Reducing energy costs, consolidating pumps...

I have a hunch that my tank is adding a little bit more than a little bit on the electricity bill.

i'd say on a restaurant rating scale $$$. I want to get down to $. .

goals:
reduce power consumption
reduce noise!

3 house fans cooling the tank (1 pointed to lights, 1 over sump, 1 pointed at external pumps)
4 overdriven 54w->80w bulbs@12h day
little giant 3 md sc 190w (sump return)
mak 4 pump 110w (closed loop)
mag 9.5 pump ~90w (protein skimmer pump)


the plan is to reduce noise and heat
-house fans are probably the loudest
-then the little giant
-followed by the mak 4

what is on order:
-workhorse 5 ballast (2 actinics at 54w@12h-13h then 2 bulbs at 80w@8h) reduced photo period
-koralia #4 power heads 38wx2 (replace mak 4 for flow)
-probably should order some 120mm fans+power supply

what i need help with:
-use mag 9.5 as return and also tee off to protein skimmer (venturi driven); eliminate little giant and mak 4
-use mak 4 to do the above eliminating the mag 9.5 and little giant
-run an ocean runner 2500 to return and get another 2500 to power the skimmer

why i'm confused (hey just run the mak 4 idiot!):
-mak 4 may cause unwanted noise
-mak 4 is 110w vs. ~80-100w 2 pumps
-other submersible pumps will have restart issues unless i go eheim but i don't have that kind of money and the mak 4 is still there
-running mak 4 without house fan pointed at housing will contribute heat, but maybe less than the mag 9.5 + little giant (with house fans)

i think i answered my own question (plumb up the mak 4) but... what would you do?

 

Isn't the mak 4 an external pump? If so why do you need a fan blowing on it?

External pumps won't heat up your tank and blowing a fan across them won't keep them from heating up your house, it just moves the heat around.

 

Wow, that sure is alot of heat.
Not sure what your tank sits at, but I'm guessing it may be a bit high... the fan pointed at the sump I'm sure created alot of evaporative cooling.

I think your change with your lights is a great choice, and may actually help with your overall tank health.

Get rid of the house fans... If you feel your mak 4 pump really creates that much heat, mount it on a 2x4 or something with a 120mm computer fan blowing across it. It's much quieter than a house fan, and will have a much more localized air flow. (I would go with 12v or 120v ac due to cost reasons, and safety)

Not sure which protein skimmer you have, but it sounds like the mak should be able to run your return and skimmer. I'd use a tru wye fitting in this case.

Also I like your idea of going with two #4's... I think this makes it easier to clean than a closed loop, and you can move or place them wherever you'd like.

These are all my opinions, and I'm certainly not stating mine is the only way... rather what I would do personally.
I hope this helps, good luck!

 

alrite. everything is done. here's what i did:

-removed all fans in stand (1 pointing at water, 1 pointing at stand)

monitored temp and no change. (the one at water was barely hitting the water)

-removed fan on top of canopy and replace with 2 computer fans
-added another ballast (12h blue+ 8h overdriven b+ and blue special)
-added 2 koralia #4
-removed closed-loop
-removed little giant pump
-removed mag 9.5
-used mak4 to run overflow and tee'd to protein skimmer

here are the changes:
less wattage
i'm hoping to observe less heat
better skimming (minimal return flow; alot flow to skimmer)
alot better flow in tank 2400+gph vs. ~1500-1700gph
fish seem to acting more natural (clowns dancing more, saw anthias getting more comfortable, cleaner shrimp out in open [aquascaping]
for the first time saw the shrimp cleaning inside the anthias mouth and anthia not freaking out at me watching
hoping to see better coloring in corals (haven't done water change in a couple months and did a 20 gallon change)
better overall color in coral do to lights [b+/b+/bspecial/b+]

thanks guys! will update with pictures in a week or so to display changes.

 

Good deal on removing the mag9.5. Those suck up 93 watts of energy.
Also, normal driving the actinics will give a better look and save watts.

Do you have an ampmeter to test the amount of amps used before and after?

 

unfortunately i did/do not have one. i can take a shot the old-fashioned way:

**rough estimate ac/dc adapter efficiency for fans and 2 ballasts

OLD
wattage appliance qty total
84w massey 8" fan 2 168w
25w fan (canopy) 1 25w
80w overdrvn bulb 4 320w
190w little giant pump 1 190w
110w mak 4 pump 1 110w
93w mag 9.5 pump 1 93w

= 906w@12h
= 586w@12h
10872+7032=17904~17.904kwh/day
=6535kwh/year

*tank temp=80-84*
**tank loudness=LOUD

NEW
wattage appliance qty total
5w 80mm fan 1 5w
4.5w 120mm fan 1 4.5w
80w overdrvn bulb 2 160w
54w bulb 2 108w
8.5w koralia 4 p.h. 2 17w
110w mak 4 pump 1 110w

= 404.5@8h
= 244.5@4.5h
= 136.5@4.5h
3236+1100.25+614.25=4950.5~4.9505kwh/day
=1807kwh/year

*tank temp=76* (no heater) will have to adjust fans over the week
**tank loudness=just hear the pump! may switch to a velocity t4 but that will +30w but only $1.19/year and will add heat but maybe that will be okay


COST
10.82c/kwh on average price for 1-year fixed rate in houston, tx
OLD $707.09/year or $58.92/month
NEW $195.52/year or $16.29/month

SAVINGS
$511.57/year or $42.63/month

Glad I did all that. Hope my math is right, used the windows calculator and didn't double check.

-Steve

 

That's awesome!! I'm in the process of planning a remodel like yours. I'm gonna try to get rid of my Mag 7 and go external. Also try to change the way I have my chiller hooked up.

I was also thinking about hooking up my skimmer to the new return pump that will be external. How is that working for you?? I like to turn my skimmer off sometimes when I'm dosing and doing such things. Do you have a valve in there to do so??