supasi Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 What Ira means is that the Thermostat only turns the heater on when required so even though a heater maybe rated at say 100w, it will only be on part of the time so is not actually using 100w per hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumbeginner32 Posted August 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Ah ok lol Well that's good to know. Yeah my blue light on mine is rarely ever on. I just assumed if it was plugged in then it was using power. :oops: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BURN Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Fridge freezers when not closed proper or seals a stuffed. Big power usage. $100-200 a month extra on your bill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Ah ok lol Well that's good to know. Yeah my blue light on mine is rarely ever on. I just assumed if it was plugged in then it was using power. :oops: :lol: A blue light means it's been wired backwards and it's actually cooling. You need to take it to an electrician and get him to swap the wires around on the thermostat. Then the light should turn red to show it's heating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myfishybuisness Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 A blue light means it's been wired backwards and it's actually cooling. You need to take it to an electrician and get him to swap the wires around on the thermostat. Then the light should turn red to show it's heating. dont try and confuse her even more :roll: :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumbeginner32 Posted August 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 I have a Fluval heater and it says on the instructions that it has a blue light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumbeginner32 Posted August 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Fridge freezers when not closed proper or seals a stuffed. Big power usage. $100-200 a month extra on your bill. Mmm good point.. something I didn't consider.. I think the seals on our fridge/freezer are not working as well as they used to. Might have to get someone to have a look at them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrienne Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Thermostats on your heaters and timers also help to keep the power bill down. We only have oil column heaters in our house and I purchased thermostats which plug in. They are set at 15 degrees. Its not that cold up here in Auckland most of the winter but people seem to think they need heating on 24/7. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumbeginner32 Posted August 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 Only 15 degrees? We have an oil column heater but we didn't use it for a few years and I wasn't sure whether we should just start using it after it had been sitting for so long and I was going to get some compressed air to clean out all the dust that had collected.... it's just still sitting there not being used. We've been using one of those pathetic fan heaters. We just turn it on until the room warms up and then turn it off. But Abby and Sophie kept turning it on when they could just put a jumper on and I was forever turning it off. Must remind myself to buy a can of compressed air and clean the oil fin heater. Then I will make sure it's working ok and then I will get rid of the fan heater. While I'm at it.. should buy another oil fin heater, and have one in the hallway and one in the lounge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 The Fluval M series have a blue light, and not a red light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 I've said it before, and I'll say it again - insulation on tanks works wonders! After insulating my tank, now only my 50W heater runs (and not 24/7), my 300W only runs some of the time. Before insulation, my 50W was running 24/7 and my 300W was usually running overnight as well. During the recent cold snap, my tank temperature never wavered (it used to dip 2 deg over night). Small things also help. For example, I put the cushion door stop at the foot of my door to prevent outside draft. My windows are closed and blinds are down from about 5pm. I do also run my little oil fin heater on low-medium from about 6pm which keeps the room temp comfortable without running up the bill - I'm comfortable and the tank doesn't lose as much heat to the surroundings. This is how I justify running my water pump/ FX-5/ small power head/ wave maker/ air pump 24/7. As it turns out, when you save your pennies, you feel better about spending your pounds! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pufferfishnz Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 hmm fan heaters eat power! heres a place where you can go to see how much power all your appliances are using, some of it will shock you! http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/appliance-running-costs my flatmate used to constantly boil the jug, even though it has just boiled. 3cents a boil doesnt sound like much but when hes home all day and has 10+ drinks a day it was adding up over a month! check out the cost of a dehumidfier! $1.15 - $2.30 24 hours!! :evil: the only thing is it will make you look at your household appliances differently....lol.... :roll: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pufferfishnz Posted August 28, 2011 Report Share Posted August 28, 2011 also, how do you insulate a tank? might need to do it if i want to save some money when we get the tank back! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 hmm fan heaters eat power! No more than any other resistive heater of similar output. You'll get the same kind of efficiency from an oil column heater, ceramic heater, etc. 2000W of electricity in=2000W of heat out, only differences between them will be the distribution of the heat. If you want better efficiency electric heating than that you'll need a heatpump. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aquariumbeginner32 Posted August 29, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 hmm fan heaters eat power! heres a place where you can go to see how much power all your appliances are using, some of it will shock you! http://www.consumer.org.nz/reports/appliance-running-costs my flatmate used to constantly boil the jug, even though it has just boiled. 3cents a boil doesnt sound like much but when hes home all day and has 10+ drinks a day it was adding up over a month! check out the cost of a dehumidfier! $1.15 - $2.30 24 hours!! :evil: the only thing is it will make you look at your household appliances differently....lol.... :roll: Thanks for that. I will definitely have a look. :thup: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ally07 Posted August 29, 2011 Report Share Posted August 29, 2011 also, how do you insulate a tank? might need to do it if i want to save some money when we get the tank back! Just go to a hardware store (Mitre10 was the cheapest I sourced) and buy sheets of polystyrene. I'm using 30mm poly. For an extra $2 they cut it to your specs (well, well-worth the money lol). Just stick it on with clear packing tape and make sure there are no air gaps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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