Major problem with AC JR

[jezzeaepi]

So I came home from work today and my temp was reading 77. I went to my room and checked my email and noticed my lights were off on my tank(they are set to shut off at 81f). I walk over and my aqua controller JR is reading 102F. Looking at my tank though its defintly not 102. Too the touch it still feels normal, so I am sure its an innacurate reading. Everything is swiming along fine and it would be impossible for my tank to go from 77 to 102 in 10 minutes. There were several other clues that this had probably been happening all day. My ph was .25 lower then it should have been and most of my corals were retracted like the light had only been on for a few minutes.

So what do i do now? Any other AC jr users experience something like this? Is it a software bug? I would seem strange that my 2 month old temp probe would fritz out on me(or worse the whole unit is bad).

If anyone knows of a place near Seattle where I can get an ac jr temp probe first thing in the morning it would be greatly appreciated.

I took out my other thermometer from storage and it seems that the probe part of it ruptured upon drying out =\ So now my main and back up thermometers are down. I dont know how I am going to maintin my temp tonight =(

 

[shallowreef]

I have yet to deal with that problem But i also haven't set mine up completely yet. So far temp readings have been accurate.

 

[DonW]

I dont know how I am going to maintin my temp tonight =(

Do you not have a way to control your heaters? If your lights keep the tank temp up then just leave them on manually. Maybe overnight freight a new probe.
Maybe concider some redundancy for the nextime around.

Don

 

[Reefdaddy1]

Do you not have a way to control your heaters? If your lights keep the tank temp up then just leave them on manually. Maybe overnight freight a new probe.
Maybe concider some redundancy for the nextime around.

Don

Ah Voice of Reason... lol

 

[jezzeaepi]

I shouldnt need to buy 2 temperatures controllers for redundancy =P My backup thermometer like I said somehow ruptured when it dried out, that was my redundancy.

It just bothers me that I spend 400 bucks on this thing that is supposed to keep my tank safer and it almost kills it. ITs only been on their for 2 months. What if the thermometer started reading a really low temp instead of a really high one? It would have fried my tank. If I had a chiller it would have froze my tank.

Neptune will be recieving a phone call from me. I dont know if I want to trust their product anymore.

 

[Reefdaddy1]

No I think what he ment jezz, was manual temp till Neptune settles up, Nothing to do with 2 controllers. But I can see where you would think the other. Neptune will settle they have pretty good CS.

 

[DonW]

Themometers are not redundancy they are a visual double check. Electronics will fail thats just the way it goes. I can count on the fact that if one of my customers buys a new car that he/she will be visiting me again with that new car broken. Since your temp is so important and will determine wether your tank lives or dies, redundancy is what I would concider manditory. You may not be home next time. I'm sure $80 for a ranco would be money well spent.

Don

 

[class clown]

sorry to hear. Totally understand the frustration..I'd be the same way.. check out the Neptune forum on RC, they may have some advice. I think there are some dudes on there that work directly for neptune. Overall, I've heard they have good customer service, so see if you can talk to them..again, sorry to hear the news.

Also, this little bugger has saved my butt a few times already this year and it's only $30 or so..

http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=RB1313

 

[shallowreef]

I would deffinately call neptune and ask for a new one or a refund or something.

 

[Herefishyfishy]

Don, meant to thank you for your temp controller advise. Recently bot a Medusa and sleep a lot better now. Temp control redundancy is an irreducible minimum. Might have to get a chiller for it before summer.

 

[jezzeaepi]

So your saying have the heaters plugged in to the ranco and the ranco in to the ac jr to serve as a second "check"? I can see how that would be very helpful. It just would be nice if this ac jr could outperform a 15 dollar heaters thermostat =\

 

[DonW]

So your saying have the heaters plugged in to the ranco and the ranco in to the ac jr to serve as a second "check"? I can see how that would be very helpful. It just would be nice if this ac jr could outperform a 15 dollar heaters thermostat =\

No that would serve no real purpose, if you did that you would be in the same boat. Keep it very simple and basic. You need heating in the event that the ac fails to turn on the heat. If the ac was connected to the NC side of the ranco it would run your heaters normally and control your lights. If the ranco saw the temp fall like it did this time around then it would power the heaters through the NO side of the internal relay.. The ac would still shut down the lights but that isnt going to hurt anything. Your only concerned with basic life support. Make sense?

