Dual Heater Setup

[esther]

Need your help... I have two 300w heaters in my sump. I want to keep the temp fluctuation in the tank between 77.5º and 79.5º. I'm using the Cobalt Neotherm heaters. I can set them to 78º or 80º (nothing in between). My questions are as follows:

• How should I set up my P4? Should I tell it to turn the sockets off when the temp goes over 79.5º? Or should I tell it to turn them off when it's over 80º so it's not turning the heaters on and off all the time.
• Do you think I should set my heater temp to 78º instead of 80º?
• How would you guys set this up if this were your tank?

If you can provide screen shots of your setups from the GHL App, that would be great. I would rather not have to use my computer to set this up (I hate starting it in Windows lol). But if I need my computer to do it, then I will.

Thanks in advance for your help! ;Joyful

 

[ingchr1]

I would let the Neotherms control, and set the P4 as a backup to turn them off if temperature gets too high. The Neotherms control in a good tight band and I do not like the idea of cycling input power on/off to an electronic heater.

You'll have to see where the Neotherms actually control. While the setting is 78 or 80, they may not control exactly at that number. Could be a degree higher or lower. That was my experience when I was running them. Once you know where they are actually controlling set the P4 to turn off the socket a couple of degrees higher.

Are your two heaters a primary and backup? If so, I'd set the back up to come on two degrees (one setting) below the primary. Keep the P4 settings the same for each heater.

Here's a thread I started on my temperature control iterations:

Temperature Control Setup (Profilux 4)

Hi, I have a GHL Profilux 4 and want to confirm that I understand temperature control correctly. I'm using a Colbalt Neo-Therm as the main control, then the P4 to turn off the heater if it gets too hot. I'm not using the P4 as the main control since I do not want the main power constantly...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[esther]

I would let the Neotherms control, and set the P4 as a backup to turn them off if temperature gets too high. The Neotherms control in a good tight band and I do not like the idea of cycling input power on/off to an electronic heater.

You'll have to see where the Neotherms actually control. While the setting is 78 or 80, they may not control exactly at that number. Could be a degree higher or lower. That was my experience when I was running them. Once you know where they are actually controlling set the P4 to turn off the socket a couple of degrees higher.

Are your two heaters a primary and backup? If so, I'd set the back up to come on two degrees (one setting) below the primary. Keep the P4 settings the same for each heater.

Here's a thread I started on my temperature control iterations:

Temperature Control Setup (Profilux 4)

Hi, I have a GHL Profilux 4 and want to confirm that I understand temperature control correctly. I'm using a Colbalt Neo-Therm as the main control, then the P4 to turn off the heater if it gets too hot. I'm not using the P4 as the main control since I do not want the main power constantly...

www.reef2reef.com

I'll check out your thread (THANK YOU). So, our tank is 225g (total volume). I would imagine that I need both 300w to heat it properly. Do you think I should have one as a backup instead of having them both running at the same temp?

 

[ingchr1]

I'll check out your thread (THANK YOU). So, our tank is 225g (total volume). I would imagine that I need both 300w to heat it properly. Do you think I should have one as a backup instead of having them both running at the same temp?

I'm not sure what wattage you'll need, others with larger tanks can provide better input. My tank has 30 gallons and I need 125W to heat it. We keep our house 64F - 68F, that will factor in heater size as well.

If both are needed, then I would just set both the same. Noting that each could be off +/- a degree from the actual setting on the dial.

 

[Vinny@GHLUSA]

1. Go to temperature probe settings page, select desired value (nominal value).
2. Set Hysteresis to 2 degrees Fahrenheit and save settings
3. Go to switch channels settings page, select the outlet with the first heater, set function to Temperature Bottom heater
4. Select outlet with second heater, set function to Temperature Heater, and save settings.

The bottom heater will run as your primary means of heating. If that heater is not enough, the second heater will kick on to further heat the tank.

 

[esther]

1. Go to temperature probe settings page, select desired value (nominal value).
2. Set Hysteresis to 2 degrees Fahrenheit and save settings
3. Go to switch channels settings page, select the outlet with the first heater, set function to Temperature Bottom heater
4. Select outlet with second heater, set function to Temperature Heater, and save settings.

The bottom heater will run as your primary means of heating. If that heater is not enough, the second heater will kick on to further heat the tank.

Super helpful. Thanks Vinny!