Me Again! Algae/plant Question.

[SuperColey1]

Ignore the ebay bit at the bottom. I bought that solenoid and needle valve from their 'german' written auctions as the euro rate made it cheaper.

I often search worldwide because of Sterling prices. Can often get something cheaper on ebay.australia or US than the UK.

AC

 

[Jaymz]

Excellent, they replied to my message about shipping costs, should be getting them ordered today or tomorrow.

 

[Jaymz]

Just ordered the solenoid and needle valve, will the solenoid work with just an adapter or do I need any kind of step-down transformer for it? Its only a two-pin plug but my shaver's the same and works with just an adapter.

Cheers.

 

[SuperColey1]

Just ordered the solenoid and needle valve, will the solenoid work with just an adapter or do I need any kind of step-down transformer for it? Its only a two-pin plug but my shaver's the same and works with just an adapter.

Cheers.

First point - Shaver Plugs are for shavers. Never use them as an adaptor as they are normally 1AMP!!!

With the solenoid just cut the plug off and wire it into a standard UK plug with a 13A fuse in it. As in wire brown to fuse (right), blue to neutral (left) and yellow/green to earth (top)

AC

 

[aaronnorth]

First point - Shaver Plugs are for shavers. Never use them as an adaptor as they are normally 1AMP

What bad effects does that bring? I use a shaver adapter and i know a few others do.
(Electrics are not my strong point lol)

With the solenoid just cut the plug off and wire it into a standard UK plug with a 13A fuse in it. As in wire brown to fuse (right), blue to neutral (left) and yellow/green to earth (top)

But that will void the warranty, you could buy one of these: http/www.euronetwork.co.uk/acatalog/Euro_to_UK.html

 

[SuperColey1]

Shaver adaptors are made for the specific sort of machine they are to control. namely a very low voltage item. I bought one once. It does work BUT it has a 1A fuse and therefore is much more likely to blow if an item requiring more than 1A is used on it. Therefore not a great idea.

My Tetratec, external HDD, Satellite box, and Solenoid all used to have euro 2 pin plugs on them and now have 3 pin plugs on them instead.

There may be other reasons but they do clearly state for electric shaver use only on their instructions!!! This must be for some other reason than the fuse as the fuse can be changed!!!


I wouldn't be too bothered about a warranty for an item bought from abroad etc. the faff with sending it back etc would be more costly than buying another one etc.

If you want to use warranties then don't buy from abroad. Waranties usually involve a reasonable amount of small print about you returning the item to be assessed and after that it being refunded if the warranty is valid for the problem. In these cases you no longer have the item and the people who 'investigated' the problem say it was from misuse. You no longer have the item and you paid for it to be returned etc. If it goes wrong buy a british one or buy another foreign one.

I haven't had any problems I'm glad to say apart from the Tetratec which after 1 e-mail ended up with them sending me some replacement O rings and attachments for free with no need to send anything anywhere.

Ac

 

[Jaymz]

But that will void the warranty, you could buy one of these: <a href="http/www.euronetwork.co.uk/acatalog/Euro_to_UK.html" target="_blank">http/www.euronetwork.co.uk/acatalog/Euro_to_UK.html</a>

Know any local shops that sell them shall we say 'In Real Life'? I just noticed you're in Worksop which is down the road lol, so if you know anywhere I'd love to hear.

EDIT @ SuperColey - Does fitting the three-pin plug let you fit a 13AMP fuse rather than the 1A that shaver adapters come with? Also, found this - http/www.aquaessentials.co.uk/index.php?...roducts_id=1374 - adapter with a 13A plug, would that do the job properly?

Many thanks.

 

[aaronnorth]

lol, quite a few people around bassetlaw area, i am not sure on certain shops but i would imagine hardware/ DIY shops like focus, wilkinsons and B&Q, possibly wickes will. That link i gave above deliver within in a couple of days, although it may take a bit longer due to christmas

 

[Jaymz]

lol, quite a few people around bassetlaw area, i am not sure on certain shops but i would imagine hardware/ DIY shops like focus, wilkinsons and B&Q, possibly wickes will. That link i gave above deliver within in a couple of days, although it may take a bit longer due to christmas

Indeed, I just ordered the shizzle I need for this from Germany, praying it gets here before Christmas. I'll have a look around for those adaptors, If I can't find one I'll get it from AqEss.

 

[SuperColey1]

Yes thats what you are supposed to use and not shaver adaptors. They are readily available in most supermarkets and electrical retailers. My first stop for anything is always Wilkos Should be around the £3 mark.

Ac

 

[Jaymz]

Okay the Solenoid and Needle valve arrived, I'm going to get the rest ASAP and then I'll no doubt need some advice about setting it up and timing the lights/solenoid for the best results.

Merry Christmas by the way!

 

[Jaymz]

Ok I've got all I need beside the timer switch, new ferts and adaptor (they're on the way), so could I ask about the set-up now? I assume the black wheel on the top of the regulator is the pressure control dial, and that the left dial is pressure remaining in the bottle, and the right the pressure going out yeah? So, what kind of pressure do I want being let out of the regulator and into the needle?

Also how do I figure the bps on a spiral counter? I have the spiro 300 diffusor which acts as a bubble counter, so I assume I count bubbles past one point per second or something? Just a bit weird what with it being a spiral not straight-through.

When I set it all up I'll need some advice about the length of time for lights and co2, if you'd be so kind.

Thanks for your patience lol.

 

[aaronnorth]

PSI should be around 50-60, bar should be around 1.5-2

Count the bubbles created from a particular point, e.g when they first enter the spiral.

lights have on 8-10hrs, straight photoperiod. CO2 set to come on 2hr before lights on, and go off 2hrs before lights off.

 

[Jaymz]

So 1.5-2 going into the needle valve yeah? Then adjust that to make X amount of bubbles per minute? (Do you have any recommendations for bps or do I just adjust it to make the CO2 a certain level in the tank?)

Also how long do you reckon a bottle will last at the times you've said? It's a 390gram bottle.

 

[aaronnorth]

The numbers i gave above should be pres set so you probably ont have to change anything, just the needle valve to change the amount of bubbles.

Start off at 3BPS, then adjust as necassary, the drop checker takes a couple of hours to change so dont bump it up if you are impatient!

that size bottle wont last very long, get a spare one then you wont be caught out without any CO2.