heater problem ? or no heater problem this is the question

[ddc6972]

so when I set up the power usage alarm for one of my heaters I followed the instructions and let the device be monitored for a minimum of 24 hours, it was more like 72 hours. 1-28-21 thru 1-31-21, I have been playing with the alarms off and on recently, because not knowing what I'm looking at, they got on my nerves and I turned them off. but turned them back on a few days ago or 2-28-21 to be exact

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When I first set up the power usage alarms I used the default values that the apex provided for this aqueon 300w heater, which was a min of 0 and a max of 203. According to the watts graph above, this would be correct and the on-screen instructions said that the apex would pick the best settings for me based on its monitoring of the power outlets pwr usage, so i trusted it / did not question it. But did find it odd that the max watts for a 300w heater were just 203 after being monitored for 72 hours.



On 3-2-21 I got several alarms that read.

2021-03-02 11:26:23 NEW-HEATER W is greater than 203 (320)

2021-03-02 11:27:42 NEW-HEATER W is greater than 203 (324)

2021-03-02 11:29:10 NEW-HEATER W is greater than 203 (321)

so I went into the power usage alarm settings to look at the max power settings for this outlet. it has changed from 203 to 501, I did not make this change.

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So next I went to back to the Watts graph for this heaters outlet (see above) and determined that this outlets power usage went from a steady "under 200w" from 1-28-21 to 2-23-21 in the beginning, to a steady "over 300" from 2-23-21 to 3-3-21. This is an approx. DOUBLE increase in power usage (160w avg, to now a 300w avg). So next I went to my power outlets settings it appears to be set as it should be.

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My next thought was to compare the on-off of the outlet to the DT temp probe. here is where I get confused. In my head, if the temp drops below 78 then the heater outlet powers/kicks and stays on until the Temp probe hits 79 and once at 79 degrees, the heater outlet powers/kicks or turns off correct? if this is correct then the next few images are very odd.

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I see the following in this power usage tank temp comparison.

1.At 10:20 tank temp is 78, with no power to the outlet of the heater

2.At 10:30 tank temp is 78, with no power to the outlet of the heater

3.At 10:40 tank temp is 77.9, heaters outlet powered on (ok seems right)

4. At 10:50 tank temp is 78, heaters outlet still on but at ½ power (why? Tank temp is 78)

5. At 11:00 tank temp is 78.1, heaters outlet still on but still at ½ power (why? temp is 78.1)

6. At 11:10 tank temp is 78.2, heaters outlet still on, and at full power (why? temp is 78.2)

7. At 11:20 the tank temp is 78.2, with no power to the heater's outlet (ok seems right)

8 At 11:30 tank temp is 78.3, with no power to the outlet of the heater (ok seems right) no picture inserted.

9. At 11:40 tank temp is 78.4, heaters outlet still on, and at full power (why? temp is 78.4)

Heres the throat punch-----IF THE POWER TO THIS OUTLET WAS OFF BETWEEN 11:20 AND 11:30, WHY DID I GET THE THREE ALARMS SAYING MY HEATER WAS ABOVE 300W DURING THIS TIME PERIOD?

I have since changed my display log from a 10min range to a two-minute range, after seeing these graphs up close, I now wonder about a few other things besides the three-alarm codes

1. if the tank temp hit the 78 marks why did my outlet read power usage of 166w? refer to 4-6 above

2. why did the apex automatically change my max power level in my power alarm setting from 203 to 501? did the apex adjust its self?

3. why did my power usage double/ increase (160w avg, to now a 300w avg)

4. is my 10-minute log interval making this picture fuzzy?

But in general can someone please tell me what’s happening here. this is as much detail as I can put together on this issue. as of today, these alarms have not returned.

[ddc6972]

Really no one on NEPTUNES OWN FORUM has a clue?
I bet if I just asked what's the difference between aquabus and USB the thread would blow up. , but ask a complex question and crickets.

[SuncrestReef]

Really no one on NEPTUNES OWN FORUM has a clue?
I bet if I just asked what's the difference between aquabus and USB the thread would blow up. , but ask a complex question and crickets.

Keep in mind this forum is not the same as opening a formal ticket with Neptune Support, which is what I recommended you should do when I replied to your post on Reef2Reef. Of course the USB vs AquaBus thread will blow up, because most people replying don’t need to do thorough analysis of a complex issue.

The graphs are not 100% accurate because the 10 minute logging interval is simply taking a snapshot of the conditions at that moment in time, so the heater could be on and off dozens of times while the graph looks like it’s on the whole time. You’re just looking at averages, not actual numbers.

You should enable the Log checkbox on the heater output. This will allow you to overlay the graph showing the actual heater output state along with the power average and temperatures. The “Log” option on the output itself is 100% accurate and not a sample over time based on the “Data Log” interval.

Notice in my graph that the heater watts line starts ramping up way before the heater actually turned on, and ramps down before it actually turned off. That's due to the 10 minute average sampling, and depends on where within that 10 minute range the event occurred.
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[ddc6972]

you know I agree about the ticket and people's response to complex issues, but when you try to be short and simple, one is slammed for not providing more detail, and so when providing more detail people go silent, it's just hard to get it right when posting something.

ok, thanks for the graph. I did look at what you proposed and I saw the same ramping effect at the start point and the endpoint or power on power off. thanks for the explanation,

as i look at your example i see a steady rise, leveling out, then fall to the heater's watts, do you know why mine does not look like that? it's like it's going from off, ramp to full power, then ramp down to half-power, stays there a bit, then back to full power, then off
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[SuncrestReef]

ok thanks for the graph. I did look at what you proposed and I saw the same ramping effect at the start point and the endpoint or power on power off. thanks for the explanation,

as i look at your example i see a steady rise, leveling out, then fall to the heater's watts, do you know why mine does not look like that? it's like it's going from off, ramp to full power, then ramp down to half-power then back to full power etc.
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The only way to know for sure is to overlay your Heater output status onto the graph, like I did in my example above. That will show you exactly where on the timeline the heater was on or off.

Where is your temperature probe located in relation to your heater? For example, if the temperature probe is near or directly downstream from your heater, the small pocket of overly heated water will skew the temperature probe to turn off the heater prematurely. Then as that pocket of heated water dissipates into your tank, the probe will see a decrease in temperature and turn the heater back on quickly. So again, what you see on those average temperature and wattage graphs could represent the heater turning on and off several times in between data samples, and could explain why the graph is showing more peaks and valleys than mine. Have you Enabled the Log checkbox on your heater yet?

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