards something from Omega..

 

[bidny]

I have always set my heaters at 78 and my RKL at 76 to control my heaters. That has worked fine for nine years. If you are changing to finnex heaters then use a finnex controller with the RA as your back up or vice versa.

Yes, I definitely considered this. However, the problem is that I don't trust Finnex controllers. They are notoriously inaccurate. I have one on my quarantine tank, and I have to set it to 86 degrees in order for it to maintain 78 degrees.

Now, this may not mean that they're prone to failure in any way. But I just have trouble trusting controllers that are this consistently wrong. (Read the reviews on them, if you get a chance.)

I like the heater product Finnex puts out. I just don't like their controllers.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[bidny]

You can't escape bad luck

Seems you might just want to make it something you change every couple years since you don't seem to be having good luck with what are really quality products that shouldn't fail..
I used my reef angel only as the temp controller for years without issue..
I now use a inkbird with no issues so far..

If you want quality that comes at a price and I would direct you towards something from Omega..

Yeah, I feel in some ways this may be true. I may need to bite the bullet and give the Ranco another shot. I'm more reluctant to try the Johnson Controls again, since it failed faster than the Ranco, and its failure case could have resulted in a fire.

 

[bidny]

You might check these out. I have never tried them. https://premiumaquatics.com/products/autoaqua-smart-temp-security-heater-chiller-safety-control.html

Interesting product. I would have to read reviews on it. I'm always a bit leery of these hobbyist grade controllers / protectors as a backup. You really need the backup to perform when needed most, and I had been more willing to trust more commercial equipment like the Ranco or Johnson control. That being said, they both failed me, so I'll try to dig up some reviews of this product. Thanks.

 

[gargoylenest]

When all equipment fail, its time to check to person operating it joke
but there might be another issue here, maybe the controller get splashed by water, too much humidity, to much wattage for the controller. Sometime just having protection over protection can cause some weird issues.

 

[bidny]

When all equipment fail, its time to check to person operating it joke
but there might be another issue here, maybe the controller get splashed by water, too much humidity, to much wattage for the controller. Sometime just having protection over protection can cause some weird issues.

Yeah, I may have to bite the bullet and try the Ranco again. The design of my new build allows me largely to isolate electronics from the sump/water/creep/humidity. Hopefully this would add some years to their lifespan.