Sobering electrical usage results :( time for a Reality check

S

SurfOnH20

New member
As you know electricity rates are not coming down anytime soon. My wife is having a fit with the electrical bills we have received over the past couple of months. And of course when I competed my new tank setup in May of this year, this is when the electrical bill went up a bit.. Being it has been hot over the summer that didn’t help either. I told my wife as soon as summer ends it will get better..Not. So I went out on a quest to determine just how much my tank is costing me to run a month. I have read many threads with regards to this subject and I just wanted to do something to make sense of it. I purchased a Kilowatt meter and the results were scary...Here is what my research determined.

Running the following equipment:

(1) 100 gal tank with 20 gal sump
(2) 250 watt Reef Optix DE bulbs
(1) Sedra 20000 Pump (2000gph) for left side spray bar (chiller) return
(1) Rio 12 Hyper Flow (630 gpm @ 4' head) for right side spray bar
(1) ASM 1 w/Sedra 3500 Pump
(1) Maxi jet pump
(1) Calcium reactor pump (small)
(1) H20 lifter
(1) JBJ 1/4 HP chiller
(2) Canopy fans



Measurements taken during the past day. Since I live near the coast the temp yesterday was around 72 degrees. I started my reading at 5:00pm. Initially with the lights not running the system ran about 5.62 amps. My chiller kicked on twice during the night and ran for 1-hour cycles at 11.62 amps at 620 watts. At 9:00 am my lights kicked on along with my canopy fans and Maxi 1200 pump (chiller not on) and it ran at 9.70 amps at about 797 watts. My chiller cycled three times between the hours of 9:00 am until 4:30 pm (lights off) at about an hour and fifteen minute per each cycle. With everything running my the electric usage peaked out at 15.75 amps @ 1356 watts. After I completed my 24 hours of monitoring I determined I used 12.50 kilowatts of electricity.

Using the following rate at .32 cents per kilowatt hour. 12.50 kilowats x .32 cents = 4.00 dollars a day x 30 = $120.00 dollars a month :eek:.

Needless to say I am not happy. After finally determining my usage I starting getting second thoughts about staying in this hobby. God only knows we put a lot more money on top of electricity for water changes, chemicals, food, corals, etc. This is a big change (literally) from my old 24gal nano. Sesh, I bet it probably cost 10 bucks a month to run that thing. Well, I don’t know about your usage, but this is where I am at with mine.

Cheers fellow RC members...

Pat
 
It's 72 and your chiller is coming on?! For two hours... at night?! You have some serious design flaws. It'd start with a fan over the sump, and questioning the CFM your canopy fans move.
 
i agree with NicloleC my tank sits at 78 with 1 6" fan running and my tank is 300 gallons with a 120 gallon sump... but i really thought out my design before i bought my setup...
 
I agree, no need for a chiller at those temps unless you have a lot of submersible pumps heating up your water. What is the water temp the chiller goes on at?

BTW- the sedra and hyperflow could likely be replaced with one 15w tunze for the same result, if you don't keep sps you can let your tank temp fluxuate 2+ degrees with no problem IMO
 
Sounds like the chiller is your culprit. There are variable opinions on the utility of chillers. I use fans and keep my tank at 80-degrees, but the temperature should depend on your inhabitants. You may want to at least tweak your temperature settings to give some more leeway to the chiller's operation (ie on less of the time).

Also consider the length of time you run your MH lighting. There is considerable breadth of opinion on how long they ought to be on, and this probably depends on inhabitants, as well. I run mine for 4-5 hr/day, depending on the season (4hr in warmer months for heat prevention), and the rest of the lighting period is with considerably weaker PC lights.

Hope this helps.
 
My chiller is set to go on at 80' and shuts off at 77.9. I designed my system to have chiller run outside the house. My (small office) room was getting to hot when the chiller kicked on when it was inside. My sedra 20000 pump is mounted external at the bottom of the sump. Then its a short ride through the wall to the chiller, then back the return. My rio is submersible in the sump. I think my fans are 38 cfm ? I have one on each side of the canopy. I have a 12 inch canopy which the lights are about 10 inches above the water. The rear of the canopy is open. I have the fans pulling air from inside the canopy and out to the sides. The lights do run hot. I hate to cut back on the hours the lights run because I have 3 sps colonies and a couple of arco frags.

But I think the pumps are adding up on heating up the water. Another thing, I have the ballast mounted on a shelf in the cabinet next to the sump. I am sure that adds a lot of heat to the sump during the day time. I hate having the ballast outside the cabinet because it looks like crap. Maybe I should post some photos and you guys can give me some ideas to cool things down. Thanks for any suggestions.
 
Can you get rid of some of the pumps, like the Rio 12 Hyper Flow and Maxi jet pump. Maybe cut back a few hours of your lights, then calculate your savings.
 
If you're running your halides during the day change that. Try lights on during off peak hours if you can. I can't understand why some people light their tanks during the day time when they're not at home or at work.
 
Do you really need two return pumps? The Sedra 20000 is already doing 200Watts! I'd say put a fan either over your sump or the top of your tank, might stop the chiller from coming on. Also, how long is your photo period?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8242295#post8242295 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by My F1sh R D34D!
Are you playing yet?
Click to expand...
not in the mood to pay, thus no playing for the meanwhile.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8243503#post8243503 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Wilafur
not in the mood to pay, thus no playing for the meanwhile.
Click to expand...

11doh.gif
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8242982#post8242982 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by SurfOnH20
My chiller is set to go on at 80' and shuts off at 77.9.

I have the ballast mounted on a shelf in the cabinet next to the sump. I am sure that adds a lot of heat to the sump during the day time.
Click to expand...

Dude this two things alone are killing you, first off why not have the chiller turn off at 79 instead of 77. Since its set that low your chiller is running alot more then needed. I have a similar set up and run a 1/10 chiller and it only runs for 45m x 4.

Now the ballast are also your culprits if they are magnetic. They put out alot of heat and will heat up your sump. If you dont want them to be out in the open get a same cabinet for them and keep them in there.
 
Three things I am going to do. I am going to run one main pump and just plumb the return lines together. 2nd, I will change the setting on my chiller and 3rd, ill see if I can get a small fan to move some air around the sump. I'll let you know how it works...

Question. When I use the sedra return pump, the return on the left side is weak compared to the rio hp 12 on the right. Is a bigger external pump needed or should I not worry about it and get some tunzes for the display ?

Thanks !
 
i really think it is your return pump, way to big for the return (2000 gph). It is probably bumping up your heat in the tank. I ran an Iwaki 70 (1500gph) on my 110 gallons for my return and it brought my temp to 83 degrees all the time, even with 2 fans running over the water. i switched to a quiet one and added 2 seio's and i had to put my fans on a controller because it got below 76 degrees. also a smaller pump means less bubbles coming to the main tank and less energy consumption, with the chiller and all. i would try that if you dont mind the seios in your display tank.
 
Ever thought of getting rid of the wife instead of the equipment?:lol:


I thought about it once in while when my wife complains.


Seriously, there isn't much any of us can do about this hobby but to bite the bullet.;)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8245069#post8245069 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by tetra
Ever thought of getting rid of the wife instead of the equipment?:lol:


I thought about it once in while when my wife complains.


Seriously, there isn't much any of us can do about this hobby but to bite the bullet.;)
Click to expand...

:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

You better hope your wife doesnt read your RC posts!!!
 
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