Reef tank power consumption

williamc · May 15, 2008

:unsure: I was wondering what the power requirements are for a 90 GL reef tank set up. I am looking for an average set up, including VHO lighting, all the pumps, skimmer, heater and so on. 
I want to make sure the existent circuit on my room can support the power needed
If you can list the equipment and the amperage, it will help.
 
Thanks

acroholic · May 15, 2008

williamc;177372 wrote: :unsure: I was wondering what the power requirements are for a 90 GL reef tank set up. I am looking for an average set up, including VHO lighting, all the pumps, skimmer, heater and so on. 
I want to make sure the existent circuit on my room can support the power needed
If you can list the equipment and the amperage, it will help.

Thanks

The amperage/wattage draw of reef equipment is all variable, and depends on your selection. One pump may draw 137 watts and 2.1 amps. another may draw 175 and 2.6. Heaters can range from 50 watts to 1500 and up. You may have 200 watts of T5 light or 800+ watts of Metal Halide light.

The easiest thing to do, outside of asking someone else to do it, is to decide on the equipment you will use, then research each piece and add up the amperage/wattage draw of each and compare it to your circuit. This information should be available at the manufactutrer's website or on many mail order sites. Allow a couple amps as a buffer and that should give you a rough idea.

I would personally split up the load between two circuits myself, especially if you go with Metal Halide lighting or a chiller. I have my lights and pumps on one circuit (which is dedicated), and my chiller and all others on another that also services some lights and outlets in the room.

I separate the two biggest electricity hogs (lights and chiller).

Also, always use GFCIs for your equipment. Everything I have runs thru GFCIs.
Dave

mojo · May 15, 2008

Each piece of equipment will vary widly in terms of power consuption and your choices - you'll need to figure out what types of equipment you'll need first. Your biggest consumers of electricity are:

- lights: 400-1000w
- return pump - 60-200w
- skimmer pump - 50-150w
- powerheads: 20-100w
- heaters: 100-300w

So, figure 630-1750, based on these figures. That's 5.25 - 14.5 amps; most residential circuits are rated to 18 amps of actual usage.

The last thing to consider is a chiller - you're looking at 1000-1500w (8.3- 12.5amps) when it runs, so figure it'd need to be on a separate circuit. However, most people get by without chillers and just use fans.

Hope that helps.

williamc · May 15, 2008

Acroholic;177483 wrote: The amperage/wattage draw of reef equipment is all variable, and depends on your selection. One pump may draw 137 watts and 2.1 amps. another may draw 175 and 2.6. Heaters can range from 50 watts to 1500 and up. You may have 200 watts of T5 light or 800+ watts of Metal Halide light.

The easiest thing to do, outside of asking someone else to do it, is to decide on the equipment you will use, then research each piece and add up the amperage/wattage draw of each and compare it to your circuit. This information should be available at the manufactutrer's website or on many mail order sites. Allow a couple amps as a buffer and that should give you a rough idea.

I would personally split up the load between two circuits myself, especially if you go with Metal Halide lighting or a chiller. I have my lights and pumps on one circuit (which is dedicated), and my chiller and all others on another that also services some lights and outlets in the room.

I separate the two biggest electricity hogs (lights and chiller).

Also, always use GFCIs for your equipment. Everything I have runs thru GFCIs.
Dave

Thanks Dave,
I am trying to determine if I need to run a separate circiut to support a 90 GL tank. I am planing ahead.

williamc · May 15, 2008

mojo;177486 wrote: Each piece of equipment will vary widly in terms of power consuption and your choices - you'll need to figure out what types of equipment you'll need first. Your biggest consumers of electricity are:

- lights: 400-1000w
- return pump - 60-200w
- skimmer pump - 50-150w
- powerheads: 20-100w
- heaters: 100-300w

So, figure 630-1750, based on these figures. That's 5.25 - 14.5 amps; most residential circuits are rated to 18 amps of actual usage.

The last thing to consider is a chiller - you're looking at 1000-1500w (8.3- 12.5amps) when it runs, so figure it'd need to be on a separate circuit. However, most people get by without chillers and just use fans.

Hope that helps.

Dave,
I was looking for the amperage with a fully loaded system. You gave me a great information.
thanks

lifestudent · May 15, 2008

Hi David!

Here's a Reef Central calculator to use for determing both wattage and electrical costs. The list of equipment will help prompt you to include all of the equipment you'll be using: http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/tank_elec_calc.php">http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/tank_elec_calc.php</a>

Also just in case you need to determine amperage; Amps=watts / volts

It's nice to see a fellow reefer from Canton on the site.

williamc · May 15, 2008

Lifestudent;177534 wrote: Hi David!

Here's a Reef Central calculator to use for determing both wattage and electrical costs. The list of equipment will help prompt you to include all of the equipment you'll be using: http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/tank_elec_calc.php">http://www.reefcentral.com/calc/tank_elec_calc.php</a>

Also just in case you need to determine amperage; Amps=watts / volts

It's nice to see a fellow reefer from Canton on the site.[/QUOTE]
thank you for the URL.
by the way my name is WilliamC

acroholic · May 15, 2008

williamc;177520 wrote: Thanks Dave,
I am trying to determine if I need to run a separate circiut to support a 90 GL tank. I am planing ahead.

You are quite welcome. I set up my 120 gallon just a couple months ago after 8 years away from reefing, and the logistics of power use alone took a couple weeks to work thru. I had to reroute a dedicated circuit, install GFCIs, add outlets, and raise the level of the outlets up and away from the wet/dry. Never like having water too close to electrical outlets.

