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I recently purchased some new rack systems (www.jasons-jungle.com) and was looking at the various thermostats on the market. How does the Ranco rate vs. the Big Apple vs. Helix? The features, price, value, reliability. If you've used any of these, your input would be appreciated.

>>I recently purchased some new rack systems (www.jasons-jungle.com) and was looking at the various thermostats on the market. How does the Ranco rate vs. the Big Apple vs. Helix? The features, price, value, reliability. If you've used any of these, your input would be appreciated.
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Thomas Jones
aligatorhunter@earthlink.net
(252) 757-3879

My Wife Ran Off With My Best Friend, I Sure Do Miss HIM!!!

I have a few Big Apple Herp thermostats. All work great and are extremely ease to setup. No wiring required, just plug everything in. Proportional control with night drop. Solid.

Bill

I use all three. The Helix Super System can control heating as well as lighting, all controlled by one unit. They are all reliable as I have never had any problems with them and have been using Helix systems for about 8 years and Big Apples about 2 years. The Helix and Big Apple are proportional which is better for heating as it continuously monitors temp changes and makes adjustments to the heat source to maintain your desired temp. The Ranco is basically an On/Off which means that it will be turning on and off to maintain temps which can reduce the life span of the heat source and if you are using a bulb for heat it will be going on and off which I find annoying. I use the Ranco two stage models in addition to either a Helix or Big Apple on my valuable snakes as a backup for heating and cooling.

Dr Phibes

Proportional controllers (Big Apple - the $100 model, and Helix) are what should be used for heat tape or heat mats. Period.

ON/OFF controllers are best used for heaters or air conditioners that cannot cycle on and off much, or for heating applications where the cycling will be not be high. For example, a space heater cannot cycle on and off every 3 seconds without breaking, so you use an ON/OFF controller with a differential of about 4 degrees set. A low wattage heat lamp in a cage for background temp can be controlled by a Ranco since it probably won't be heating the air in the cage fast enough to result in cycling of the thermostat more than once a minute or so.

Heat tape heats quick and cools quick usually, and there are no moving parts to wear out, so you can cycle it alot with no wear and tear. Proportional controllers in effect cycle the power to the heater on and off rather often, like every 3 seconds for some models. That is how it can fine-tune the temps so well.

Mark thank you very much! This is the exact kind of response that I've been looking for, but basically came to the conclusion myself. I posted a little bit back about thermostats too, but never got a clear answer from anyone. Now I'm certain that I'll be using an on/off type thermostat for sure. I've also found them more profitable to me in that they generally have a lower temp. range which works since I will only really be using it during the winter to control hibernation room temps. Would you say the Ranco would be the best to go with for on/off thermostats?
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Conrad

Too Fast Reptiles

Proportional thermostats do not cycle the power on and off. What they do is vary the amount of power (Watts) sent to the heater. This allows for very fine adjustments. For example if you hook a 20watt length of heat tape to a helix DBS1000. It will vary the amount of power (Voltage x Current) being used by the heat tape, so if 85 degrees is needed in a room that has an ambient temp of 78 deg then 5 or 6 watts continous may be fine, where the same setup in a room with an ambient temp of 68 may need the full 20 watts. So the proportional thermostats have the power on all the time, just at a fraction of the total power capabilities of the heat source. Currently I use both typs of thermostat. And over a years time I have calculated that the on/off type has actally cost me about $20 more than the proportional thermostat. Dont sound like much but that is per tank. so depending on how many setups, could add up. Just my 2 cents.

This is from a post down I feel the same way !!!!

I have had a Ranco for a year with no problems the rock.
And sorry HELIX ARE SO OVER RATED
later

Rancos and others...

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Posted by: Conrad at Sun Oct 5 20:21:39 2003 [ Report Abuse ] [ Email Message ]

I've been investigating Rancos vs. Big apples vs. Helix. So far, for my useage, a Ranco would work best, because it is the only company that offers a thermostat able to control my heater to hibernating levels. BUT...Big Apples and Helix have awesome systems for rack heating, but not for use on ROOM heating from what I can find. I use a standard round parabolic heater and the output would be too much for all but the upgraded Helix. And I my snake room has independent heating(parobolic heater) and cooling(window AC), so I need something with a dual function that controls both the cool spectrum and the heating spectrum so that I can keep my shed at a constant range all winter long, even on the odd 70 degree days that occur here and will totally through off hibernating as it will be too warm. We also have nights that drop below 40 during the winter so there is the other end problem. If anyone else has come up with anything that may be of use to me, please let me know. Thanks.
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Conrad

Too Fast Reptiles