+ Reply to Thread
Results 1 to 3 of 3

Thread: Heat when 3D scrubbing

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    286

    Heat when 3D scrubbing

    I let my scrubber (DIY SM100 style, but with 6 T5HO lights instead of 4) go for an extra few days between cleanings to see if I could get the "3D" scrubbing working. As the algae grew around the drains, the water level rose as excpected, but so did the tank temp. I normally run 78-79 degrees, but got an alert from my Apex yesterday at 6:00 AM saying my temp was 82 degrees. The algae had restricted flow, and the water level in the scrubber box was around 5-6 inches deep. It seems that the increased time the water spends in the box, and/or the less exposure to the air in thin sheet flow, caused the water to absorb much more heat from the scrubber lights (about 150 watts total). I cleaned the screen and the box last night. The water level returned to the normal 1.5 inches in the box, and the temperature dropped back down to 79 degrees. During this time the room was a constant 74 degrees. The only heat inputs at night are the main pump (Mag 12) and the scrubber lights.

    I don't know if anyone else has seen this issue, but it looks like I won't be doing "3D" scrubbing unless I hook up a chiller.

  2. #2
    Administrator
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    Salt Lake City, Utah, USA
    Posts
    10,566

    Re: Heat when 3D scrubbing

    You are doing it wrong. You should only have a half inch or so at the bottom normally. The fact that you have 1.5 means your drains are too small, and are filling up faster that the growth. Water should not rise without growth; it's the growth that goes up the wall, not water.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Oct 2010
    Location
    USA
    Posts
    286

    Re: Heat when 3D scrubbing

    I have two 3/4" drains. I actually restricted one of them to get 1.25-1.5" in the box because when I have less than 1", the drains slurp air and put a lot of bubbles into the sump.

+ Reply to Thread

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts