Ranco stuck on 82.

[Bent]

what is going on here?

No matter what I do my ranco+jager combo keeps my tank at 82.

I currently have the Ranco set on 76 and the Jager on 78.

Before I had the Ranco set on 80 and the jager set on 82.

What gives here? There isn't much of a heat source other than the heater except maybe the return pump, and it's an external cetrifugal, so that can't be it.

 

[BrettDS]

It certainly sounds like the heat is coming from somewhere else. Is the light on the heater on or the heater warm? If not then I don't think it's coming on. Try to unplug the heater entirely for several hours and see if the temp falls, my guess would be that even with the heater unplugged you'll still be at 82

 

[Bent]

I've got the thermostat set way down on the jäger

It's weird before I plugged it up everything had been circulating for weeks at around 68 degrees.

Now that I have the ranco and heater, it went up to 82 and stayed there. Nothing was added or taken away except the heater and controller.

 

[Bent]

Yeah something is def screwy. I turned the ranco set point all the way down to 60 and the light on the jäger is still on.

 

[Bent]

Here's a shot of the wiring, it's only 4 freaking wires how hard can it be?

I wonder if the heater is bad?

 

[sleepydoc]

Is the Ranco a heating/cooling model?

If you have the heater set at 78 and it's still on with the tank at 82, somethings wrong with the heater as well. Take a glass of cold tap water and another glass of hot tap water and put the Ranco sensor in both, then see what the output does after it equilabrates.

 

[Bent]

It's a single stage model.

I'm going to plug the heater up by itself today and see what happens. It's a brand new heater it would suck if it's broken.

 

[jd371]

It looks like the Ranco is wired wrong. The center bottom terminal should have the black wire going in to it. Take a look at this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrBbqm79cco

 

[Bent]

I wired it according to this video.

http://youtu.be/6AZlvEBEjAA

 

[Bent]

It looks like the Ranco is wired wrong. The center bottom terminal should have the black wire going in to it. Take a look at this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrBbqm79cco

Oh yeah man, mine is wired up totally diff than that. I'm redoing it today.

 

[BrettDS]

That still doesn't explain why the heater still came on with it's thermostat set well under the tank temp. Try the heater alone without the Ranco as well and make sure that works too.

 

[Bent]

That still doesn't explain why the heater still came on with it's thermostat set well under the tank temp. Try the heater alone without the Ranco as well and make sure that works too.

Good point I'll give it a shot too.

 

[Bent]

I wired it up like the cat in the new video and the unit sits and clicks on startup and then buzzes real loud. ***.

 

[KStatefan]

I wired it up like the cat in the new video and the unit sits and clicks on startup and then buzzes real loud. ***.

Can you post a picture of it now?

 

[Bent]

Never mind, I'm a moron I got it figured out now. I had the male and female end reversed like an idiot.

This is what I used:
http://www.rcreptiles.com/blog/index.php/2007/05/11/how_to_wire_a_ranco_etc_111000_thermosta

Works like a champ now. Thanks for all the help!

 

[KStatefan]

Did you replace the heater?

 

[Bent]

no, I was a idiot and had the male and female plug reversed. it works now.

 

[KStatefan]

How did that make the heater stay on? You said the heater was set at 78 and the tank was still getting to 82.

 

[Bent]

How did that make the heater stay on? You said the heater was set at 78 and the tank was still getting to 82.

Beats me man. I flipped them around and it works like a champ now. It must have been the ranco keeping it on somehow. Strangest phenomenon I've ever witnessed.

 

[sleepydoc]

No - the ranco just supplies power. Kind of like plugging and unplugging it. The thermostat should have worked normally. I'd verify the function of the thermostat.