Don

 

[jezzeaepi]

So the way it sounds then I would need another heater? Or is there some sort of electronic gizmo that will allow me to power my heaters through either my ac jr or the ranco?

.. or maybe I am just visualizing this wrong still.

 

[DonW]

So the way it sounds then I would need another heater? Or is there some sort of electronic gizmo that will allow me to power my heaters through either my ac jr or the ranco?

.. or maybe I am just visualizing this wrong still.

I'm assuming your using the dc8 or whatever its called. One of those outlets you have your heater plugged into correct? Assuming you only want or have just enough heater to do the job.

The ranco (if you buy a prewired one) will have a plug for your heaters, so plug them into the ranco. Now take a extension cord and cut the female end off of it. Plug the male end into the spot on the dc8 where you had your heater plugged in. Connect the black wire to the NO connection inside the ranco, just a screw terminal.

Now when the ac turns the heater outlet on it will just pass the power to the heater. If the ac fails to turn the heat on then the ranco will send power to the heater. Set the temps 1 or 2 degrees apart.
You now can see the temp on the ranco and the ac so you can adjust the rancos off set to match the ac.

This takes care of the heat and if you figure the cost of a good thermometer youve only spent a few extra bucks.

Don

 

[jezzeaepi]

What if the ac jr fails on though and not off. Do the rancos have a upper and lower limit that it shuts off at? I.e. If my target temp on the Ac is 77, and I set my Ranco to to 76, is there a way to set an upper limit as well? so the ranco will shut off the power to the heater if it reaches 79? I know the AC jr has upper and lower limits you can set, just wasn't sure if they were all like that.



With the power cord that I am cutting, I do nothing with the red side then correct? Just cover i up good with some heatshrink and electrical tape? I appoligize I am quite the novice when it comes to electrical area of reefing. Ill get a friend to help me so I don't do something dumb =P

 

[coil1002]

I shouldnt need to buy 2 temperatures controllers for redundancy =P My backup thermometer like I said somehow ruptured when it dried out, that was my redundancy.

It just bothers me that I spend 400 bucks on this thing that is supposed to keep my tank safer and it almost kills it. ITs only been on their for 2 months. What if the thermometer started reading a really low temp instead of a really high one? It would have fried my tank. If I had a chiller it would have froze my tank.

Neptune will be recieving a phone call from me. I dont know if I want to trust their product anymore.

Yet another testament to K.I.S.S.

I am a big fan of two stage ranco controller cool stage to fans one blowing over the water two in the lighting hood one one pushing the other pulling.The heat stage to my heaters. I never have trusted controllers but I am just old and cranky that way. I see way to much stuff at work that was fine before we started automating it.

 

[Slickdonkey]

The point isn't Aquacontroller (or heater thermostat) vs. Ranco, the point is having redundancy.

 

[coil1002]

The point isn't Aquacontroller (or heater thermostat) vs. Ranco, the point is having redundancy.

My bad did I miss the point?

 

[jezzeaepi]

FYI AC JR users:
I talked to the tech support today and they said the way to test if its a bad temp probe is to unplug the probe and see if it falls to 20F.

Mine dropped to 20 so it looks like its just a probe problem. Hopefully this will be my only probe problem...

Thanks Don for the suggestion on the second controller for redundancy. I think its kind of shame that I have to buy a whole other controller just to make mine "safe" but I certainly see the value in it. The ranco looks like an excellent unit for the price. I would have never though one was needed before this incident, but now I am a believer =P I could have come home to a tank in the 60's or 90's but instead the error was in my favor.

 

[barrierreefcf]

Jesse...any future problems don't hesitate to call. We would be happy to go to bat for you if Neptune's CS is ever lacking.