50W Heat Stik exploded

[TomTheWicked]

Last week I bought a 50W Deep Blue (brand) Heat Stick to use in my 20G mixing bucket I use for mixing water. The RO/DI water is stored in my garage, and then brought into the house for mixing. I mixed the salt mix and RO/DI water as I always do, and let it set and stir for 24 hours. Basically I followed the same procedure I always have, the only change this time was that I was using a new heater.

So, I mixed up the salt, plugged the power head and heater in (yes, in a GFCI outlet), then went to bed. I went to work as normal, but when I came home the GFCI breaker was tripped. I unplugged the main and skimmer pumps for the DT, and reset the breaker. It was good for about 2 minutes then, bam! It felt like someone had dropped a dozen books on the floor. It was a semi-loud bang and it shook the floor quite a bit. Not yet realizing what had happened, I looked around to see if something had fallen over, and after a few minutes of investigation, I noticed my new water mix was a bit cloudy, and then realized that the heater had exploded!

In hind sight, it was stupid of me to reset the GFCI, and I probably should've taken more time to investigate what caused the initial trip before resetting it. Lesson learned.

Anyone else ever had a heater explode? I'll get some pictures up tomorrow.

 

[ct103]

Had that happen to me in a tank, lost all the livestock!!!

 

[scolley]

Unfortunately significant heater malfunction is not that uncommon. Even "major" brands have had massive recalls of late.

While I'll leave it to others to recommend their favorite brand (everyone has one), a good general rule with heaters is, "When shopping for aquarium heaters, the savvy shopper grabs the most expensive one. The risk of doing otherwise is too high."

Explosion and rupture is one common problem with cheaper heaters. Getting stuck in the "on" position is another.

Sorry to hear about your problem.

 

[flyingpolarbear]

I only buy Eheim Jager after one of my heaters cracked years ago. The Jager heaters are tough. A general rule that will keep your equipment reliable - buy German, and avoid Chinese made stuff like the plague.

 

[TomTheWicked]

Good to know (sort of) that this isn't an isolated incident and happens to more than I.

Here's a few pics:

 

[usmc121581]

I only buy Eheim Jager after one of my heaters cracked years ago. The Jager heaters are tough. A general rule that will keep your equipment reliable - buy German, and avoid Chinese made stuff like the plague.

Agree, my Eheim Jager is 6 years old and still going.

 

[Dr. Reef]

Glass heaters tend to do worse when it comes to failure and breaking or exploding. Titanium rods area bit more safer for lack of words but I have seen them crack too.

 

[mightymany]

Is there typically any warning signs that your heater is going bad? My heater is 3 months old and has been making a pop/tick noise when it heats up. I have been debating on replacing it for fear of of cooking my tank.

 

[TomTheWicked]

If it's making a noise, I'd definitely replace it. No need for the unnecessary risk. Also, make sure that, just in case it does fail, it's plugged into a GFCI outlet, or some other breaker-type outlet.

Just so I'm clear, this heater was only about 10-hours old when it exploded. At any age, if a heater is displaying signs it's malfunctioning, it's best to replace it.

 

[Josh_84]

Glad to hear it was I'm your mix bucket and not your display. A friend of mine who owns a fish store, brought in some of the deep blue t5 fixtures. They got so hot you could almost fry an egg on them! I would be carefull
with this brand.

 

[anthonyjmorale]

about 10 years back i had a 20 gallon long freshwater tank setup in my bedroom. one morning the ups guy drove in the driveway and ripped the electrical service right off my house. at the same exact time the heater in my tank blew up. everything in it was dead. and the glass and plastic on the tank was scorched and pitted. i gotta say it gave me a new respect for heaters.