New to Neptune, email alert programming

[htjunkie]

I have just finished setting up the Apex controller, very flexible programming and possibilities are endless

I have one issue where I keep getting emails once every 10 minutes or so, I have the email outlet set as this:

Set OFF
If Temp > 76.0 Then ON
If Temp < 73.0 Then ON
If pH > 08.00 Then ON
If pH < 06.00 Then ON
If Power PowerBar8 Off 001 Then ON
If Power Apex Off 001 Then ON
If Temp < 40.0 Then ON

And the email I keep getting is like this:

Alarm Statement: Set OFF

Oct 20 2012 18:16:33
Temp pH
73.7 7.27
VarSpd1_I1 is OFF Manual
VarSpd2_I2 is OFF Manual
VarSpd3_I3 is OFF Manual
VarSpd4_I4 is OFF Manual
SndAlm_I6 is OFF Manual
SndWrn_I7 is OFF Manual
Email is ON Manual
EheimFilter is ON Auto
LEDLights is ON Auto
InlineHeater is OFF Auto
NotInUse4 is OFF Manual
NotInUse5 is OFF Manual
NotInUse6 is OFF Manual
NotInUse7 is OFF Manual
NotInUse8 is OFF Manual
Feeding is OFF Auto
Power Failed: Oct 20 2012 16:14:39
Power Restored: Oct 20 2012 16:16:16
Power OK: PowerBar8 (0 Days 02:00 - 0.0 Amps)

I can't really tell which one got triggered? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

 

[aquamanic]

Try putting a brief Defer statement at the end of your email alarm and see if the problem goes away. It's possible you have some brief true conditions that are false by the time the email gets created. Put this at the end:

Defer 0:30 Then ON

 

[htjunkie]

Thank you, I just updated it, hope that will do the trick.

 

[htjunkie]

Unfortunately I still get email notifications, where else should I check?

 

[kurt_n]

I'm assuming the outlet named "email" is for your email alarms? If so, you've got it turned manually ON. So it's just on all the time. Turn it to "Auto" and it should stop.

 

[htjunkie]

Yes the email alarm outlet is called "email", I've changed it to auto. I thought it needed to be in ON position. Thank you

 

[kurt_n]

No... "manual on" means the outlet is on all the time - it ignores any programming. Same goes with "manual off" - it stays off all the time, ignoring any programming. When an outlet is set to "auto", only then does it read the programming and follow it.

This applies to physical outlets, as well as your alarm "outlets". I notice you have all your warning sound "outlets" turned to Manual OFF. If you have programming associated with those, you probably want those on "auto" also.

Not that it has anything to do with your original question, but is this a saltwater tank? Just curious because your temperature is kind of low for saltwater, and your pH is VERY low for saltwater! Or maybe the pH probe is just not calibrated yet?

PS... you can probably take that defer statement out that Alan mentioned.

 

[aquamanic]

Good catch kurt. Didn't see that but that's for sure the problem.

 

[RussM]

When the Apex processes the programming for an outlet, the last true statement sets the state of the outlet. When in Auto, the SET OFF statement is normally the only true statement, so the outlet stays on. When any of the If XXXX Then ON statements is true, the outlet would then be turned on, generating and email.

But when you have the email outlet in Manual ON, even though none of the If XXXX then ON statements were true, the Set OFF was true, and because the outlet was forced ON manually, the Apex generated alarms triggered by the Set OFF statement. In each alarm message, the Alarm Statement line tells you which program line caused the email... "Alarm Statement: Set OFF" in your case.

If you got emails repeated every 10 minutes, you might want to check and change the re-email delay setting. This setting determines how often the Apex will send another alarm email when a given alert condition persists. The default is 60 minutes. 10 minutes is probably more frequent than necessary. Most people, I think, find a setting between 30 and 60 minutes to be best.

 

[htjunkie]

Thank you so much guys, it helps a lot to understand the programming of the Apex. It's important to understand the logic and how one intracts with the others.

I have a fresh water tank setup at this point, but a saltwater tank is in the work. This Apex setup will get transferred over to the saltwater tank, thanks for the comments about the pH values being low for salt.

I read comments about adding another powerbar to 2nd tank, and have everything tie together using the USB bus cable, this way one Apex can control both tanks?

Thanks again for all your replies.

 

[htjunkie]

For the sound alerts, I had the same wrong logic so I had them set to ON and they never turned off I put them in auto now.

 

[htjunkie]

Having too much fun here, now I have a contact magnetic closure switch that I attached to the hood, if I know anyone has been temper with the tank (i.e. trying to feed the tank when I'm not around, now I know).

 

[kurt_n]

...
But when you have the email outlet in Manual ON, even though none of the If XXXX then ON statements were true, the Set OFF was true, and because the outlet was forced ON manually, the Apex generated alarms triggered by the Set OFF statement. In each alarm message, the Alarm Statement line tells you which program line caused the email... "Alarm Statement: Set OFF" in your case....

Thanks for that explanation Russ. I was wondering why the "Set OFF" was the alarm trigger.

So... from what you're saying, even if the email outlet was set to manual ON, if the "Set OFF" statement wasn't there, it wouldn't have triggered an email alarm... even in the manual ON position? Just trying to get this straight in my head for future info.

 

[RussM]

So... from what you're saying, even if the email outlet was set to manual ON, if the "Set OFF" statement wasn't there, it wouldn't have triggered an email alarm... even in the manual ON position? Just trying to get this straight in my head for future info.

Realistically, that condition should never occur... you have GOT to have a default condition to hold the email outlet off unless an If statement causes it to be on - without the Set OFF to establish that base condition, the email outlet would never turn off once it was activated (until the Apex was rebooted). But, if there is not a Set OFF or any other statement to turn the outlet OFF, once the email outlet got turned on, the Alarm Statement will still be:

Alarm Statement: Set OFF

Don't ask me why, but that's the way it is. It seems that the Apex "sees" an implicit Set OFF in there when there is no explicit Set OFF (Only for the email outlet, not any other outlets)

 

[kurt_n]

Thanks Russ. Yeah... I realize that for the email to work correctly, you *need* a Set Off statement. I was just trying to figure out the logic the Apex was seeing.