Temperature controller?
- Thread starter ptreef
- Start date
I got the inkbird and it works just fine. You can find a few complainants about them online but I view it as an insurance policy. I don't mind that the Inkbird reads 79° and my glass thermometers read 78°. What I'm looking for is temperature stability between 76° and 78° with a way to cut power to the main heater if it gets stuck on. The inkbird works good for that. Another thing I do in the cooler months is place an additional undersized heater in the sump. That way if the main stops working, I'll have at little more time to react AND if it gets stuck in the On position, it's too small to cook everything.
I also use ranco. They work great and are pretty easy to wire. I have used inkbird with no problems too. Only thing to watch out for with inkbird is the sensor itself. Older ones had a metal temp sensor that was fine for fresh water but caused problems in salt long term.
Hey Brandon, with a tank your size things will happen a lot slower which is good with problems like this. I like to use heaters that have their own thermostat and then connect them to some type of controller. I say that because there are several titanium heaters that don't come with a thermostat and having that redundancy is important. I'd run three to four heaters on your system. You can run two heaters off either the Inkbird or the Ranco. The difference is the Inkbird can handle a max of 10A or 1100W according to their specs (Which doesn't add up as 10A @ 120v is 1200W). The Ranco can handle 15A or 1800W.
Also remember that 15A/1800W is one circuit in your breaker box. So spreading the heaters across two to three circuits is a good idea.
Also remember that 15A/1800W is one circuit in your breaker box. So spreading the heaters across two to three circuits is a good idea.
FWIW, it's conventional to de-rate (reduce) a circuit maximum current by 20-30%, depending on certain scenarios-
Ambient temperature above 30 deg C.
Multiple conductors in a conduit (3+)
Branch circuits, etc.
*I'm not a licensed electrician, so consult with someone who is, or may be more familiar with the National Electric Code (NEC) such as an electrical engineer, if you are in doubt.
Also, when you 'know' the maximum current will be sustained/constant, it is prudent to de-rate by 30%.
This is because the RMS value (ie- approximate DC equivalent) is ~30% of the AC value.
Mathematically it is the square root of 2 divided by 2, which is 0.707...hence the 30% reduction.
The take away here is, don't max. out your circuits.
Leave an appropriate margin of safety.
Just because the breaker says 15 or 20 amps, does not mean you should use it all.
My $0.02
Ambient temperature above 30 deg C.
Multiple conductors in a conduit (3+)
Branch circuits, etc.
*I'm not a licensed electrician, so consult with someone who is, or may be more familiar with the National Electric Code (NEC) such as an electrical engineer, if you are in doubt.
Also, when you 'know' the maximum current will be sustained/constant, it is prudent to de-rate by 30%.
This is because the RMS value (ie- approximate DC equivalent) is ~30% of the AC value.
Mathematically it is the square root of 2 divided by 2, which is 0.707...hence the 30% reduction.
The take away here is, don't max. out your circuits.
Leave an appropriate margin of safety.
Just because the breaker says 15 or 20 amps, does not mean you should use it all.
My $0.02
Im using two ink birds both with 800w heaters on them, they work fine. I have ranco's as well, they work fine too.
Ink birds work but Ranco's are more accurate. Considering a 1 degree swing isnt a big deal I really dont think it matters.
Ink birds work but Ranco's are more accurate. Considering a 1 degree swing isnt a big deal I really dont think it matters.
I meant it is ~70% of the AC value.
