Backyard Aquaponics
A place to discuss aquaponics

Shite, really ?? I haven't used mine yet, but bought it off eBay a couple of months ago. Bugger.

First time I've heard of one with water getting into the windings CD... but I've had one, and another clients one... where the capacitor has blown... easy cheap $20 fix...

Will just have to see how I go, I guess. yep, saw the info elsewhere on the forum about changing the capacitor and have bookmarked that thread just in case.

Hi Guys,

Just talked to the site electrician about the circuit tripping and he thinks that it might be the pump.

After explaining that i can run everything except the pond pump and that it does not fault straight away he wants to check the load that i am pulling though that circuit. He has some spiffy "clamp" thingy that he can use to see the draw of the pump.
He also asked if the pond pump is blocked or something. I know that it still pumps water, and it does not have that black sponge in it but i will pull it out and check it anyway.

CH

oh and another quick point, i am loosing about 1/2 inch of water every couple of days to evap up here.

Might have to set up a cover for the tank, its under full shade but i am still loosing a bit of water to evap. (Also I have checked the system for leaks.)

½ inch every caouple of days due to evaporation is pretty believable up there.

While the temperature is part of it, hot wind will increase evaporation dramatically. So, your shade will help, but ot really reduce it, you need a lid.

I just use 90% shade cloth tied onto a circle made from 20mm electrical conduit filled with sand (to stop it blowing off).

Hi

Well hot winds we have up here!

I will give that a go and see what happens.

It's probably the PondMax 3000... rated at 60w....

Spiffy clamp thingy AHH thats what us sparkies like to hear ,, make the client think we are genius's .
Usually referred to as a Tong meter ,, just measures the magnetic fiels around the wire and converts to Amps.
60 W pump should be a quarter of an Amp.
YEP check the pump for strings around shaft etc etc , much cheaper than a sparky

Hi Guys and Girls,

ok, i have checked the pump and it was fine, no gunk or strings etc.

Also i have done the water tests.
Ammonia : 0
PH : 8.8 (yes that is correct i did it twice)
Nitrite : 0
Nitrate : 0
Water color : Dark Green, with tadpols, big ones!!

I put 500ml of Humonia in before i left, but i guess that is all gone.
Anyway the electrican dude is comeing over after work, hopefully, today and we can test the draw of the circuit in question.

So now i wait, until i can get this dam power thing sorted out there is no reason going any further.

**edit**
PH : 7.6 for straight tap water. (just did the test)

Hi Everyone,

I was a bit board today so i was playing around with the electrics on my system.
I still have not got the electrician around with his "spiffy clamp thing" to find the max draw on the house circuit and i was sick of waiting. So i started to play around. I started with the basics on the circuit and then started to add things.

Here is what i need to run of the one circuit ( not the one point, there are several i am using)

Cavavan (man cave or Shed.)
Aircon,
Light (60w)

Pool
Pool Pump

AP System
Air Pump
Water Pump

It seems the circuit can handel the load that is needed. as I currently have everything running. I am not really sure what is going on.

So i decided to ramp it up slowly and see what make it trip.
I have had the AC, and pool pump running for most of the week just gone and that seemed ok.
I then added the Air Pump for the AP system on Friday and then the AP pump today, but running fulltime in a bucket of water.

All that has been running for the whole day and has not cut out. I have even been using the Man Cave light off and on.
The only differance is that i have put a better 4way power board, one of the orange ones with a safety switch. So as it had been running ok all day i thought i would throw on the timer and see how it goes.

Man that water is GREEN

There is nothing as frustrating as an intermittent electrical problem. Perhaps if you set up the system with a light load of fish so they will survive 12hrs or so without a pump you could go ahead and get started, even with the possible fault. Sometimes the best backup system is lots of volume...

Dammm

I got up this morning to a tripped circuit. Damm, Dam, Dam

I have reverted back to the pump running continously, i will leave it overnight and see what happens.

For a 60W pump to be the sole culprit for tripping out the circuit breaker, it seems pretty unlikely... it is more likely the combined load of the whole circuit... there is usually a number on the circuit breaker indicating the current rating of the circuit including the curve rating... C or D curve... take a photo of the breaker and I think Chappo can identify the current rating from the photo...

Also out of the list, the aircon and possibly the pool pump are high current equipment and depending on the size of the air-con, it might need it's own breaker/circuit... when the aircon compressor starts, there is usually a high current inrush... sometimes depending on the existing load of the circuit, the compressor startup can trip the circuit...

The curve also plays a part... generally for the equipment you are running, a C curve should be enough...

Alternatively run a "temporary" long extension cord to power the AP system from another circuit and see if the problems goes to the other circuit instead...

Hi Guys,

thanks for the info, we have big-ish storm here at the moment so i cant get a photo of the breaker.
Also the whole lot has been running nonstop all day, but it might be that aircon. not really sure.

I realy dont have another place that i could run the aircon lead to, the only other place is the circuit with the server and backup drives on. I dont really dont want it on that one, the other has the Plasma, stereo and media center and the last is the kitchen.

I am still waiting on the electrican dude to come over to tell me the draw on the line. oh well.
I think i better get a better UPS if i am going to put anything on the same circuit as the server, the current one does not shut down the server. but to be honest i have better things to do with $500+ (i havent checked specs or prices lately so dont burn me at the stake if iam wrong)

CH