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Re: [APD] hydrogen sulfide - thanks
Thanks for your message. Actually there are two resistors connected in
parallel. They are placed outside the tank, so everything is dry. This
heaters looks like an aluminum rod. In fact, they are used in electric
devices such as irons, ovens, washing machines, etc. The connector is a
constantan rod which gets out strait from the center of the aluminum jacket.
Albeit standard, these resistors are prepared by order in different shapes,
but have a maximum length available (that?s why I used two of them). I place
the aluminum plate for temperature and weight distribution over the
resistors, since the tank is placed over.
Using resistors outside de tank is a fairly inefficient method, but much
safer and easier to operate. I am using 60Vca for avoiding electrical
shocks.
Others prototypes I made use a silicon jacket cable placed inside the tank
below the gravel, with a special resistor cable used for heating valves and
pipes in the petrol industry. It is commercialized rated in watt per meter,
currently 20w/m, 30w/m, or 40w/m. Basically, there cable core is a copper
pair which carries the main power. This pair has notches from time to time
on the insulation, alternating form one cable and then the other. A fine
constantan wire is warped over the mentioned pair, and everything is
protected with a silicon jacket. The constantan wire get in contact with the
main pair over the insulation notches, so this generates small resistors in
parallel, thus the X w/m cable.
This jacket show to fail over the time (5 years), due to ingress of moisture
that corrodes the fine constantan wire, coming from invisible leakages. I
placed the end of the cable outside the tank, and then I made the splicing
with a regular cable up to the transformer. For 100G tank I used 24 feet of
this cable. The problem was insulation of the wet end placed inside the
water. I prepared a sturdy splice, made of sillicon rubber and jackets. This
one doesn?t fail. In fact, these portion was OK when I turn the system off,
the failure was placed closer to the center mark.
The bad experience with the buried cable derive me to try with the dry
alternative that I explain before, but perhaps there are other materials as
you mentioned, that could be used for jackets in order to leave the cable
underwater with no impairments. But I didn´t know about them when I made the
last prototype. The other problem is that the cable could be pulled out of
the gravel in case of unplanting, due to roots wrapped over it. This
happened to me many times.
Mariano
>From: "S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>
>Reply-To: aquatic plants digest <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
>To: aquatic plants digest <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
>Subject: Re: [APD] hydrogen sulfide - thanks
>Date: Mon, 5 Sep 2005 10:43:47 -0700 (PDT)
>
>You have my curiousity sparked.
>
>So this is running AC at 60 volts? Why all the resistors?
>To reduce the voltage across the across the substart cable
>termina, I suppose. Why not let the substrate cable be the
>only significant resistance. Those external resistors are
>converting electrical energy to heat and then dumping it
>outside the tank. Is the substrate cable copper or
>nichromium?
>
>What is the voltage across the substrate cable termina?
>
>What kind of jacket is on the wire? Kapton? Teflon? Vinyl?
>How did you seal the connections between the power lead and
>the substrate cable?
>
>sh
>
>
>
>--- "Mariano F. Bonfante" <mariano_bonfante at hotmail_com>
>wrote:
>
> > Local outlets has 220V 50Hz, so I am using a 60Vca
> > (typical en CATV
> > industry), galvanic insulation transformer for feeding
> > the resistors. There
> > is also a dimmer circuit, to allow two phases: day and
> > night. Daytime
> > permits the substrate to be 1ºC above the water, nigh
> > phase just a bias
> > voltage.
> >
> > Resistors are outside the tank, with the following
> > configuration: a granite
> > plate over the tank stand, a Styrofoam plate (1/2 inch),
> > the resistors, an
> > aluminum plate (1 mm), and above the tank. Resistors are
> > solid rod type
> > (industrial standard), arranged in zigzag. Everything is
> > grounded for
> > safety issues.
> >
> > This system has been working for 2 years, it is very easy
> > to check if it is
> > working properly.
> >
> > Cables buried into the substrate trend to fail in the
> > long term at least in
> > my experience. Moisture finds it way to get inside the
> > jacket, and corrosion
> > did the rest. Other side effect was that long roots wrap
> > around the cables,
> > therefore they were pulled out the substrate when a plant
> > was removed
> >
> > I spent some time with these systems, but it is fun and I
> > like it.
