Can I just hack off the controller for a Won Bros digital heater?

tgunn · 04/28/2007, 05:15 PM

Hey all,
I've about had it with the piece of crap Won Bros digital heaters I've got.
I have three.

I've already had one in for repair because it was reading 120F all the time. Today I was about to close off my QT tank where my spare rocks were sitting from my big overhaul. Well, despite being set to 79F and READING 79F on the dial I stuck my hand in and thought, "Hmm, that's not right".. Turns out the calibration just went WAY off on the heater. Because the water is around 70F.

SO, what I'm wondering is, does anyone know if I can just cut off the crappy controller and use the titantium part as a heating element? Then I could just wire it up to a RELIABLE Ranco and have a heater that doesn't suck.

Any ideas?

Tyler

Doug · 04/28/2007, 05:38 PM

I would be very careful. I am not sure and just guessing but they might be stepping down the voltage after the controller part. I would not chance it and it's just not worth you getting zapped or worse, shocking your tank or causing a fire.

smcdonn · 04/28/2007, 05:48 PM

Get a ranco controller

tgunn · 04/28/2007, 07:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Doug
I would be very careful. I am not sure and just guessing but they might be stepping down the voltage after the controller part. I would not chance it and it's just not worth you getting zapped or worse, shocking your tank or causing a fire.

True enough. Just trying to salvage what I consider to be pretty useless heaters.

Probably best to just buy a basic reputable titanium heater coil and get a ranco.

Tyler

tgunn · 04/28/2007, 07:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by smcdonn
Get a ranco controller

Actually, I guess I could just set the heater temp to max and use the ranco to reliabliy control the temp..

Good idea!
Tyler

gary faulkner · 04/28/2007, 07:40 PM

SO, what I'm wondering is, does anyone know if I can just cut off the crappy controller and use the titantium part as a heating element? Then I could just wire it up to a RELIABLE Ranco and have a heater that doesn't suck.

This is exactly what I did.

Works great.

scottfarcuz · 04/28/2007, 08:02 PM

I've always tried to set the actual heaters thermostat a few degrees above my temp controller. My thought was if the temp controller would ever happen to fail hopefully the heaters thermostat would then only raise the tank a few degrees.

Anything will fail eventually

tgunn · 05/03/2007, 07:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by gary faulkner
This is exactly what I did.

Works great.

So it seems my malfunctioning heater drifted upwards even more. If I have the heater set to maximum it will not even maintain 78F...

So when you hacked off the controller does the heater coil just have hot and neutral, wired straight to 120v?

Thanks,
Tyler

gary faulkner · 05/03/2007, 07:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by tgunn
So it seems my malfunctioning heater drifted upwards even more. If I have the heater set to maximum it will not even maintain 78F...

So when you hacked off the controller does the heater coil just have hot and neutral, wired straight to 120v?

Thanks,
Tyler

Yes it takes 120 volts to run the titanium element.
You want to run this through the controller to make it cycle on and off.

You now have a very reliable heater.

HTH

tgunn · 05/03/2007, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by gary faulkner
Yes it takes 120 volts to run the titanium element.
You want to run this through the controller to make it cycle on and off.

You now have a very reliable heater.

HTH

Great! I'll have to get a Ranco one of these days and just control the heaters with that. I'll miss the eye-candy LED display, but I'm sure I'll live. Lol.

Thanks!
Tyler

revnull · 06/26/2007, 10:06 PM

It's not that I'm untrusting. I just like to be certain. I cracked open my faulty won bros LCD heater and probed it with a Fluke digital multi meter. When the heater kicked on, I read 115v AC on the black and white leads. Like Gary said, you should be able to lop off the defective tumor of a temp controller and wire it to a very reliable Ranco controller. Thatâ€™s what I'll be doing this weekend. Thanks to those braver than me. I was just going to toss this heater until I read this post.

gary faulkner · 06/28/2007, 04:00 PM

Trust me it works.
That is how I heat my 120 and no problems.
I also added several glass heaters to my sump, wired to the Ranco just for back up.

HTH

04/28/2007, 05:15 PM	#1
tgunn Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2003 Location: Cupertino, CA USA Posts: 4,027	Can I just hack off the controller for a Won Bros digital heater? Hey all, I've about had it with the piece of crap Won Bros digital heaters I've got. I have three. I've already had one in for repair because it was reading 120F all the time. Today I was about to close off my QT tank where my spare rocks were sitting from my big overhaul. Well, despite being set to 79F and READING 79F on the dial I stuck my hand in and thought, "Hmm, that's not right".. Turns out the calibration just went WAY off on the heater. Because the water is around 70F. SO, what I'm wondering is, does anyone know if I can just cut off the crappy controller and use the titantium part as a heating element? Then I could just wire it up to a RELIABLE Ranco and have a heater that doesn't suck. Any ideas? Tyler

04/28/2007, 05:38 PM	#2
Doug Reefkeeping Ninja Join Date: Oct 1999 Location: USA Posts: 12,868	I would be very careful. I am not sure and just guessing but they might be stepping down the voltage after the controller part. I would not chance it and it's just not worth you getting zapped or worse, shocking your tank or causing a fire. __________________ Doug Current Tank Info: 90g, and 75g swamp/prop tank.

04/28/2007, 05:48 PM	#3
smcdonn Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: Fayetteville, AR Posts: 925	Get a ranco controller __________________ 180g IN WALL, REEF Current Tank Info: 180 gallon

04/28/2007, 07:40 PM	#6
gary faulkner Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,468	SO, what I'm wondering is, does anyone know if I can just cut off the crappy controller and use the titantium part as a heating element? Then I could just wire it up to a RELIABLE Ranco and have a heater that doesn't suck. This is exactly what I did. Works great. __________________ Gary Current Tank Info: 300G SPS

06/26/2007, 10:06 PM	#11
revnull Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Morgan Hill, CA Posts: 235	It's not that I'm untrusting. I just like to be certain. I cracked open my faulty won bros LCD heater and probed it with a Fluke digital multi meter. When the heater kicked on, I read 115v AC on the black and white leads. Like Gary said, you should be able to lop off the defective tumor of a temp controller and wire it to a very reliable Ranco controller. Thatâ€™s what I'll be doing this weekend. Thanks to those braver than me. I was just going to toss this heater until I read this post. __________________ - Ray Current Tank Info: Moving from 90g to 30g AIO

04/28/2007, 08:02 PM	#7
scottfarcuz Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 2,610	I've always tried to set the actual heaters thermostat a few degrees above my temp controller. My thought was if the temp controller would ever happen to fail hopefully the heaters thermostat would then only raise the tank a few degrees. Anything will fail eventually

06/28/2007, 04:00 PM	#12
gary faulkner Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: North Carolina Posts: 1,468	Trust me it works. That is how I heat my 120 and no problems. I also added several glass heaters to my sump, wired to the Ranco just for back up. HTH __________________ Gary Current Tank Info: 300G SPS