Good or Bad Idea: Your Return Pump Connected To A Controller?

[reefsahoy]

With the new apex, if your pump fails you will be alerted via email and be able to save the day vs if the pump was plugged into a wall there would be no way to tell. So if you were on vacation and this happens, you can ask a friend to swap out the pump.

 

[Want2BS8ed]

Or you can add another piece of equipment like a reactor or chiller and if your pump was bought oversized, you can adjust for more flow to compensate for the addition of other equipment and still get max flow thru the sump

^^^This...

...and a failure is a failure. IMO the benefits of being alerted to a pump failure far outweigh the potential for my Apex to be the cause of the failure.

M

 

[reefsahoy]

For me, D.C. Pumps are the best thing since slice bread. In your sump you can adjust for the perfect flow amount regardless of how much stuff you want to run with it and never get micro bubbles in your display. On a skimmer you can adjust flow and bubble mixture If you are out of water height adjustment.

 

[Cory]

If your auto top off is there, controlling a return pumps a bad idea.

 

[-Logzor]

With the new apex, if your pump fails you will be alerted via email and be able to save the day vs if the pump was plugged into a wall there would be no way to tell. So if you were on vacation and this happens, you can ask a friend to swap out the pump.

First I need my apex to tell me if it gets disconnected or I may never get that email!

 

[-Logzor]

Well let's say you have micro bubbles in your display tank because your sump is too small, you can slow the flow rate and clear up the micro bubbles. Or you can add another piece of equipment like a reactor or chiller and if your pump was bought oversized, you can adjust for more flow to compensate for the addition of other equipment and still get max flow thru the sump without micro bubbles running to your display tank.

Or use a ball valve, low tech an effective.

 

[reefsahoy]

Or use a ball valve, low tech an effective.

Yup I agree,and rather than use a ca reactor or dosing pumps go low tech and manually dose, or rather than use a skimmer, use carbon or phosphate remover go really low tech and do water changes. Or rather than use timers to turn on your lights, just manually flick a switch on/off whenever you are around. Those are all low tech and effective, it's just where you'd like to draw the line.

 

[reefsahoy]

First I need my apex to tell me if it gets disconnected or I may never get that email!

At least if you were connected you have that chance, without it there is no chance. There is no 100% fool proof way of knowing about a failure other than walking up to the tank and checking, but that 100% is only good until you spin around and walk away after checking. It may very well fail at that point. So you'd have to charge up on caffine while sitting and watch 24/7/365.

 

[hart24601]

I have not been tempted by DC pumps on the market for display returns. I know they are new and it's fun, but a good AC return pump lifespan is generally measured in decades now (yes there are always exceptions) and I have never felt any desire to control the return pumps output although many AC pumps are adjustable now and I have a T with a ball valve to provide circulation in the sump.

The rock solid reliability still sells me on AC returns. If I had a DC I might play with the flow at 1st, but really I wouldn't use that feature and would just run it at one setting.

 

[Waters]

So really any return pump can be plugged in to the energy bar and you would still be able to benefit whether it was controllable or not?

If by controllable you mean be able to shut on or off based on other variables, then yes, any pump can be "controlled". I have my old school Mag9.5 being controlled by my Apex.....if both of my leak detectors trip, the pump shuts off and sends me an alert. I also like the ability to use the feed modes as well as the ease of shutting the pump off during cleanings.

 

[-Logzor]

At least if you were connected you have that chance, without it there is no chance. There is no 100% fool proof way of knowing about a failure other than walking up to the tank and checking, but that 100% is only good until you spin around and walk away after checking. It may very well fail at that point. So you'd have to charge up on caffine while sitting and watch 24/7/365.

You are right that the Apex does give you the chance to know. People here are concerned if something happens to the Apex that causes the return to fail. I read a few weeks ago that someones DoS system went berserk and overdosed their alkalinity solution. The issue was something went wrong with the buttons they hit on the Fusion program on their phone. The reality is that my Ehiem won't fail and my Apex is more likely to bugger things up and cause the failure. It's a lot more likely than the pump actually failing. For the time being I'll keep my mindless zombie pump.

 

[lefkonj]

DC pump is definitely the way to go if you need a new pump or are building a new tank. Not sure I would toss a working pump to get that specific function though. Regardless having it hooked into an APEX to me is a must. Not just for power loss but for all sorts of things, leak detection, temperature issues etc etc.

When the price of the DC pumps comes down I would gladly replace a working AC pump.

 

[GoVols]

I have my Vectra L1 set to shut off if the leak detector on the Apex senses a water leak.

This is the only but a GREAT thing I'd want controlled on my sump return pump. If you had a return hose blow off (and I have - lol) it will save your pump from burning up.

 

[aquaterra]

The new Energy Bar 832 can tell you when your pump is running out of "spec" (meaning how you intend it to run) and send you an alert. It does this by monitoring the power consumed by the pump at all times. If your pump were merely plugged into the wall, you might not know immediately when it failed - or especially as it may be acting erratic leading up to failure.

Is there a way to auto shut off a device if the wattage draw goes too high? Or can I only specify the alarm?

I was able to figure out that my AP700s %of light directly correlates with the W it draws on my EB832 and noticed today after a kessil update it started to draw too much wattage today meaning it got off schedule and I got an alarm...but I have to manually turn the outlet off (i'm not home right now.)

 

[Sir Chris]

Following. Need a return and was lookn at the L1. So hmmmm

 

[Sir Chris]

I personally have mine run by a controller. I like the fact that I can see the amperage draw on my EB8 when my pumps are on. I can activate each individually and get a reading of the draw for each pump. This can let me know if my pump is getting tired or even dirty.

I also like the fact that I can hit a single button (feed mode) and my pumps shut down for a specific time period for feedings. I also have a separate feed mode that I use for water changes. This gives me single button control to shut down my pumps, do my water change and have everything fire back up once complete.

To me all of this sure beats pulling cords out.

What maker on the eb8

 

[120reefkeeper]

What maker on the eb8

It's the Neptune Apex . [emoji4]

 

[Terence]

Is there a way to auto shut off a device if the wattage draw goes too high? Or can I only specify the alarm?

I was able to figure out that my AP700s %of light directly correlates with the W it draws on my EB832 and noticed today after a kessil update it started to draw too much wattage today meaning it got off schedule and I got an alarm...but I have to manually turn the outlet off (i'm not home right now.)

Yes. That can be done. There is information in our forum and also somewhere else in the support docs but I cannot remember where at the moment.

 

[Ebone]

i'm torn, I have my return separated atm... but I am thinking I would rather have it on my apex so I can monitor it

 

[TreyC2010]

i'm torn, I have my return separated atm... but I am thinking I would rather have it on my apex so I can monitor it

Like Terence said, there are so many ways to monitor it and it'll text you or email when something goes wrong. You just have to tell it what you want it to do.