Matt,
I have been using X10 very succesfully for about 9 years on my reef tanks. Here are a few things I have learned.
1) For any MH, VHO, Pump, Power Head or Chiller you must use the appliance module or the Split receptical wall outlet rated at 15 amps. True these do have an audible click when turning on & off, but I do not find it to be an annoyance.
2) A coupler is required to connect both legs of the 110 volt feeds to your breaker box. I installed a coupler with signal booster to help ensure the x10 signal was distributed throughout the entire house. If you have a small home you can put a capacitor across the legs in the breaker panel and it will only cost about $2.
3) Line Noise Filters are mandatory after the X10 module and before the MH ballast (especially the electronic ballasts). Other wise the X10 modules will not receive the controll signal and you cannot control them. If you have other noisy appliances in you home, filters may be required there as well. Make sure you get a filter that is rated for the amperage that the ballast will draw. I had to test a few before I found one that would adequately block the line noise (not all filters are equal in their ability)
4) I started out with the home automation kit that allowed me to program in a set of on & off times and download them to a module (CM11A) that would store them and activate the X10 modules separate from my computer. This works very well and the computer does not have to be on all the time. It also has a battery backup so if you have a power outage every thing fires back and works.
5) I have now abandoned my CM11A in favor of the Firecracker! The advantage is that now my reef lighting is not restricted to a static schedule. I am using a great computer program called eLightMaster that allows me to choose the tropical location of my reef (Fiji is current choice) and my lights will turn on and off at the correct sunrise and sunset as if they were located in Fiji. I am also controlling a set of 11watt blue moon lights with a lamp timer and the Firecracker setup. The moon lights follow the moon phases and brightness for the Fiji location. So far the only drawback is that the computer must be up all the time. I have the computer set up with an autologon and the program starts automatically if I have a power outage while I am not home.
Conclusion, X10 works great for controlling the reef tank. A lot of people are using X10 very successfully and most any problem you may hit has been solved by either a device (filter, signal booster etc) or an ingenious person like Don W.
I even setup a float switch on the top of my tank to temporarily shut off one of my pumps through an X10 low voltage controller and appliance module (I run dual redundant pumps) if the water level gets to close to the top of the tank. I had a flood once when a large Heniocius got slammed up against the oveflow and reduced the amount of water leaving the tank! Not fun.
If you need any help, just ask
Rick