My equipment is all on the other side of the wall in an area framed about three feet out from the foundation wall in the basement to acommodate the HVAC ductwork running to the north wing of my house. All except the chiller, which sits under the tank.
Dave

williamc · May 15, 2008

Acroholic;177610 wrote: You are quite welcome. I set up my 120 gallon just a couple months ago after 8 years away from reefing, and the logistics of power use alone took a couple weeks to work thru. I had to reroute a dedicated circuit, install GFCIs, add outlets, and raise the level of the outlets up and away from the wet/dry. Never like having water too close to electrical outlets.

My equipment is all on the other side of the wall in an area framed about three feet out from the foundation wall in the basement to acommodate the HVAC ductwork running to the north wing of my house. All except the chiller, which sits under the tank.
Dave

Very interesting setup. Do you have any pics to share?

lifestudent · May 15, 2008

williamc;177608 wrote: thank you for the URL.
by the way my name is WilliamC

:blush: I am so sorry about that! I am so bad with names. :doh: Not making excuses... just reminding myself to be more careful.

William, I am glad that you found the link useful.

williamc · May 15, 2008

Lifestudent;177631 wrote: :blush: I am so sorry about that! I am so bad with names. :doh: Not making excuses... just reminding myself to be more careful.

William, I am glad that you found the link useful.

Don't worry. :thumbs:

olds350racer · May 15, 2008

To give you an idea...
Pumps-
Sedra 3500
Quietone 3000
2x maxiJet 1200
2x Koralia 4
Rio ???
Heaters-
250 Stealth
150 Stealth
Lights-
2x175MH (magnetic ballasts)
4x110VHO (IceCap ballasts)
Misc-
Reefkeeper II

Keeping the tank @ 79-80 with ambient temp at 68-69 the highest I have seen is 6.7 amps.

williamc · May 15, 2008

Thanks everybody for your input. I think I got the power requirements.
I will move to the next question on my reaseach.
I will post a new thread

acroholic · May 15, 2008

Barbara;177670 wrote: Funny you should bring this up. I have a 90G with:

2x250W MH
4x54W T-5s
2x4 & 1/2" Radio Shack AC cooling fans
Mag 9.5 return pump
ASM g-2 with Sedra 3500 pump
1 x 250W stealth heater
1 x @60W refugium light
2 x Koralia 3 and 1 x Koralia 4 PH

All in the living room (on same circuit). The other day I plugged in my steam cleaner to clean up a mess in the LR floor and "POW"! I popped the LR breaker. Definately something to think about.

Vacuum cleaners/steam cleaners do that easily. High wattage motors. Chillers can pop breakers easily as well, I believe, because they have a large initial spike (not sure if it is amperage or wattage) when their compressors first come on.

Dave

mojo · May 15, 2008

Acroholic;177734 wrote: (not sure if it is amperage or wattage)

It's a spike in current, measured in amps. "Amperage" really isn't a word...

Power is power, and as Bob pointed out, you can convert between current and wattage by using watts = amps x voltage. Voltage will be 120v if you're on house voltage.

You can think about electricity being like water - you could either have a small stream being forced at high speed (high voltage, low current), or a large stream that delievers the same amount of water (low voltage, high current). In our case, we're limited to 120v, so it's the latter. Thus, when you get a large load on the line, the stream gets "too large" for the rated pipe, and thus the circuit breaker does it's job and shuts down the line.

In fact, this is pretty much how electricity theory goes, except things are measured in

acroholic · May 15, 2008

mojo;177737 wrote: It's a spike in current, measured in amps. "Amperage" really isn't a word...

From Merriam Webster:

amperage
Main Entry:
am·per·age http://javascript:popWin('/cgi-bin/audio.pl?ampera01.wav=amperage')">[IMG]http://www.merriam-webster.com/images/audio.gif" alt="" /></a> Pronunciation: ˈam-p(ə-)rij, -ˌpir-ij Function: [I]noun Date: 1893
[B]:[/B] the strength of a current of electricity expressed in [IMG]http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amperes">amperes</a>

Looks like a word to me. I may not have used it correctly, but it is a word. Been around for 115 years.

james s_ · May 15, 2008

Acroholic;177748 wrote: From Merriam Webster:

amperage
Main Entry:
am·per·age http://javascript%3Cb%3E%3C/b%3E:popWin%28%27/cgi-bin/audio.pl?ampera01.wav=amperage%27%29">[IMG]http://www.merriam-webster.com/images/audio.gif" alt="" /></a> Pronunciation: ˈam-p(ə-)rij, -ˌpir-ij Function: [I]noun Date: 1893
[B]:[/B] the strength of a current of electricity expressed in [IMG]http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/amperes">amperes</a>

Looks like a word to me. I may not have used it correctly, but it is a word. Been around for 115 years.[/QUOTE]

LOL I was thinking the same thing.

acroholic · May 15, 2008

46bfinga;177752 wrote: LOL I was thinking the same thing.

What, do you think you are an electrician or something?! :lol2: Oh yeah, I see you are!

Dave

mojo · May 15, 2008

I stand corrected, although I'm still not going to use "amperage"...

Not exactly authoritative, but here's a good quote by someone out there on an http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-amperage.htm">article on amperage</a>:

[QUOTE=]In the first circuits course of my electrical engineering program my instructor said

"If you are going to be a professional you must never use the terms amperage and wattage, the correct terms are current and power"[/QUOTE]

In either case, williamc, I hope that gets you what you needed (and maybe a bit more).

acroholic · May 15, 2008

I have just always thought of it like this: a circuit only has so much electricity it can flow (like your water analogy), and if you load up that circuit with more demand than there is supply (lights/pumps/heater/vacuum cleaner), then you'll have issues with breakers flipping.
Dave

Reef tank power consumption

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