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The Saltwater Kid
08/20/2006, 07:15 PM
This is mainly for those of us reefer's who live where it snows in the winter and the outside temps can plummet like a rock to well below 0 degrees. Knowing this and that colder temps mean the heat will be on inside the house/apartment what can you do to maintain a constant temperature in your tanks? In my apartment when the heat comes on it can get nice and cozy pretty quick but I'm thinking that also may cause the tanks temp to rise above 80 degrees as well, what can i do to prevent this and at the same time not let the temp sink too low either? I need cost concious methods please as I'm just an average joe and not made of money!

chrismunn
08/20/2006, 07:29 PM
i laugh as i type this.... heater maybe??? just a thought.
and a chiller would keep it below 80, and keep your house warm in the winter...

csb
08/20/2006, 07:29 PM
Do you not have heaters in your tank??

For me, my tank is the most stable during the winter months, because my house temperature remains a steady 70 degrees, thus the tank's heaters keep the temp at 78 degrees.

During the summer... it's the opposite problem. The house temp has been running around 80 degrees (sometimes a little bit higher), so the tank temp fluctuates more ... heating and cooling in cycle with the ambient house temp. A chiller would solve this problem. BUT.. for me, hooray winter!

The Saltwater Kid
08/20/2006, 08:11 PM
of course I have a heater...lol. I was mostly worrying about the tank temp rising in the winter because of the heat being on in my apartment.

The Saltwater Kid
08/20/2006, 08:13 PM
You see my apartment doesn't have an individual thermostat, another apartment in the building controls that.

The Saltwater Kid
08/20/2006, 08:21 PM
And as of right now it is equipped with the old fashioned steam heat radiators. Our landlord has said that he is going to replace them with baseboard heating and individual thermostats...and he will, eventually...he's not the speediest of landlords but once he does do something he does it right with quality equipment.

csb
08/20/2006, 08:29 PM
Indoor temp above approx 72 degrees becomes uncomfortable ... if your apartment hit 78-80 degrees indoors, you'd be opening windows for some cool air. Even then, if your tank didn't have heaters, the ambient temp would be just fine.

So really, I doubt it's a problem ... although, every apartment should have it's own thermostat. You shouldn't be at the mercy of others.

So, there's your backup plan ... if the apartment is too hot, just keep a window cracked open a bit to balance the heat. (assuming that the thermostat is left at a steady setting wherever it's located)

LobsterOfJustice
08/20/2006, 08:43 PM
I highly reccomend a ranco temperature controller. Very happy with mine.

EleganceMan
08/20/2006, 09:08 PM
i lived in an appartment that had the same setup and my tank always did fine. But when a big snow storm knocks the power out thats a problem.

The Saltwater Kid
08/21/2006, 05:15 AM
luckily our road/power crews are pretty good about preparing/cleaning up big snowstorms so knock on wood we have never lost power so far. I guess from the sounds of it I'm worrying a little too much here...cracking a window seems to work just fine. I can't afford a $400 chiller or temp control unit.