SuncrestReef's Reefer XL 425 Rebuild

[PeterC99]

Really like the updated sump in your 425! You’ve got me thinking...

 

[powers2001]

@SuncrestReef love the Sky lights over your Reefer they seem like really great lights. Are you going to change the way you have them mounted?

 

[SuncrestReef]

@SuncrestReef love the Sky lights over your Reefer they seem like really great lights. Are you going to change the way you have them mounted?

Yes, I need to figure out a better mounting method. When I sold my Radions in 2019, I kept the RMS mounting arms, but did not keep the Radion X brackets that screw into the lights. What I currently have is the 3D printed adapter from my ReeFi DUO lights that have a 3.5 degree slope to counteract the RMS arm sag. But the mounting holes on these adapters don't fit the SKY like the Radion adapter would, so I'm just using the wire hanging kit draped over the ReeFi bracket. It works fine, but just isn't aesthetically pleasing.

 

[Husker-reef]

You may have mentioned previously, what is your setup for your heater/ linked to apex? Read most people use a heater controller plugged into apex as a secondary measure. Need to pull the trigger on a heater for my reefer. Also running apex. TIA

 

[SuncrestReef]

You may have mentioned previously, what is your setup for your heater/ linked to apex? Read most people use a heater controller plugged into apex as a secondary measure. Need to pull the trigger on a heater for my reefer. Also running apex. TIA

I have a Finnex 300w titanium heater which does not have any built-in thermostat. I plug that into an Inkbird heater controller. The Inkbird is set to keep the tank between 77 - 80 degrees F. Then I have the Inkbird plugged into the Apex EB832, and it's set to turn on the heater if below 77.8 and turn it off if over 78.0:

Fallback OFF
If Tmp < 77.8 Then ON
If Tmp > 78.0 Then OFF
Defer 001:00 Then ON
Defer 000:15 Then OFF

So the Apex is the primary controller for the heater, but if for some reason it fails to turn off the heater when over 78.0, the Inkbird will override and turn off the heater if it reaches 80 degrees.

My reasoning for this configuration is that the Inkbird is terrible at keeping a tight temperature range. The best I could get from it was about a 1.1 degree range. The Apex can keep the tank within 0.1 degrees F, and I prefer to maintain a tight temperature range, so using the Apex as the primary and Inkbird as the failsafe gives me the control I want.

You'll hear many people argue that this will cause the EnergyBar output relay to wear out from too frequent On/Off transitions. However, the EB832 relays are rated for over 1 million cycles. Reviewing my output logs, I see that my heater turns on and off about 50 times per day on average. At this rate, that's 18,250 cycles per year, so it would take over 54 years to reach 1 million cycles. I've been running my heater and EB832 this way for over 3 years with no problem, and I don't lose any sleep over it.

 

[SuncrestReef]

Now that this sump replacement project is complete, I am going to stop updating this thread. All new posts about my tank will be added to my original Reefer XL 425 build thread.

Thanks to all of you who followed along during this rebuild project!

 

[powers2001]

More parts arrived today. Now I’m just waiting on the orange PVC to arrive, then I can get to work building the new manifold.

Hey @SuncrestReef where did you get the ball valves in the picture of this quote?

 

[Daveobrien]

Hey @SuncrestReef where did you get the ball valves in the picture of this quote?

I asked him the same question when I built my mixing station.
Answer is, 1" Flui-PRO PVC Compact Ball Valve - Gray / Socket

https://www.pvcfittingsonline.com/1-flui-pro-pvc-compact-ball-valve-gray-socket-fp-gs-010.html