Different delays for skimmer startup

[jasonrusso]

I don't feed the corals every day, but I do feed the fish every day.

I have feed mode A set to 6 minutes, with a 5 minute "defer" statement in the program for the skimmer. Feed mode B is set to 10 minutes (so I can target feed), but I want the skimmer delay set to 30 minutes so the food can recirculate and the corals can filter feed.

How can I set that outlet up? I set the "If Feed mode A 005 then off" but it turns right back on. If I set a different "defer," it defaults to the longest one regardless of the feed mode selected. I set the defers to 5:00 on all the outlets for the time being.

Fallback ON
Set ON
If FeedA 000 Then OFF
Defer 005:00 Then ON
If FeedB 000 Then OFF
Defer 030:00 Then ON
If FeedC 000 Then OFF
Defer 005:00 Then ON
If FeedD 000 Then OFF
Defer 005:00 Then ON

[zombie]

You want this. You can delete any feed lines (except B) If you have them in your return pump code. If you have a high level float or optical, you also want to add a line to turn off when that is high.

Fallback ON
Set ON
If Output ReturnName = OFF Then OFF
If Power Apex Off 001 Then OFF
If FeedA 000 Then OFF
If FeedB 025 Then OFF
If FeedC 000 Then OFF
If FeedD 000 Then OFF
Defer 005:00 Then ON



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

[jasonrusso]

You want this. You can delete any feed lines (except B) If you have them in your return pump code. If you have a high level float or optical, you also want to add a line to turn off when that is high.

Fallback ON
Set ON
If Output ReturnName = OFF Then OFF
If Power Apex Off 001 Then OFF
If FeedA 000 Then OFF
If FeedB 025 Then OFF
If FeedC 000 Then OFF
If FeedD 000 Then OFF
Defer 005:00 Then ON



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

Why do I need the output return name and the power line?

[Todd]

Implicit in zombies recommendation is that Defer applies to the entire outlet, not the preceding line of code. So one Defer for ON and another for OFF (if needed) per outlet. I prefer to place them at the end even though it is not required.

The pump outlet check assumes your skimmer is in a sump and will overflow when the pump is shut off. Same with the power check, assumes you will want an extra delay when power is restored. It gives it time to boot up.

[RussM]

zombie assumes that you have an in-sump skimmer, which generally are quite sensitive to the water level in the sump and will overflow if the water level is high. The If Output line ties the operation of the skimmer to that of the return pump. If the return pump is OFF, so will be the skimmer. The If Power line forces the skimmer to stay off briefly after a power outage or Apex reboot. The Defer line adds 5 minutes of delay to skimmer startup to allow time for the water in the sump to normalize, and this applies across the board - if the return pump was off then is turned on again or the Apex has restarted, the Defer delays the skimmer startup by 5 minutes.

[jasonrusso]

Implicit in zombies recommendation is that Defer applies to the entire outlet, not the preceding line of code. So one Defer for ON and another for OFF (if needed) per outlet. I prefer to place them at the end even though it is not required.

The pump outlet check assumes your skimmer is in a sump and will overflow when the pump is shut off. Same with the power check, assumes you will want an extra delay when power is restored. It gives it time to boot up.

Ok, I am using this on a AIO with a battery backup so power outages are not too important.

So the 5 minute Defer at the end is added into all the times. So feed mode A is 000, but is actually 5 minutes because of the Defer.

B is 30 minutes 25+5.

Correct?

[zombie]

Yes. The defer applies globally so it will stay off an extra 5 minutes for any condition that turns it off.

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

[Todd]

Just to be clear, there is a configured duration for each feed cycle. The 000 parameter adds additional time, as well as the defer. So for example, FeedA 010 would be the duration of FeedA + 10 minutes, plus length of Defer if present. In the classic dashboard, Feed durations are under Configuration>Misc Setup.

[jasonrusso]

Yes. The defer applies globally so it will stay off an extra 5 minutes for any condition that turns it off.

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

Ok, this is my issue. I have set it up this way before and it doesn't work. Feed B still turns the skimmer on after 5 minutes.

I'll have to try to program it via the display panel. Maybe it's fusion

[jasonrusso]

Yes. The defer applies globally so it will stay off an extra 5 minutes for any condition that turns it off.

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

Nope, still doesn't work. Even after using the display module.

Very fustrating.

[zombie]

Did you cancel the feed timer? If you did then it will turn on 5 minutes later. It will only do the extra 25 minutes if you let the feed timer expire.

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