question about reefkeeper lite

[Trevor]

so i had gotten a rkl last week and finally got around to fully setting it up and what i've discovered is i have my MH light plugged into channel/outlet 1 and i have it set to come on at 10am and go off at 9pm but what keeps happening is about every hour the light goes out for 15 minutes then goes back on for some reason? anyone have this happen to them and know what the problem is?

 

[Pat02026]

What setting are you using, the MH light option? Whats the size (watts) of the fixture? 1&4 are the two high current ports too......

 

[Trevor]

i am using the MH setting so it doesnt turn right back on and its a 150w fixture i believe, atleast thats what wattage my light is

 

[Trevor]

should i move it to #4 outlet and see if it continues doing the same?
its strange because it goes off, waits 15 minutes then comes right back on.. i dont understand

 

[Pat02026]

The 15 min hold is MH protection. 150w isn't much load either, I am running a 250w with no problems on mine. I am on #4 but 1 is the same. Try switching outlets to see if it works properly. Theres no chance your getting a power interruption on that wall receptacle the RKL is plugged into are you? Is it an electronic or magnetic ballast? ( shouldn't matter either way, just curious)

 

[Trevor]

umm i dont believe there is any interruption since everything else still works fine and i dont hear anything quickly turn off and on, also im not sure how to check the ballast to find out..

 

[Trevor]

here is the low down of what i have plugged into the pc4
#1- 150w mh
#2- 5000Lph powerhead
#3- fans
#4- powerstrip with 2 heaters plugged into the powerstrip

not sure if this will help any but i figured i'd let everyone know, incase i can switch some things around

 

[Trevor]

also what is this "standby" feature when i go into output>channel 1 at the bottom? i have it set to no

 

[Pat02026]

Standby would be for a pump, during feeding you put the unit into standby and it shuts down whatever is set to Stdby>yes

no matter on the ballast. I would try moving to a different outlet, and or changing your settings to just "light" to see if it makes a difference. Was this a used or new unit?

 

[Trevor]

it was used bought from a fellow reefer here on brs, with the light option if i change it im worried if it goes out it will immediately kick back on with no cool off time causing problems..

 

[Pat02026]

Set it to off for a few min before you let it go back into auto mode. The reason behind it is the bulb wont fire up again if its still hot. Most Ballasts now especially if its electronic, has this protection already built in. I am leaning towards a bad socket or a glitch in the head unit. This fixture was obviously working properly prior to using it with the RKL?

 

[Trevor]

yes i've had the light for quite some time and never had this happen, its definitely the rkl..
here is the settings that i have that i believe is all set correctly for the light
Mode>auto
Funtion>light>type>MH
Start>10am
End>9pm
Standby>off/no


Also here is my heater settings, has nothing to do with my current problem but does this sound right also?
Mode>auto
Function>Controller
Device>itemp
Setpoint>77.5
Hysteresis>00.5
on when>below

hell i'll throw my fan setting in here also to

Mode>auto
Function>controller
Device>itemp
Setpoint>78.5
Hysteresis>00.3
on when>above

does all those sound correct to everyone/you pat?

 

[Pat02026]

Yes all looks good. Switch the light to the #4 outlet with the same settings and see how it is tomorrow. This should narrow down a problem in the pc4 or the head unit. Or you could start by using a different device setting (light instead of halide) to see if it changes; I doubt that will make a difference though. I am leaning toward a fault in the pc4 like a bad outlet.

For the heck of it log onto digital aquatics forum and see if there's any similar problems posted there. It's actually a pretty large community there.

 

[P-Nut]

If the light works, why not use a $5 timer?

 

[Pat02026]

Cause he has a $100 reef keeper lol. In all seriousness these things are pretty bulletproof; just curious if maybe there was a heavy current draw on that particular outlet from the previous owner and it is just tired and can't handle the halide.

 

[Trevor]

i just switched the light and changed settings from #1 to #4 so we will see how it goes tommorow, i think the heaters will be fine on outlet #1 even if it does flicker every once in awhile right? does everyone agree?

p-nut, i didnt have a timer that took a 3 prong plug and i got the rkl so i figured why not just use it instead?

 

[Trevor]

well pat the previous owner did have a problem with #2 outlet and he thought it didnt work anymore, but i plugged my ph into it and it works fine AS LONG as its not plugged in all the way,, it needs to be like a 1/4 inch out of the outlet or it does stop working if its all the way in....