GHL doser 2.1 (spreading dosage within a set number of hours?)

[smartwater101]

Watching a few tutorials and I'm a little consfused on how this works. I'm currently using Apex and considering swapping everything to GHL. Going to start by replacing the DOS...

Basically Id like to dose 55ml in a 12 hour period. Thats 720 doses of .076ml (if dosing once per min) or 12 doses 4.58ml (if dosing once per hour)

so I have a couple questions...


1: why is there a "start time" for automatic dosing? Doesn't automatic just mean its 24/7?

1) Is it possible to dose during that 12 hour period, and have the app divide up the ammount automatically?

Here is essentially what id like to recreate in terms of amounts and schedule:

Thanks

 

[smartwater101]

Side question: does the profilux monitor amp/volt usage?

 

[leepink23]

@Ditto probably knows the answers!

 

[Potatohead]

Unless something has changed recently, you can only manual dose up to eight doses per 24 hours. Otherwise on auto dosing your dose amount is spread out evenly over 24 hours, which I think maxes out at 150 times. So, if you want to dose something only at night over a 12 hour span, you have eight doses max to do so. So for your example you would need to divide 55ml by eight which would be about 7ml per dose.

The reason for start times is to be able to stagger them. If you want calcium and alk to both dose every hour, you can start one at 00:00 and the other at 00:15 so they will dose 15 minutes apart. Or, if you want to dose say magnesium twice a day, if you start at 00:00 then at noon and midnight it will dose the same time as calcium, obviously you don’t want that either.

 

[smartwater101]

Otherwise on auto dosing your dose amount is spread out evenly over 24 hours,

Dang. I wish you could do that spread out, during a specific time frame :/

 

[Potatohead]

Dang. I wish you could do that spread out, during a specific time frame :/

I would be very surprised if this wasn’t addressed in a software update, because people have been asking for it. I think with the new alkalinity monitors mainly showing alk being consumed during the day, a lot of people want more control to dose the majority of their alk during the photoperiod.

 

[smartwater101]

It def would be nice. I dose mainly at night (for pH) but noticed a specific time of day where alk was consumed more than the rest of the day. Thats why I have a second dosing section.

Could still do it manual, but scheduling/auto would be fantastic

 

[vangvace]

I cannot speak to the dosing question, but the profilux with 5.1 or 6e powerbars do measure power usage per socket.

 

[smartwater101]

I cannot speak to the dosing question, but the profilux with 5.1 or 6e powerbars do measure power usage per socket.

Nice! This may be a stupid question, but I assume there is a way to display all outlets from all powerbars, combined? I like a quick view of the entire amp draw of the system

 

[Ditto]

@leepink23 thanks for the tag

Side question: does the profilux monitor amp/volt usage?

Monitors amps only not voltage.

 

[Ditto]

I did talk to them at reefaplooza about having two adjustments in the KH director to have a day and night dosing schedule and they are open to the idea but asked what would be the beat way to do it so easy for users to understand.

I also asked about the 8 manual dosing, and it is something they are looking at.

 

[Tristren]

I did talk to them at reefaplooza about having two adjustments in the KH director to have a day and night dosing schedule and they are open to the idea but asked what would be the beat way to do it so easy for users to understand.

I also asked about the 8 manual dosing, and it is something they are looking at.

I'd definitely like more than 8 manual dosing slots.
Do you know why they have that limit set?

Cheer,
Tony

 

[second_decimal]

3 years later…. Still no 12hr dosing option. For such a simple thing that almost everyone relies on (dosing Kalk at night to boost ph). So much for the software update..


it’s ok. After almost 18 years of exclusively using GHL, I will be migrating to hydros. Thanks. It’s been nice.

 

[Lasse]

After 18 years of using GHL you should know that this is rather easy to set up a broken dosing schedule with help of Programming Language.

I have only GHL experiences for 13 years (since 2009 when Profilux II was introduced) My alkalinity pump gives different amounts during day and night. between 12:00 - 23.59 it dos 0.9 ml every 15 minute and between 00:00 and 11:59 it gives 0-6 ml every 20 minutes

Its also easy to connect it to a certain pH (if you want to use a pump head for pH manipulation) - Its easy t o let it work for only certain hours. Just describe what you want to achieve - I will help you with how to do

Sincerely Lasse

 

[second_decimal]

Ok.. I admit I started with Profilux II as well so if that was 13 yrs ago then I may have exaggerated a tad. To be fair, it’s the only controller I have ever used and It has performed well and is reliable. I have come across the dosing schedule issue several times over the years and exhaustive searches have yielded only that it is not possible to auto divide doses over a specific timeframe other than 24hrs. Manual dosing schedule is limited to 8 entries. If my memory serves me correctly, I asked about this as well on the GHL forum as well and was told the same thing. So what you call “easy” is obviously not that for everyone. That said, I appreciate the offer. let’s program that schedule for Kalk and Ca2 Rx.

