So I bought a dual stage temperature Controller that was not wired and I didn't quite understand what I was getting into. I'm not very experienced in wiring electrical devices, it seems fairly simple but an experienced hand would be much appreciated. It's a Ranco dual stage.
Anyone willing to help me wire my temp controller?
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LandoLincoln
Well-Known Member
There's a thread on here called "ebay aquarium controller" and that would probably give you all the info you need to get it wired up, with pictures and everything.
But in short (no pun intended):
You've got two slots to power the unit. One hot, and one neutral.
You've got two slots to connect the probe to. I don't think those are wire specific.
Then you've got two slots for each controller relay (so that would be four slots total since this is a dual stage).
Wiring the neutral wires is easy. You have a neutral wire coming in from the plug, you have a neutral wire going to the powering of the unit, and then you have a neutral wire coming from each of your outlets. Wrap those four wires together and put a wire nut on them and then use electrical tape to further secure the nut to the wires.
The thing about the relays is that they act like a drawbridge for the power. When the relays are off, they stop the power from flowing, and when they're on, they let power flow through.
So what this means is that you run a hot wire to one side of the relay, and then run a second "hot" wire to the outlet from the other slot of the relay. So when the relay is off, no electricity is going to flow to the "hot" side of the outlet.
And of course, you should have a ground (usually green) wire to ground the whole thing.
I highly recommend investing in a simple outlet tester to verify that everything is hooked up the way it should be.
But in short (no pun intended):
You've got two slots to power the unit. One hot, and one neutral.
You've got two slots to connect the probe to. I don't think those are wire specific.
Then you've got two slots for each controller relay (so that would be four slots total since this is a dual stage).
Wiring the neutral wires is easy. You have a neutral wire coming in from the plug, you have a neutral wire going to the powering of the unit, and then you have a neutral wire coming from each of your outlets. Wrap those four wires together and put a wire nut on them and then use electrical tape to further secure the nut to the wires.
The thing about the relays is that they act like a drawbridge for the power. When the relays are off, they stop the power from flowing, and when they're on, they let power flow through.
So what this means is that you run a hot wire to one side of the relay, and then run a second "hot" wire to the outlet from the other slot of the relay. So when the relay is off, no electricity is going to flow to the "hot" side of the outlet.
And of course, you should have a ground (usually green) wire to ground the whole thing.
I highly recommend investing in a simple outlet tester to verify that everything is hooked up the way it should be.
