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Thread: Delay turning on/off chiller and heater

  1. #1
    Regular Vistor
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    Delay turning on/off chiller and heater

    I notice that my chiller and heater turn and/off pretty rapidly sometimes.

    I don't have any tasks / programs, I just set the temp in the outlets.

    Chiller:
    Chiller On: 78.9
    Chiller Off: 78.5

    Heater
    Heater On: 78.0
    Heater Off: 78.5

    Can I defer it to turn on or off after a minimum amount of time? The biggest problem is my chiller ramps up and down multiple times a minute sometimes.

  2. #2
    Regular Vistor
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    Here's what I'm thinking to help:

    Chiller:

    Fallback OFF
    If Tmp > 78.9 Then ON
    If Tmp < 78.5 Then OFF
    Defer 2:00 Then ON
    Defer 2.:00 Then OFF

    Heater:

    Fallback OFF
    If Tmp < 78.0 Then ON
    If Tmp > 78.5 Then OFF
    Defer 02:00 Then ON

  3. #3
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    What is shown above will technically work, but what I think you are asking for directly is the min time command.

    Min Time 005:00 Then ON

    Makes sure that when the outlet turns on, it stays on for at least 5 minutes.

    Defer 005:00 Then ON

    Makes sure that the outlet continues to be on for 5 minutes after the code would otherwise tell it to be off.

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

  4. #4
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    As an aside, it is not typically recommended to have the apex be primary control for a chiller. The reason for this is that the compressor for the chiller typically draws a very large amount of current during startup which can damage your outlets and lead them to an early death. The second reason is that the built in controller typically turns the pump on for a short time (usually 1 minute) before the compressor turns on and after it turns off which increases the lifespan of the heat exchanger and the compressor. You are better off in most cases setting the chiller to your desired setpoint and have the apex turn the chiller off if it gets too cold.

    In your case I would set the chiller at 79 or 80 and use this code

    Fallback OFF
    Set ON
    If Temp < 78.5 Then OFF
    Min Time 030:00 Then OFF


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

  5. #5
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    Hey Zombie,

    Thanks a ton for the help. I think I know what you're saying. So basically let my controller's internal temp controller do the hard work, and only shut it off if something weird happens? The off should probably be the usual lowest point my tank gets to with the heater on?

    Quote Originally Posted by zombie View Post
    As an aside, it is not typically recommended to have the apex be primary control for a chiller. The reason for this is that the compressor for the chiller typically draws a very large amount of current during startup which can damage your outlets and lead them to an early death. The second reason is that the built in controller typically turns the pump on for a short time (usually 1 minute) before the compressor turns on and after it turns off which increases the lifespan of the heat exchanger and the compressor. You are better off in most cases setting the chiller to your desired setpoint and have the apex turn the chiller off if it gets too cold.

    In your case I would set the chiller at 79 or 80 and use this code

    Fallback OFF
    Set ON
    If Temp < 78.5 Then OFF
    Min Time 030:00 Then OFF


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

  6. #6
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kinetic View Post
    Hey Zombie,

    Thanks a ton for the help. I think I know what you're saying. So basically let my controller's internal temp controller do the hard work, and only shut it off if something weird happens? The off should probably be the usual lowest point my tank gets to with the heater on?
    Almost. The off point should be 0.2 to 0.5 above the temp your heater turns on for (yours turns on at 78.0 so between 78.2 and 78.5 will work) this will prevent "fighting" between the heater and chiller if/when the internal chiller controller goes wonky.

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

  7. #7
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    One last question:
    Min Time 030:00 Then OFF

    Does this mean that the chiller can't turn on if it hasn't been off for 30 minutes?

    Quote Originally Posted by zombie View Post
    As an aside, it is not typically recommended to have the apex be primary control for a chiller. The reason for this is that the compressor for the chiller typically draws a very large amount of current during startup which can damage your outlets and lead them to an early death. The second reason is that the built in controller typically turns the pump on for a short time (usually 1 minute) before the compressor turns on and after it turns off which increases the lifespan of the heat exchanger and the compressor. You are better off in most cases setting the chiller to your desired setpoint and have the apex turn the chiller off if it gets too cold.

    In your case I would set the chiller at 79 or 80 and use this code

    Fallback OFF
    Set ON
    If Temp < 78.5 Then OFF
    Min Time 030:00 Then OFF


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

  8. #8
    Frequent Contributor zombie's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by kinetic View Post
    One last question:
    Min Time 030:00 Then OFF

    Does this mean that the chiller can't turn on if it hasn't been off for 30 minutes?
    Correct. You could go even higher too with something like an hour. The point of this line is to prevent short cycling in the event the chillers internal controller goes wonky. The ideal timing for this is the amount of time it takes your tank to increase 1 degree on the hotter days that your chiller would normally work overtime on.

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

  9. #9
    Regular Vistor
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    This makes sense! Not sure how long it would take for my temp to rise that high. I'll leave it at 30 for now and I'll use the Apex monitoring to see how long it'll take.

    Thanks again!!

    Quote Originally Posted by zombie View Post
    Correct. You could go even higher too with something like an hour. The point of this line is to prevent short cycling in the event the chillers internal controller goes wonky. The ideal timing for this is the amount of time it takes your tank to increase 1 degree on the hotter days that your chiller would normally work overtime on.

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

  10. #10
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    what does the defer 02:00 Then ON mean on the heater side?

  11. #11
    Frequent Visitor Todd's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Nycluis View Post
    what does the defer 02:00 Then ON mean on the heater side?
    It means that any ON condition must be TRUE for 2 minutes continuously before the outlet will change to the ON state. It acts to buffer out fluctuations that would otherwise cause the outlet to switch ON/OFF quickly.

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