Melev's new 280g Starfire tank thread - Page 30

Lunchbucket · #**726** 10/18/2007, 11:10 PM

melev - I think that we are in the same situation as your are sort of. Out outside unit is old as dirt and the condenser is supposedly breaking apart from the inside..we NEED to replace it next year. But we have a brand new condenser coil inside and all that jazz. Our electric bill was quite high during the hot months due to the inefficient fan/condenser. Guess we are sort of in the same boat. I'm just glad we have a 2 yr old furnace!! Golden in the months to come

Lunchbucket

poppin_fresh · #**727** 10/18/2007, 11:16 PM

$7600?? Ouch! I would get some more estimates. Are they going to replace all the ducts and everything?

Kinda makes me glad I live in the land of free A/C. We just have to pay for heat up here...at $2.50+ a gallon.

melev · #**728** 10/18/2007, 11:22 PM

And believe or not, that is with a $1000 rebate they offer this time of year.

They would replace the inside section, the outside section, add a concrete pad under the unit. It would include raising the platform the inside unit is on to allow more air to draw into it from below, a new door & casing installed as the old would have to be ripped out (both to get the old system out as well as the new one in), and the duct to the garage.

The price is rediculous, I agree. But it is 21 SEER! The standard for 13 SEER - I don't know if that is Texas or for the entire nation. I do like the heat pump system over my current heat strip system. Heat strips are basically like turning on an electric hair dryer to heat my home, and that is the only option currently as our neighborhood is all-electric.

Oooh, I forgot to mention one other huge perk. It not only has a thermostat, but you can also program it to remove humidity from the home, without changing the temperature. He explained how that worked, by controlling the fan speed outdoors to increase or decrease humidity inside.

And it would be the same volume as my refrigerator, noise-wise.

It is really hard to resist this purchase. Just need the funds.

Alaska_Phil · #**729** 10/18/2007, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by poppin_fresh
$7600?? Ouch! I would get some more estimates. Are they going to replace all the ducts and everything?

Kinda makes me glad I live in the land of free A/C. We just have to pay for heat up here...at $2.50+ a gallon.

You get heating oil at only $2.50/gal?! Dang, was $2.69 when I topped off this fall. I just hope my improvements this summer work. Used 1200 gal last winter, hoping it'll be under 1,000 this year. I fixed a couple major heat losses, so I'm really hopeful.

After all, the less I spend on heat the more I have for fun stuff like Aquariums and planes.

Phil

Alaska_Phil · #**730** 10/18/2007, 11:31 PM

Marc, sounds like a really nice upgrade if you can swing it. I kind of have the opposite problem. The extreme heating load tends to make indoor air really dry, in the single digits during a cold snap. Really make keeping salinity constant on a small tank tough.

Phil

gkarshens · #**731** 10/19/2007, 12:57 AM

Marc, that sounds like a good deal. I upgraded last year to a 2.5 ton 14 SEER system and it cost me $5000. We financed it through the city here. 5 years no interest.

jnarowe · #**732** 10/19/2007, 11:08 AM

I would do it Marc... That's only 253 frags sold. I think you can get a return in about 16 months!

Mine is old as dirt also and it's a Coleman. I would dance a jig if my replacement cost under $8K...

melev · #**733** 10/19/2007, 12:18 PM

I was adding up what I'd have to sell to bring in the extra funds.

I'd like to know how Gabriel got the city to carry the note. That sounds better than a credit card.

jnarowe · #**734** 10/19/2007, 12:24 PM

Gabriel is a genius.

I got the electric company and the state to cover a good portion of the lighting upgrade in my store. You have to look for these programs though.

gkarshens · #**735** 10/19/2007, 02:54 PM

It is offered by Austin Energy. You get your choice of a rebate or the no interest loan. You should check with your city and see if they offer something similar. Here they also give rebates for other ways of reducing your energy intake. I forgot to mention we had to get solar screens too to qualify.

Thanks Jonathan. My big head needed that!