> >
> >
> > Mariano
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > >From: "S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>
> > >Reply-To: aquatic plants digest
> > <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
> > >To: aquatic plants digest <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
> > >Subject: Re: [APD] hydrogen sulfide - thanks
> > >Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 10:10:55 -0700 (PDT)
> > >
> > >Sure thing. I spent a tidy some for parts for CO2 mixers
> > >(a.k.a. reactors). Didn't have any use for them all.
> > Just
> > >playing around with parts.
> > >
> > >Is the heater AC or DC?
> > >
> > >sh
> > >
> > >--- "Mariano F. Bonfante" <mariano_bonfante at hotmail_com>
> > >wrote:
> > >
> > > > For sure, but pls consider that I have never bought a
> > > > commercial heating
> > > > system. I have made my own prototypes with standard
> > > > electrical stuff. Don?t
> > > > get me wrong, is a side of the hobby for me.
> > > >
> > > > MFB
> > > >
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > >From: "S. Hieber" <shieber at yahoo_com>
> > > > >Reply-To: aquatic plants digest
> > > > <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
> > > > >To: aquatic plants digest
> > <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
> > > > >Subject: Re: [APD] hydrogen sulfide - thanks
> > > > >Date: Thu, 1 Sep 2005 07:30:54 -0700 (PDT)
> > > > >
> > > > >Worth noting! That sound off in the distance could
> > be
> > > > >someone shouting, "Told ya so."
> > > > >
> > > > >Occassionally poking the substrate is a much less
> > > > expensive
> > > > >way to accomplish the same result.
> > > > >
> > > > >Scott H.
> > > > >
> > > > >--- "Mariano F. Bonfante"
> > <mariano_bonfante at hotmail_com>
> > > > >wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > > > I have been using different types of substrate
> > > > heaters
> > > > > > since a long time,
> > > > > > when I first read about them. Although this
> > subject
> > > > > > became controversial
> > > > > > years after, I have experienced when the system
> > is
> > > > > > working properly, that
> > > > > > chances of getting anaerobic spots is rather
> > scarce.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > Mariano
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > >From: Stuart Halliday
> > <stuart at stuarthalliday_com>
> > > > > > >Reply-To: stuart at stuarthalliday_com,
> > aquatic
> > > > > > plants digest
> > > > > > ><aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
> > > > > > >To: aquatic plants digest
> > > > <aquatic-plants at actwin_com>
> > > > > > >Subject: Re: [APD] hydrogen sulfide - thanks
> > > > > > >Date: Thu, 01 Sep 2005 10:19:10 +0100
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >Mark Gilmore wrote:
> > > > > > > > Stuart - thanks for the tips of my hydrogen
> > > > sulfide
> > > > > > disaster. The trick
> > > > > > > > now will be catching fish in the densely
> > planted
> > > > tank
> > > > > > before I start
> > > > > > > > stirring up the substrate.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >Good point.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >How about this idea. Put in an aerator on high
> > for
> > > > an
> > > > > > hour or two so
> > > > > > >you've got lots of oxygen in the water and then
> > poke
> > > > say
> > > > > > 10% of the
> > > > > > >substrate. Then leave it for an hour before
> > poking
> > > > the
> > > > > > next area.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >This way any nasty gases can't dissolve into the
> > > > water
> > > > > > as it's already
> > > > > > >saturated with oxygen?
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > >--
> > > > > > >Stuart Halliday
> > > > > > >_______________________________________________
> > > > > > >Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> > > > > > >Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
> > > > > >
> > > >
> > >http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > > > Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> > > > > > Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
> > > > > >
> > http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants
> > > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >_______________________________________________
> > > > >Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> > > > >Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
> > > >
> > >http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > _______________________________________________
> > > > Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> > > > Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
> > > > http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants
> > > >
> > >
> > >_______________________________________________
> > >Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> > >Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
> > >http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Aquatic-Plants mailing list
> > Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
> > http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo/aquatic-plants
> >
>
>
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>
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>
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