 

[Lasse]

Which Profilux do you have? How do you want the doser to respond? For the Kalk maybe to the pH? - you may want to keep a certain pH during the night or do you want the doser to dose y ml x time during the night? Do you want the Ca2Rx to run during the time your Kalk is not run?

In my case - I first set up a timer

Second step - set up the pump that is responsible for my alk dos, Calibrate it and set it to respond to a switch index - in my case 64

Third step. Take on doser program that is not knit to a physical pump and name it for night - in my case dose pump 25), Put in the same calibration figures as in the physical dose pump (dosing pump 3 in my case) Pump react to Schedule below. Chose automatic times. In my case I want a nightly dose every 20 minutes - therefore I need 72 doses for a 24 h period in this dose pump. I want to dose 0.6 ml each time and every day (blue marking)

Noe I made a pump for day mode - dose pump 26 in my case. Do the same as for the night pump but for me - During day I need to dose every 15 minutes an in my case (for the moment) - I dose 0.9 ml each time - black marking and 96 times a day

Next step is to make the first PL - in my case G-15 and it is for the night dose - NOTE the inverted timer function This says that it will be active when dose 25 call and when timer 1 is NOT active. If timer 1 is active - the whole function will not work

The day PL - G-16 for me. This says that the function is active if dose pump 26 calls and timer 1 is active. When timer 1 is nor active - the whole function will be inactive

And the final PL G-17 for me - note the OR function instead of the AND function. This says that the function will be active if G15 OR G16 is active

Next step - to chose a switch channel that have no physical switch connected - in my case S64 and use the function PL 17. This means that this switch will be active if PL15 OR PL16 is active

Back to the physical dose pump - dos 3. Be sure that it respond to index 64. It means that it will run during the time switch 64 is active - in reality answer to pump 26 if timer 1 is active and to pump 25 if timer 1 is inactive

The result can be shown in a graph - here is my dosing pump 3 graph for the las week

You can see that I have rise the amount during night twice this period (red) and one rising of day dose (blue). I always change the amount - not the frequency

If you tell me how yo want to run your kalc respectively your Ca2Rx (and how you dose them - GHL dosing pump or/and other brands pumps - I can help you with a similar program

Sincerely Lasse

 

[second_decimal]

Nice. Thank you for the detailed instructions. I am running 3.1 ex. 8 dosing heads, 3 Powerbars, Monitors PH, salinity, temp and orp. Vortech control
Module, touchscreen etc. etc. I will have to reset the unit first though, calibrate all the probes and brush off the dust..

as far as runtime, im thinking the Kalk might be on a 9 hour run so 22:00 to 07:00
The Ca2 Rx probably at 07:02 to 21:58

 

[Lasse]

3.1 - - it means that you have 16 dosing programs. Will you use a GHL dosing pump (physical) for the Kalk? What will you use for the Ca2Rx - a GHL dosing pump (not likely) or a type that you manage with help of a switch outlet?

Do you have the latest FW on the 3.1?

The easiest timer function will be like this - run it normal for the ca2RX and inverted for the kalk. But you can also use two different timer functions which are active during day or night

Are your dosing pumps the doser 1 (connected with help of a S contact) or doser2.x (connected by PAB)

Sincerely Lasse

 

[second_decimal]

I have both (one doser is PAB the other is S). The Kalk is dosed so I could maintain accuracy (vs ATO which differs depending on evaporation demand) the Ca2 Rx is on a doser head but limited to feed pressure from return pump. I know, I know.. I need a continuous duty doser but GHL maxi was not a great unit and the new ones are pretty $$.

and yes, all software is updated and current.

my next step is a closed loop fed from RT pump to continuously flush dosing lines and reduce the swell time in the line of dosing substances.

 

[second_decimal]

Hi. So coming back to this thread, I recreated the above described environment and will monitor to see how it settles. Thank you for your input. It looks like 3 pumps are kicking in at the same time despite adjusting and staggering start times (00:00, 00:15, 00:30 and so on) So I am trying to address that.