Tbduval · #**736** 10/19/2007, 04:32 PM

Hey Melev,
I work for a Home Improvement copmany that does AC. That price does not sound bad at all for the system he quoted you. I will look at the price sheet when I get to work on Monday and see what they sell for. That is the Mac Daddy system Carrier sells, we sell the same unit so I should be able to find the price. Did that include the Infinity series thermostat? You live in the Dallas area, right?

jnarowe · #**737** 10/19/2007, 06:04 PM

Carrier makes good stuff, but you can still have issues. I bought all new Carrier stainless upright displays ($1k/foot) for my store and they had some minor manufacturing defects. It was just some sloppy work on the assembly line and they took care of it immediately.

melev · #**738** 10/20/2007, 12:52 AM

Yes, it was the Infinity thermostat, and I'm in Fort Worth (40 mins west of Dallas).

melev · #**739** 10/21/2007, 02:13 AM

I got my new drivers in over a week ago, but never got a chance to post any pictures.

Here are my three old drivers. They are on a dry area above the sump.

The following pictures are how I converted from the old driver to the newer one. Here's one of the older ones, with the battery backup wire connected as well.

First thing you do is move it to a dry area to avoid any accidents. It is unplugged. The wire you see connects the driver to the pump.

Remove the four black screws.

Remove the coverplate.

Carefully remove the cable from the old driver board.

Set the older driver aside. The new driver:

Plug in the cable, and route the wiring out to base of the case in its slot.

Snap the lid carefully into place.

Power it back up.

That's it. The rest is just choosing your preference for flow (Lagoon, Reef Crest, Pulse, or Normal).

I have three VorTech pumps and three drivers. Two are set as Master, and one is set to Slave. One master just runs its own pump, while the other Master & Slave work on opposing speeds, switching back and forth based upon a wireless signal being sent between them.

One of the drivers I received had to be replaced (I don't know what was wrong with it), and Tim took care of that very quickly. Other than that, they are working beautifully.

The only modification I made was to trim away a little bit of the clear label that covers the LED window. I didn't like the look of it, and using a razor blade I traced the outline and peeled it off.

I think I'm going to affix the two of them on the far end of the tank, and place a mirror on the wall so I can see them easily when glancing into the fishroom.

Hop · #**740** 10/21/2007, 09:03 AM

They are nice. I'll likely throw a set on my tank. But for the price, I think they should fly out the travelocity flying gnome and have him install the drivers

kslick · #**741** 10/21/2007, 11:11 AM

action shots

jnarowe · #**742** 10/21/2007, 12:44 PM

How warm are your drivers Marc?

melev · #**743** 10/21/2007, 02:54 PM

They are pretty cool to the touch. The originals ran a bit warm for me, but these are fine.

jnarowe · #**744** 10/21/2007, 03:01 PM

OK. Mine were a bit warm. I have to do some more testing on motor temp. today so i will take readings from the driver too.

melev · #**745** 10/21/2007, 06:53 PM

The motors aren't too hot, but then again I don't run them on high on my tank.

Btw, it sure is tough to post to this thread lately. Does this happen to any of you, or is it just doing that to me?

tinmanny · #**746** 10/21/2007, 06:59 PM

could you tell me what the name is of the putty you use to hold your corals in place I would like to try it with mine

Thanks Manny

BTW that is a nice tank

melev · #**747** 10/21/2007, 07:02 PM

I've used the putty made by Two Little Fishies for years, but recently I started using putty made by Deltec (or D&D). This new stuff is pink like coralline, and stays pliable for a while. Plus it is pretty tacky so it holds on better. I really like it, and came home from MACNA with several boxes of it.

Toddrtrex · #**748** 10/21/2007, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev
The motors aren't too hot, but then again I don't run them on high on my tank.

Btw, it sure is tough to post to this thread lately. Does this happen to any of you, or is it just doing that to me?

Not sure about posting, but I did get a few emails without a new post.

Hop · #**749** 10/21/2007, 07:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by melev

Btw, it sure is tough to post to this thread lately. Does this happen to any of you, or is it just doing that to me?

Yeah. I've about given up on RC between 8am and 10pm MST. Any other time I can surf and post w/o a problem. The other day it took about 5 minutes to post a reply

InsaneClownFish · #**750** 10/21/2007, 07:38 PM

Marc, is there a specific reason you prefer the putty for frags?

Should I be dumping the super glue in my fridge?

I noticed on the previous page you were discussing FWs- specifically Lugol's and 2 lil Fishies new product. I was wondering if there is a specific procedure you've followed for the dipping of sps frags before you head them to quarantine? Do you dip for both red bugs and FWs? Would you give us detailed specifics on your procedures, and can you give us some insight on what products you've used that work the best?

Thanks in advance