Heater Program

[kenghmoob]

Fallback OFF
Set OFF
If Temp < 79.0 Then ON
Min Time 030:00 Then ON

This is my heater program on my Apex. The min time is how long the heater will stay on before turning off correct? Are there any other commands that I should incorporate into my program? Do I need to add fail proof lines as did the previous aqua controllers? I would like to keep my temperature around 79 degrees.

Currently, I am running (3) Radions with (2) fans in my canopy on my 180 gallon tank.

Any help would be greatly appreciated

[96slowbra]

i think it is the minimum amount of time before it can turn back on after it turns off

[aquamanic]

i think it is the minimum amount of time before it can turn back on after it turns off

That's correct (but it should be 'Then OFF' for the minimum time it should be OFF before turning back ON). The heater might only run for 5 minutes to get the temp above 79 but when it does it will turn off and stay off for at least 30 minutes regardless of what the temp drops to. A Min Time on a heater or chiller is dangerous regardless of whether it's Then ON or Then OFF.

Better would be to add a "Then OFF" temp and give yourself a 1/2 - 1 degree spread. That will keep the heater from cycling but still enable it to run whenever it needs to.

[kenghmoob]

That's correct (but it should be 'Then OFF' for the minimum time it should be OFF before turning back ON). The heater might only run for 5 minutes to get the temp above 79 but when it does it will turn off and stay off for at least 30 minutes regardless of what the temp drops to. A Min Time on a heater or chiller is dangerous regardless of whether it's Then ON or Then OFF.

Better would be to add a "Then OFF" temp and give yourself a 1/2 - 1 degree spread. That will keep the heater from cycling but still enable it to run whenever it needs to.

Are u saying that I should have:

Fallback Off
Set Off
If Temp < 78.5 Then ON
If Temp > 79.5 Then Off
Min Time 030:00 Then ON
Min Time 030:00 Then Off

Can u give me an example?

[aquamanic]

just forget about the Min Time statements. Remove them.

I'd consider Fallback ON though if your heater has its own built in t-stat. That way you still will have heat if for whatever reason the EB8 loses contact with the controller. Set it to 80 or 81.

[swearint]

For future reference, it helps to ignore the 'Then' when interpreting the Min Time command. For instance, Min Time 10:00 <del>Then</del> OFF would mean keep the outlet OFF for at least 10 minutes before allowing it to be changed to ON.

Todd