Help with STC-1000 wiring!

[nickmv]

Alright, so I've been having some issues getting my STC-1000 wired properly.


Here's the deal -- i have no interest in using the heating feature, as it's useless for me. So, I have nothing wired into it. As such, I want to use both sockets for cool power (1 for freezer, the other for a fan).

Anyways, I've wired it in this picture. And yeah, I know, bad form using that white wire on the left side to wire to hot, but it's just the color, not the source.

The controller gets power and reads temp, and cooling comes on, but the outlet never gets any power! I'm really not sure what I've done wrong here. I want to also note that I did NOT remove the tab from the hot side of the outlet, as that would keep both outlets from being powered.

 

[billybryson54]

How long are you waiting after you plugged in the Stc-1000? Are you hearing the relay "click"? Forgive me if you already know this, but these controllers have a delay feature that keep the fridge from coming on until a preset amount of time has passed, to keep the compressor from cycling too often and possibly killing it. You can change this delay to any amount you like, but the point is that as soon as you turn on the stc-1000, the delay timer begins.
So if your delay is set at 3 minutes(the default value) then no power will be sent to the cooling outlet until that time has passed.

The way you can always know if you are in a delay-mode is if the little red light next to the "cool" label is blinking. If its solid, then you have a separate problem. Hope this helps

 

[nickmv]

Arrgggh....someone just asked the same thing in the reddit post I made. I realize there's a delay, it's set to 1 min, and I hear clicks in the relay on both heat and cool wiring configs. In either config, the cool or heat light is solid (after the 1 min passes), but no power is going to the outlet.

I know the outlet works, as I accidentally wired it originally directly into the outlet, but with the controller as an extension, which essentially just powers the controller and makes hot an already-hot outlet. It basically made the outlet hot at all times. I realized my mistake and re-wired as shown in the pic.


I've tried everything, but I'm 99% sure this wiring is perfect. I just don't understand what could be wrong here.

 

[billybryson54]

Well unless I'm missing something too, your wiring looks fine to me, but i would check that wire nut to make sure all three hot wires are connected together. I've had that happen before where one wire got left out, and something so easily overshot was my problem the whole time. If you're good there, try plugging your cooling wires into the heating side of the controller. If the heat side works the way it is supposed to, you may have a bad controller

EDIT: missed the part where you said you have already tried it in both configs. Sorry about that. I'm thinking that either your wire nut is loose, you have a loose wire somewhere else, or you have a bad controller

 

[Pratzie]

Did u snap that tab on the side of theoutlet? I don't think u need to do that if ur doing both with just cooling.

 

[DrunkleJon]

Just a thought. You probably want an always hot socket for your fan that way the temp is consistent which will allow for the temp control to turn on/off less often. As for the wiring everything looks ok to me, but since it isnt working obviously something is amiss.

Edit: Did you break any of the tabs on the socket? Try making the white wires on the right side screwed into the same screw.

 

[nickmv]

I've been using a fan inline with the power of the freezer just fine so far. This isn't going to a keezer..... just a ferm chamber, so it doesn't need a lot of circulation while off.


Anyways, I just filed a return and ordered another one. Hopefully I don't run into this problem again.

 

[PSUBrew]

Your wiring is messed up if that is your picture...Your outlet is not getting any power from the unit. Move the hot wire from the cool relay of the controller to the hot side of the outlet, assuming you didn't break the tab both outlets will kick on at the same time. Take the white neutral off of the hot side (left side in your pic) and pigtail all of the neutral connections together...there should be 4 wires in the wire nut..1 coming from the main cord, 1 going to the outlet (doesn't matter which screw, 1 going to the main power stc terminal, 1 going to cool relay on the stc.

edit: make sure your neutrals are on the silver screw, and hot connected to the brass screw

 

[nickmv]

Your wiring is messed up if that is your picture...Your outlet is not getting any power from the unit. Move the hot wire from the cool relay of the controller to the hot side of the outlet, assuming you didn't break the tab both outlets will kick on at the same time. Take the white neutral off of the hot side (left side in your pic) and pigtail all of the neutral connections together...there should be 4 wires in the wire nut..1 coming from the main cord, 1 going to the outlet (doesn't matter which screw, 1 going to the main power stc terminal, 1 going to cool relay on the stc.

edit: make sure your neutrals are on the silver screw, and hot connected to the brass screw

I think you confused yourself there because you didn't read my entire post. The white wire on the left was an accident in COLOR, not connection. The side with the green ground wire screw is the neutral side (silver screws). Hot side is the opposite side (gold screws), just like in my picture. The hot wire from the power cable goes to #1 in order to power the controller, and also goes to #7 in order to use switched power for Cool. Then #8 is the output of power from the Cool switch relay, which then runs to the outlet hot side (that's the white wire you're confused about).

The switched relay doesn't accept any neutral power (which you're saying it DOES) ---- all it is is a pass-thru relay switch for HOT power. The neutral is ALWAYS connected on the outlet, regardless of the controller's status. Note: There is NO neutral connection anywhere on the controller except the controller's power source. Cool and Heat connections on the right side of the controller do NOT use neutral wires.

It's more convenient to run the neutral wire to the first screw on the neutral side, and then run another one to the controller, vs jamming them together in the controller and then running to the outlet. Remember, neutral is just that -- neutral, not HOT. I just accidentally put a white colored wire from #8 to the outlet hot side, as I picked up the wrong color wire I had cut strips of. And NO TABS HAVE BEEN REMOVED.

I don't follow you, and I think you may actually be confused. If you insist, then please explain better.

 

[PSUBrew]

yep, totally didn't pick up on the white wire comment for hot power...my bad. I would say you might have a bad controller.

 

[nickmv]

Haha no worries. I always try to make something confusing.

I already filed a return with Amazon and ordered another one. Hopefully this one works. Guess I'll find out in 2 days.