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Thread: Apex temperature fluctuation ???

  1. #1
    Regular Vistor
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    Apex temperature fluctuation ???

    Ok I have my Apex lite set up with a fan in the Chiller and heater. the fan never kicks on but I am getting mutable daily temperature fluctuations is this normal Thanks so much


  2. #2
    Frequent Contributor Alain B's Avatar
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    Post your outlets programming plz .

  3. #3
    Master Control Freak aquamanic's Avatar
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    If your programming looks something like this:

    If Temp > 77.6 Then OFF
    If Temp < 76.9 Then ON

    Then it's doing exactly what it's supposed to do.
    Al

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    Comprehensive Reference Manual can be found here.

  4. #4
    Frequent Contributor jrlamountain's Avatar
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    looks like my graph

  5. #5
    Regular Vistor
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    I am using the defaults for heater and chiller and it is doing the same thing. Alternates between heater coming on and fan going on. Seems a very inefficient system. What programing do you suggest?

  6. #6
    Master Control Freak RussM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quiverfull View Post
    I am using the defaults for heater and chiller and it is doing the same thing. Alternates between heater coming on and fan going on. Seems a very inefficient system. What programing do you suggest?
    Post your current programming so we can help you refine it.
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

  7. #7
    Frequent Contributor iamchadster's Avatar
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    Looks just like mine too.
    Chad

  8. #8
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    Heater or chiller is oversized. Other could be u don't have enough gap between heading and chilling. Something like Fallback ON
    If Temp < 78.3 Then ON
    If Temp > 78.7 Then OFF
    If Temp < 64.0 Then OFF
    For heating

    Then
    Fallback off
    If Temp > 79.2 Then ON
    If Temp < 78.7 Then OFF
    If Temp > 90.0 Then OFF
    For chilling


    Hope that looks right I'm mobile fight nOw.

    Sent from my SPH-L720 using Tapatalk
    Matt

  9. #9
    Regular Vistor
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    Chiller:
    Fallback off
    If temp >79 then on
    If temp < 78 then off

    Heater:
    Fallback off
    If temp < 78 then on
    If temp > 79 then off

    These are the default settings that come from neptune.



    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  10. #10
    Master Control Freak RussM's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Quiverfull View Post
    These are the default settings that come from Neptune
    ... Which should be tailored for your system and to your preferences.
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

  11. #11
    Regular Vistor
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    I would like to keep the temp around 78. Do you just narrow the temp range on both and fall back on for the heater (has internal thermostat) which I set at 80.


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

  12. #12
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    Narrow your range.

    I would have heater set at

    If temp < 77.8 Then ON
    If temp > 77.9 Then OFF


    And the chiller set
    If temp > 78.2 then ON
    If temp < 78.1 then OFF


    If you have more than one heater, I would set one to fallback ON and the other fallback OFF. Reduces the chance of cooking your fish is multiple things fail.

    Anyone who cannot cope with mathematics is not fully human. At best he is a tolerable subhuman who has learned to wear shoes, bathe and not make messes in the house. -robert heinlein

  13. #13
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    I wouldn't narrow the range on the chiller. Although you don't want temp fluctuations, you also don't want the chiller compressor cycling as much. For the heater, it doesn't matter.

    You also want to test for a bad temp probe.
    Matt

  14. #14
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    Hello community! It's my first couple of days with my Apex Jr and I love it! I also wanted to ask if this graph looks normal to you guys. I was asking because I see my temperature fluctuate from 81.6 to 81.8 to 82.1, etc. quickly. Is that normal? Also my fan was clicking on and off constantly, so I'm assuming it's because I had my range too narrow. I'm not using a heater or chiller, just a clip on standard fan(not meant for aquariums) on my 28G Nanocube
    My program:
    FALLback ON
    Set OFF
    IF Temp > 82 Then ON
    IF Temp < 81.1 Then OFF

    I changed the 82 to 83 so that I could stop hearing the fan.

    My graph:

  15. #15
    Frequent Contributor Alain B's Avatar
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    82 degrees is the uppermost limit IMHO for a reef tank , most peoples run their tank and average their temperature around 77 or 78 , i am personnally using the season table with great success. In you case its a choice you have to make , hear the fan or run the tank hot !

    Alain

  16. #16
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    Looks to me like you oversized your heater and fan a bit too much. If you can put a smaller clip on fan on it and use a smaller heater, it wont change as fast.

    You might be an engineer if...You have no life and can PROVE it mathematically.

  17. #17
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    Thanks. I have ran my tank at 80-82 with no ill effects for years. I wanted to add that before I started messing with the fan, when it was running constantly, the graph looked way more stabilized. I think it's supposed to look like this right? . Here is my graph when the fan was always running:

  18. #18
    Frequent Visitor BertL's Avatar
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    Not to confuse matters or take this thread off-topic... But FWIW, even if the temp is high, I purposely turn my fan blowing across the surface of my tank off for 5 mins every 30 mins. I had a problem in the heat of the summer similar to what another poster was having when my fan runs on a nearly continuous basis, where dust was collecting on the surface of the water and not being transported into my return because the fan is located above my return box (blowing against the current). Turning the fan off occasionally solved that problem perfectly for me. It's perhaps at least a refinement to consider if you find a similar problem once you get your solution working.
    Bert

  19. #19
    Master Control Freak RussM's Avatar
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    Set OFF
    IF Temp > 82 Then ON
    IF Temp < 81.1 Then OFF

    Your programming is not quite right if you want the fan to operate over a range of temperature. In this case, the IF Temp < 81.1 Then OFF statemnet is doing nothing for you... the Set OFF statemnet is causing the outlet to turn off as soon as the temp drops to 82.0. The outlet is not operating over a range - instead, it is operating around a single temperature set point of 82.

    Remove the Set OFF. The outlet will turn on when the temp rises to 82.1. As the temp drops the outlet will stay on until the temp goes below 81.1, at which time the outlet will turn off, and won't turn back on until the temp once again hits 82.1.
    Please do not send me PMs with technical questions or requesting assistance - use the forums for Apex help. PM me ONLY if the matter is of a private or personal nature. Thanks.

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