Apex going haywire

[jwalker314]

I've noticed the past 4 days that my apex goes haywire and displays the tank temp as 19.4 ph at 1.8. Thus kicking my heaters on and heating the tank up excessively. (i need to add a value in my programming to prevent that) but anyways, why is it displaying these values? i unhook the usb power for the Apex and when it reboots all is well... any suggestions?

 

[aquamanic]

A temp of 20 is typical of a faulty temp probe. Cycling the power to the controller cycles the power to the probe as well. Probe probably would reset if you just unplugged the probe and plugged it back in.

Not sure why both would be acting this way though.

 

[jwalker314]

both of my ph probes (one is brand new) are calibrated and do the same. at the same time

 

[aquamanic]

Well, you can try reloading your firmware even if it's the most current.

You can also try re-calibrating the probes. That will write over whatever calibration is in there. I don't think they're calibrated wrong but if something flaky is happening maybe it's memory related.

Is it happening at a particular time or when something else happens that might indicate some sort of interference?

If that doesn't fix it, then I don't know. Might need to email Neptune support.

ps..you're right about putting some safety code in there. I recommend people put some extreme low temp email alert AND not try to turn on the heater if the temp goes below, say 50 degrees. That almost always means a bad temp probe (or a disconnected one). You don't want the controller doing something stupid because a probe failed.

 

[jwalker314]

what would be the best way to do that? If Temp < 60 Then OFF ?

 

[aquamanic]

Yes. Think of it as 3 levels:

Level 1 - normal temp control from say, 78 - 81 degrees. No alert necessary.
Level 2 - low temp email and perhaps alarm if temp falls below 76 degrees. Could indicate a failed heater. If happens at night, alarm sound is critical.
Level 3 - ridiculous low temp, shouldn't happen under normal circumstances. Email alert, sound alarm, wave flags... and turn off heater because something is not right.

 

[jwalker314]

just did it again.........going to try updating my software..

 

[jwalker314]

just thought of something. I believe i have temperature compensation checked on my unit for the ph probe, which would probably be why the ph is showing up so low. My unit will be hitting a year old in February. Whats the lifespan of the temp probe?

 

[aquamanic]

I think the life varies - 12 - 18 months might be a rough average but I'm sure there's a lot of variance. Turn off temp comp and see if the pH comes back up.

 

[kurt_n]

I think the life varies - 12 - 18 months might be a rough average but I'm sure there's a lot of variance. ...

For a temp probe? (That's what jwalker is asking about.)

I know pH probes are good for 12-18 months, but do the temp probes also have a limited life? I'd kind of expect those to last many years.

 

[apjohnson]

I had this same issue...turned out to be interference from my ballasts. Hope this helps.

--AJ

 

[jwalker314]

still having problems, it happens every 15-20mins now. i have to unplug the power and plug it back in to correct the issue. I turned off temp compensation and the ph is still way off....not sure what i can do, i can't call neptune until monday and its pretty cold around here this time of the year so having the temperature regulated in my tank is a must.

has anyone else had this problem before? how did you resolve it?

i found one post on here about the same issue, but they didnt resolve it.

thanks for the input

-John

 

[aquamanic]

John - I talked with Curt about this problem. What happens with your pH probe if you keep the temp probe out of the water?

Curt theorized that if your temp probe is bad (the 20 degree reading) because of a shorted wire, that short in the tank will cause the pH probe to have a bizzare reading. Calibrating the pH probe will appear to be OK since the temp probe is not in the calibration solution.

You can also test your temp probe offline if you have an ohmmeter. Place your ohm meter across the two probe wires in the clip. At 77 degrees you should have 5k ohms. Try to be close to that temp when you do this. If your resistance is different, then the probe is probably bad which is what we suspect anyway because of the 20 degree reading.

 

[jwalker314]

Thanks very much for the reply, ill check that as soon as i get home. I unplugged my variable speed ports and changed firmware again to the lower version that is on the web site. Im hoping that it worked most of the day today sinc i dont think a tank reading of 62 degrees will be very healthy (what my house thermostat is set at when im not home)

I will have to test it with the meter and try and give neptune a call monday when i have free time.

thanks again

-John

 

[jwalker314]

well, after being gone all day (went to work at 8:30 am, back home at 12:30 am) the unit was fine all day, no temperature fluxuations....good news is my tank is still alive, bad news is i have no clue why its working now.

monday i will plug the dimming variable outputs for my leds back in and observe, maybe the firmware change did the trick. If it malfunctions again i will also try your suggestions with the multimeter and removing the temp probe and report my results. Thanks again guys for all your help!

 

[jopo43]

I had this happen to me tonight. Thought I had it fixed. I am going to try the temp probe and replace it.