PTC Review... Part 2

[Ken250]

I've had my PTC6 running on my tank for the last week.

My tank is 120g with a 10g refugium. For lighting, I have two 250W MH bulbs and four 54W T5 tubes.

The temperature control is set at 25.5 degrees celcius (77.9 F)during the day and 24.5 degrees (76.1 F) at night. Prior to using the PTC for temperature control, I was using a Propeller Breeze 4 and two 250W Stealth heaters

The ambient room temperature during winter time is around 23 degrees celcius during the day and 17 degrees celcius at night.

So, how did the PTC6 perform for temperature control?

The PTC6 performed exactly as I had hoped.

The temperature was within 0.1 degrees during the day and 0.3 degrees at night of the controller settings. The temperature was maintained at fairly constant levels during the day and night. What I really like is that the large peaks and valleys have been eliminated and the tank spends more time at the desired temperature. The "on/off" nature of just using a heater and fan resulted in the temperature overshooting the desired high and low temperatures.

I have the hysteresis of the temperature control to 0.2 degrees and PTC will operate at max power when the temperature variation is 0.5 degrees.

If I wanted to decrease the temperature variation further, I could reduce the amount when the PTC operates at max power (to 0.2 degrees etc.). This feature enables you to choose how quickly you want the PTC to ramp up - cost benefit between your electricity bill and temperature control.

I have a "Kill-a-Watt" power meter attached to the PTC... I'll let you know how much power has been consumed to achieve the temperature control in the graph above.

It's simple, relatively small in size, low maintenance... and very effective. The only challenge is ensuring you place your PTC in an optimal location (good ventillation and cool temperature) to get the most efficient performance.

 

[xenon]

SWEET!

Do you have any pics of the setup? I always wondered how people plumb these into their systems.

 

[Ken250]

I don't have a good picture, but I'll take one when I get a chance.

I have an Eheim 1048 pump in my sump after the skimmer which pumps the water through 15' of 1/2" tubing to the maintenance room behind my tank. It circulates the water through the PTC and returns it to my sump right where the return pump's intake is.

It's very easy to set up.

 

[Ken250]

The PTC6 is currently using about 2.75kWh per day. I'm paying about $0.07 per kWh (marginal cost) so it costs about $0.19 per day to run or $6 per month during the winter.

I'm interested to see what it runs in the summer.

 

[Matthias Gross]

Ken,

many thanks for this detailed review. I am happy to hear that it works as you expected.

 

[Ken250]

Here's a couple of pictures of the PTC 6...

The plumbing is straightforward. The Eheim 1048 is placed in the sump after the skimmer. It circulates water at about 300gph to the PTC6 located in the mechanical room behind the display tank, beside the refugium.

The PTC6 has 2 parts, the power module and the peltier module. The peltier module has two 1/2" hose barbs - simply attach the 1/2" tubing and return to the tank. I have the return tube outlet positioned beside the return pump in the sump.

To maximize performance of the PTC, I have a circulating fan (just outside the picture below) that turns on to increase the circulation around the PTC whenever the PTC is cooling (controlled via the digital power bar).

 

[Ken250]

I've got the temperature variation down to 0.1 degrees most days and nights... still running at 2.75kWh per day.

 

[AQD_ottawa]

wow now thats impressive

 

[TandN]

I want one so bad just wish it wasnt so expensive. How many woulld I need for a 180g tank ?

 

[AQD_ottawa]

All depends on the enviroment the unit is placed in. They work best when the PTC is placed in an ambient to cool enviroment.

 

[TandN]

ok I have that area for it but what size would I need for a 180g-200g system ?

 

[AQD_ottawa]

1 x PTC6
1 x PTC4

 

[TandN]

TY