thermostat question

[jblaze725]

Which is a better thermostat a Ranco or a Helix and why.

[jblaze725]

Sorry to be so general. I was looking for a good thermostat to control the tanks of my 2 cornsnakes and 1 boa. I wanted to know which would be the better of these 2 to buy and why and if anyone had any other good ones they knew of to mention those also. Right now i am leaning towards the dual ranco, but i would like some suggestions from those of you who have them first if possible. Thank you.

[denny_rimes]

A dual Ranco will certainly do the job for you. I do not personally use Helix but have heard that they do a decent job, however the reliabilty of having the redundancy that a dual Ranco offers would be a better option, in my opinion!

Denny

[jblaze725]

I was wondering. Everywhere ive searched said the helix would keep the temps tighter than a ranco because its proportional, but how much of a difference would i be noticing between them. if i set the helix and ranco both to create a hot spot of 92f what kind of variance from that number would each give me more or less.

[denny_rimes]

My Ranco unit can be set to a 1 degree difference.
I do not know how closely the Helix unit will control the temp. But a 1 degree difference is close enough for me.

Denny

[jblaze725]

1 last question. I know you recommend rancos, but johnsons seem very similar in features, price and setup and also get very good recommendations. anything to say about these units or are they not in league with the rancos.

[denny_rimes]

The only reason that I recommend the Ranco over the Helix is that I have experience with them. Johnson Controls is a well known and respected name in the HVAC and refrigeration industry. I am sure that they manufacture a quality thermostat....but the ONLY one I have experience with is Ranco. I think that you would be well served by any of these thermostats. Any thermostat that is UL listed will certainly suit your needs.

Denny