Thermostat Help

[Princess-dad]

Ok yes u need to wire these controllers and if you do not have the required skills and confidence needed to,perform the build dont . I have included a link to one of the shorter how to videos on utube . I believe that a person should tin the end of the wires were they are installed into the controller and all the connections also . Tinning is when u twist the end of the bare wire and apply solder to the end . All of these products are designed with solid wire connections in mind , so tinning the ends makes the wires solid . If you are not sure about ( tinning ) look it up on utube . also when installing tinned wires in conntroller be sure to trim the ends until they are just long enough that they hit bottom with no exposed wire I am including a few pics of tinned and untinned wires and a close example of how they should look short exposed short end typical for controller install hooked end typical for install around plug end screws . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMRT2Z_-vJU AGAIN IF YOU CANNOT SOLDER DONT BUILD CONTROLLER IF YOU ARE NOT SURE OF YOUR WIRING CONNECTIONS DONT BUILD .

[Princess-dad]

Side note the controller I purchased and most all of the controllers I have researched have short protection built in .

[millertime89]

If you guys don't want to (or, like me, don't know how to very well) soder you can spend a bit more money and buy one of these. I've been using them for years and haven't had any problems, although I've been told a few people have.
Amazon.com : Hydrofarm MTPRTC Digital Thermostat for Heat Mats : Plant Germination Heating Mats : Patio, Lawn & Garden

[Princess-dad]

Thanks millertime89 I cant agree more if you can not already solder ,this is not a project you should be learning new skills on . The attachment of the wires at the controller . The connections are very close together . I personally have 30 years
of automotive repair mostly in the electrical repair end . So I am very comfortable around wiring and soldering repairs . The only main advantage to the build your own as apposed to commercial product is you can design placement and length of the wires and componants . also the temp sensor can be removed and replaced or more easily installed because of the hole size needed to install sensor if it is not an in tank install no problem how large the sensor is . If you have a need for an in tank install though , sensor size is a consideration .