Heater On/Off frequency?

Wankell · Jan 9, 2013

Hey guys, ever since I got my heater dialed in via Apex, it turns on and off VERY often to keep the temp stable.

My question is, will this effect the life of the heater?

Would it be any benefit to lower the temp range (ie; on at 77 off at 79) in the outlet config of the apex to allow for a slightly longer temp change, in order to turn on and off? Or would it be more beneficial to my reef to keep it as stable as possible?

As it stands I have it down to .25 degree fluctuation, on at 77.8, off at 78.

jtgordon20 · Jan 9, 2013

I would go for the stability but I don't know about it effecting the heaters life span. Maybe someone else can chime in.

1fishmonger · Jan 9, 2013

I would think it affects the lifespan. I set my heaters with Apexes and RKLs. Hysteresis to .5 degree. Think my ranges are all in the on at 78, off at 78.5 range. As long as you're in a range, you're fine. No ocean has a perfectly stable temp

Wankell · Jan 9, 2013

1fishmonger said:
I would think it affects the lifespan. I set my heaters with Apexes and RKLs. Hysteresis to .5 degree. Think my ranges are all in the on at 78, off at 78.5 range. As long as you're in a range, you're fine. No ocean has a perfectly stable temp

Maybe I will back it off to .50, less frequent on/off and a tiny bit more temp fluctuation. If people are sucessfully keeping reefs at +/- 3 degrees then .5-1 should be no problem at all. I was just kinda curious if maybe someone with a marine biology background knew that a stable temp was beneficial, or if it was actually better to keep the fluctuation.

KoleTang · Jan 9, 2013

You need to set a wider hysteresis or your heater will go nuts.

Set it at on 77.5 off 78

Wankell · Jan 9, 2013

KoleTang said:
You need to set a wider hysteresis or your heater will go nuts.

Set it at on 77.5 off 78

Yep, just changed to to 77.5, initially I was going for a flatline 78, but the heater would really go nuts if I was able to pull it off! haha

Others brought up a good point though, the ocean temps change as well, as least would think they do depending on the depth, so a little fluctuation is probably a good thing!