How HOT is too HOT?

[JCM]

I have not seen any ill effects hovering in the low 80s. Above 82 and I might crank the lid open to evaporate more. But I generally do not worry about temp and let it fluctuate between about 73.5 at a minimum and 81-82 on hot days (which actually is the reverse of the seasons because hot for the tank is when there is a fire in the fireplace and cold is when the AC is blowing on it). I think it's fine up to 84 but maybe sustained temps above 82 are problematic after a point.

I agree. My heater kicks on around 72/73 and I have no means of cooling. I don't pay any attention to tank temp either unless my house is uncomfortable for me.

I wouldn't bat an eye over 82 and you're probably freaking out based on a faulty probe. If your house is comfortable, it would take a serious heat source to raise the temp that much. It would be easy to figure out where that heat was coming from.

 

[JCM]

Double post

 

[Sean Clark]

Funny how a $700 Apex is less accurate than a $15 hardware store digital kitchen thermometer... On the plus side, the kitchen one doubles for its intended purpose as well!! You can check the temp of your food to ensure proper cooking!! Double win in my book!!

I am still picking up a NIST thermometer to calibrate. I can only assume that the apex probe has drifted up over the years somehow. Hence the change that I observed over last year.

 

[Sean Clark]

I agree. My heater kicks on around 72/73 and I have no means of cooling. I don't pay any attention to tank temp either unless my house is uncomfortable for me.

I wouldn't bat an eye over 82 and you're probably freaking out based on a faulty probe. If your house is comfortable, it would take a serious heat source to raise the temp that much. It would be easy to figure out where that heat was coming from.

I think you are correct. It just took a bit for me to get there.

 

[KStatefan]

Thanks, I am glad you are here.
Google says 244 meters above sea level which would be 800 ft. So 1.6 deg. 210.4 deg boiling temp.

Current barometric will also be needed to find local boiling point.

Find Your Boiling Point

www.thermoworks.com

I use a Thermopen One to verify my tempatures.

 

[Sean Clark]

Current barometric will also be needed to find local boiling point.

Find Your Boiling Point

www.thermoworks.com

I use a Thermopen One to verify my tempatures.

More math thanks lol. All I wanted to do was keep a small peice of the ocean 2000-4000+ miles away from its natural location in a small box in my living room.

For real though, thanks for adding the barometric pressure variable. So far this is all adding up to my tank is not as hot as I think it is.

 

[KStatefan]

More math thanks lol. All I wanted to do was keep a small peice of the ocean 2000-4000+ miles away from its natural location in a small box in my living room.

For real though, thanks for adding the barometric pressure variable. So far this is all adding up to my tank is not as hot as I think it is.

I am an engineer so I like math but i posted a link that did the math for you.

 

[Sean Clark]

I am an engineer so I like math but i posted a link that did the math for you.

Haha. And I appreciated that extra level of care and service.

 

[gbroadbridge]

So I am in a bit of a hot spell right now and the tank is showing the effects. When should one act or worry. What is the max temp that you would be comfortable running?

Unfortunately, you're getting into dangerous territory when you go over 82, espercially if it's a sudden jump. I know coral mostly can sit at 80 year round, but a sudden jump from 76 to 82 would trouble me.

 

[KStatefan]

Haha. And I appreciated that extra level of care and service.

I also would not worry about testing it at the boiling point and I would just use an ice bath. 32° F is closer to tank temperature then 212° F is. If your thermometer has an adjustment on it it will most likely be an offset adjustment and you could only use one point calibration any way.

 

[gbroadbridge]

Yes I have central AC. I also considered turning it down. It's 74 at the moment. I have the tank lights off and the fans are on. Temp is still elevated. I thought this was a canopy traping heat issue. Now I am leaning to hot pumps. IDK.

I find my UV adds a lot of heat.

 

[KStatefan]

I find my UV adds a lot of heat.

Mine does also. I just had to turn mine off today. I need to add control to that outlet to turn off automatically

 

[Sean Clark]

As sad as this sounds, I am waiting on ice at the moment. Once I have ice to check the low end I will share that. As of right now I believe my tank is actually 77.5 deg while Apex is reporting 81.7 I do not cast any blame on the apex as this is adjustable and I just trusted it.
We will see.

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

Right now the tank shows 82.1 the house thermostat shows 74. I could shut down the skimmer and UV pump but that's it aside frome the tunze stream3 that in in the tank.

That's kind of crazy..

 

[Sean Clark]

That's kind of crazy..

Looks like I may have been chasing a phantom bad temp reading. In hind sight it makes total sense. Especially with the temp diferential between the room and tank.

 

[Jedi1199]

Current barometric will also be needed to find local boiling point.

Find Your Boiling Point

www.thermoworks.com

I use a Thermopen One to verify my tempatures.

Current barometric pressure is a weather related variable. This is flat irrelevant to calibration of a household kitchen thermometer. If we were discussing lab grade equipment, then I would give your statement due recourse. For the purpose of this discussion, the general guide of 1*/500ft is sufficient to achieve the desired result.

 

[Sean Clark]

If I was getting something in the 1s of degrees I would be pretty happy. I am not expecting perfection. 4 degrees is pretty silly.

 

[Obsessed with fish]

Shrek

 

[damsels are not mean]

Wouldn't it be better to calibrate to freezing with some ice water? That is closer in temp to what we are doing than boiling water. I mean it's not perfect but we don't need perfect here. We need "pretty close"

 

[Biokabe]

I'd also agree that the Apex probe is more likely to be the culprit than an actual high temp. When you see the temperature spike that badly that quickly, it's almost always down to one of two things: broken equipment, or broken temperature probe. You did your diligence with ruling out broken equipment, which means it's down to the probe. A replacement temperature probe is about $30-$40. It's not a bad idea to have a spare one on hand at all times - they're one of the most common points of failure on the Apex. I've had the exact same situation happen to me, except in my case it took me a while to figure out that the probe had gone bad, because it happened in the middle of a heat wave and we don't have central air, so the elevated temperature made sense if I didn't think about it too much.