Creating a fail safe aquarium

[ryanlio]

Hi,

Yesterday return home to find my chiller power got cut off.. not too sure y.. as a result the tank when up to 32 degrees

luckily.. there were no casualty...

Just wanna find out how can fail-safe my tank.

Hopefully we can compile something like a guide for fellow reefers here.

Any pointers or links will be good.

Thanks.

[RedStar]

Hi,

Yesterday return home to find my chiller power got cut off.. not too sure y.. as a result the tank when up to 32 degrees

luckily.. there were no casualty...

Just wanna find out how can fail-safe my tank.

Hopefully we can compile something like a guide for fellow reefers here.

Any pointers or links will be good.

Thanks.

installing UPS may be a solution?

[ryanlio]

Am thinking of running 2 returns each to a chiller ... the primary chiller will be set at 26.5 while the backup will be set at 27.5.. this could introduce redundancy to prevent a warm fish and coral soup for me at home when things goes wrong (touch wood)..

any other idea?

[thedidavid]

Am thinking of running 2 returns each to a chiller ... the primary chiller will be set at 26.5 while the backup will be set at 27.5.. this could introduce redundancy to prevent a warm fish and coral soup for me at home when things goes wrong (touch wood)..

any other idea?

I think you can buy the temperature controller to shutdown lights or other if the chiller is failing.

[BFG]

1st thing that you can do is to separate the electrical load of the electric consumption of your tank. Use 2 separate power point for your tank and try to equalise the consumption used for the tank between the 2 power outlet. Never placed all the equipment on a single power outlet.

Try to use a lower wattage equipment. They would add lesser heat to your tank water. If possible, use pumps that can be placed outsump. Lesser wattage might lead to lesser heat buildup and lesser time for the chiller to switch on to cool down the water and longer lifespan for the chiller.

Point the exhaust of the chiller out into open space instead of against the wall. The dispersed warm air will be moved away from the chiller. If you point the exhaust air against the wall, it might be sucked in again by the chiller as it has not enough space to dissipate away. It is worst if you placed the chiller in the cabinet as the chiller would have to work more to cool down the water.

Still on chiller. Get a bigger model, a size up from the recommended model. It will have enough 'grunt' to still operate as it's limit should be higher than the previous model. But if the limit of the said chiller has been reached, then you're in trouble.

Same scenario for skimmer, get a model bigger than the recommended one. You never know when you need to travel for 2 weeks at a stretch. Reason being the bigger the skimmer, the bigger the skimmer cup and the more skimmate it could store. That, or you could get a waste collector connected to the skimmer cup to extend the amount collected. For longer period of travel, a tank sitter should be feasible. Find one that lives near you as it won't be a chore for him/her to keep a lookout of your tank.

An insump skimmer is a good bet. You'll never need to deal with the small driplet of saltwater with an outsump skimmer. There's no worries of leak either with an insump skimmer. The only con I see is the skimmate might fall back into the sump if you are careless or a klutz( accident prone ).

A cutoff switch gadget for your lights in case the chiller fail.

I think this is it. There might be more contribution from other fellow reefer especially from the senior reefer.

[tineng]

hahaha...i have 2 chillers....so one would take over if the other fail......but then my temp probe spoilt....end up still drive my tank temp down to 20 degree......

[Alvin Tan]

Am thinking of running 2 returns each to a chiller ... the primary chiller will be set at 26.5 while the backup will be set at 27.5.. this could introduce redundancy to prevent a warm fish and coral soup for me at home when things goes wrong (touch wood)..

any other idea?

i dont think this idea will work, if the electricity trips, both the chiller will not be working too..

[ryanlio]

Whoa Bro Tineng

how come your temp probe spoil your chiller still runs and chill down?...

did you sorta "disable" your chiller's internal thermostat...?

cos i will think is the chillers internal thermostat is still running then it would have shut down the chiller yes?

[ryanlio]

hmm.. also wondering y there are no bro providing links to information out there on the web.. just do not want to "reinvent the wheel"..

also to learn from others so that i do not have do "trial n error", which means $$$... hahhhaha

[ryanlio]

hmm... thanks for all the inputs..

Pleas keep them coming..

Cos i think it will be good for someone who needs to implement a fail safe aquaria to do a search on thread topic like this rather then having to sift thru individual members tank threads.. REALLY APPRECIATE THE INPUTS GIVEN....

a balance between $$ and robustness of system.. this is what i have in mind from all the advises taken..

This is planned for a 24-hour recovery time.

Objective

1. Aquaria to be sustainable for a 24 hour period in times of disaster.

The critical cases which i would like to address are as follows:

1. total electrical failure.

2. failure of chilling the aquaria

a. Due to failure of chiller unit

b. Due to failure of return pump

These are the design which i hope will fulfill the cases above:

1. To use 2 electrical points so that equipment electrical loads can be balanced across 2 socket points of 13 amperes.

2. UPS to run from one of the two electrical sockets. This UPS will be used to hook up the 2 X return pump and chiller. (Wonder if UPS can sustain this load for 24 hours). Basically the UPS will only hook up to essential life line of the aquaria - identified as the temp and return flow currently

3. To cut off lights if temp raises beyond 29 degrees (close to my ambient temp). This is to handle the case where chiller failure. Yes.. this means that the temp will hold at ambient temp. This should not be too much of a prob as i will prob be able to get the chiller replaced/repaired within a few days.

4. 2 X return pumps (not to tackle the chiller problem but more to tackle the "what if" return pump fails) to feed the chiller. These will be hooked up to the UPS. both pumps will have a non-return check valve on each line so that should either one fails, then water will still be routed to the chiller rather then the outlet back to the failed pump.

Points 1 and 2 will address case 1.

point 3 will address case 2a (not preventive but risk mitigation measure)

point 4 will address case 2b

Any comments from bro.. before the "Project" commences??.. :)

[RockyBoy]

Am thinking of running 2 returns each to a chiller ... the primary chiller will be set at 26.5 while the backup will be set at 27.5.. this could introduce redundancy to prevent a warm fish and coral soup for me at home when things goes wrong (touch wood)..

any other idea?

Reef Saver would help in cutting off the lights which emit heat to the water.

[RockyBoy]

hahaha...i have 2 chillers....so one would take over if the other fail......but then my temp probe spoilt....end up still drive my tank temp down to 20 degree......

Nice....

[tineng]

Whoa Bro Tineng

how come your temp probe spoil your chiller still runs and chill down?...

did you sorta "disable" your chiller's internal thermostat...?

cos i will think is the chillers internal thermostat is still running then it would have shut down the chiller yes?

my main chiller is the aircon compressor type. It depend on the temp probe of my aquatronic....unfortuntately, the temp probe shows about 2-5 degree above the actual temperature resulting in the system thinking the water is not cold enough lor.....

i have planned for temp prob failure, because in that situation the backup chiller with its own seperate external temp controller willl kick in.....however, never expected that temp prob can give false reading....

[BFG]

Ryanlio, there is another backup you need. This require you to own a very long extension wire that will reach your neighbour home just in case only your home electrical supply is cutoff for extended period of time. Actually, you need a few of this extension wire and a good neighbour.

[ryanlio]

BFG.. then I'll have to move next to you.. hahahah :> cheers

[BFG]

BFG.. then I'll have to move next to you.. hahahah :> cheers

hahaha.....but I don't think my home can support 3 tank with 3 chiller, currently I have 2 tanks with 2 chiller. Confirm trip liao.