DA Reefkeeper Question

Hello everyone,

I am considering getting a Reefkeeper controller to run on my system. I do have a question though...does the Reefkeeper unit act as a power surge device? If not, can you plug the all your bells and whistles into the Reefkeeper and then plug the Reefkeeper into a power surge device and then plug the surge device into the outlet?

Thanks in advance,

Robert

 

If the RK doesn't do it, you can definitely plug the RK into a surge protector. At that point, everything on the RK's strip will be protected.

 

So how many people actually plug all their tank stuff into a power surge device?

 

I use APC Battery Backups. I have 3 of them. Better than surge protectors. Powet surges can damage lighting & pumps. With a UPS the power is always stable.

 

+1 on that. For now I have my return pump on a Cyberpower UPS battery backup. If the power goes out, I don't lose the flow thru my sump and don't have to worry about overflowing my sump for at least 45 minutes. Once I have the money, I'll be getting another one for the rest of my equipment. Currently, the rest of my equipment is on a surge protector.

 

as said above i also run a UPS for the same reasons, as TONY the TIGER says "THERE GREAT"

 

All appliances contain surge protection. Anything that might work on its power cord is typically done better and already exists inside the appliance.

Your concern is a rare surge (an event that may occur once every seven years) that can overwhelm appliance protection.

Destructive surges seek earth ground. Either earth that energy before it enters the building (a solution that costs about $1 per protected appliance). Or energy is inside hunting for earth destructively via appliances. Nothing inside can stop or absorb that energy. Nothing.

The hunt will seek appliances that make a better connection to earth. For example, what does the tank sit on? During surges, even wood can become an electrical conductor. Anything can conduct a static electric discharge from your finger will conduct surges.

Surge protection for over 100 years has always been about where energy dissipates. If energy is inside the building, it will select and damage anything that makes a better ground connection. Surges through a tank also tend to be more harmful to creatures attached to the side; not floating independently.

'Whole house' protectors are provided by more responsible companies such as General Electric, Square D, Leviton, Intermatic, and Siemens. A Cutler-Hammer solution sells in Lowes and Home Depot for less than $50.

What makes any protector effective is its connection to single point earth ground. Nothing plug-in has that always required earthing connection. As stated up top, protection is always about where energy dissipates. Either that energy is earthed before entering a building. Or that energy is inside hunting for earth destructively via appliances.

If using a power strip protector, well, even the manufacture does not claim effective protection. View its numeric specs. No protection listed.

If surges are harmlessly earthed outside (one 'whole house' protector), then protection inside every appliance (including dishwasher, digital clocks, the furnace, etc) is not overwhelmed - no damage. If you need protection, you need it for everything.

And finally, sometimes a plug-in protector can compromise protection in nearby appliances - both those plugged into it and others that share the same wall receptacle.

Your concern is a rare surge that seeks earth - either harmlessly outside the building for much less money. Or inside hunting for earth while completely ignoring any plug-in protector. Protection is always about how a protector connects short (ie 'less than ten feet') to earth. A protector is only as effective as its earth ground. Therefore more responsible companies sell protectors with a dedicated wire to connect short to earth.

 

HUH???? First reef controllers are NOT appliances. You are right, MOST appliances do have some sort of protection. But if you think for a second I'm plugging in my high-end theater system, computers, alarm system, home automation system, etc directly into the outlet, you are out of your mind!

I have been in the computer industry for 25 years. I have had the same customer replace one of their computers in their office 6 times a year due to lightning for 3 years. When I took over the account, I installed APC Smart-UPS where they were needed & APC Pro Surge Protectors where they were needed.. 8 years later, still not one problem. This list goes on & on.. UPS's are designed to keep power from dropping to prevent under or over powering, stop surges from appliances in your house when they turn on or from the outside your home. Good UPS's by design if they take a hit bad enough & can not absorb the hit, should self destruct to protect the equipment they are protecting. As I said, should. Things do fail, but not very common. Unless of course you are using a cheap UPS.

 

I have to 2nd this as I too have been in the computer industry for 20+ years myself. Battery back ups will protect from the most common electrical problems, namely over and under voltage. I had a lightning strike just 2 months ago. It didn't hit my house, but very close by. The closest power transformer couldn't handle it and burned out. Well, the resulting over-voltage on the line (over 140 volts) caused me to lose my 2nd wifi router which was just plugged into the wall since I ran out of outlets on my CyberPower UPS. Same outlet that the UPS was plugged into. I leave the 2nd router with zero security on hit so it acts as a honeypot (google that if you don't know what it is). The 2nd router (identical to the 1st router that is plugged into the UPS) was fried from the over voltage situation. Everything else was protected by the UPS switching over to battery power because of it's AVR function. I would never, repeat never, plug anything I can't afford to replace into a wall outlet but use the UPS's AVR functionality instead. Currently I need another one (saving up for it right now) for the rest of my tank equipment, and as soon as I can afford it, I'll purchase it. I like to use true sine wave UPSs when I can (especially on my home theater set up) so they are much more costly than the cheapy ones that the majority of people buy. My house is properly grounded and should protect from a lightning strike, but just plugging directly into an outlet leaves you no protection from killer voltage fluctuations.

 

Not I, nor my RKE...