Another Heater Question

[zKRYt]

Hi all,

Back to another heater question. I don't know if anyone has been, or is in, the same situation I am in. My tank is against the wall that goes against my garage. The wall itself is insulated, however the garage gets very cold in the winter. I put my tank on this wall so I can plumb through and have my RODI water and mixing station hard plumbed right to the tank and not be a long run. Within a few months to within the year (after winter) my wife and I plan on redoing the garage and re-insulate to make it more comfortable for us and our vehicles (and for me to help the tank ) which should help in freezing conditions. In the meantime for those that live in freezing climates, what wattage heater have you used to keep your water warm in sub-optimal conditions.

I currently have two of these. The are 25g water containers. They are not currently connected but I'll have the system plumbed by next weekend. The weather has been cooperative so far but want to make sure these tanks don't freeze or destabilize my tanks because the water is too cold.

any recommendations on heaters?

I figured I'd suspend the heaters in the middle of the tank so there is no risk of melting the containers, but I am unsure of what wattage will be sufficient to make sure the water temp stays consistent with tank temperatures.

Appreciate any recommendations!

Zach

 

[OldReefGuy]

I would get as high wattage as you can. I think its 450w
Its better two have 2 300w heaters versus 4 150w heaters.
In the case of heaters, go with more than you need

 

[scooter31707]

A 100 or 150 watt in each will be plenty fine.

 

[ReefsandGeeks]

You should be fine with a 150 watt heater in each. It depends on just how warm you want to keep the water, ad how well your storage containers are insulated. If you don't do large water changes, you can get away with the water not being the same temperature as the display. To save some money on your electric bill, it's cheap to wrap your tanks with some bubble wrap to help insulate them, or you can cover them with some old towels or something to help some. The better insulated the tank, the smaller wattage you'd need, and the less electricity you'll be paing to heat your garage

 

[Flaring Afro]

How big is the display that's connected to them? I'd consider a high powered Catalina Titanium heater. Like their 500 watt maybe. It really depends on how much volume you have and how cold the garage actually gets though.

 

[gone fishin]

I would look into some type of insulation to go around the tanks. I think I would start by looking around the hot water heater section of a big box store.

In addition to a heater maybe look into plumbing in a recirculation loop to keep the water moving in the cold conditions.

 

[zKRYt]

How big is the display that's connected to them? I'd consider a high powered Catalina Titanium heater. Like their 500 watt maybe. It really depends on how much volume you have and how cold the garage actually gets though.

The tank is a Reefer 170; 34g in the tank and 9g in the sump. The past couple of winters its just been uncomfortable, temp-wise, while in there, but I don't think anything has froze, but in the past on a cold enough day it could do so.

Do the Catalina heaters have temp controllers built in? or would I need to buy a separate controller to operate them?

 

[zKRYt]

You should be fine with a 150 watt heater in each. It depends on just how warm you want to keep the water, ad how well your storage containers are insulated. If you don't do large water changes, you can get away with the water not being the same temperature as the display. To save some money on your electric bill, it's cheap to wrap your tanks with some bubble wrap to help insulate them, or you can cover them with some old towels or something to help some. The better insulated the tank, the smaller wattage you'd need, and the less electricity you'll be paing to heat your garage

I would look into some type of insulation to go around the tanks. I think I would start by looking around the hot water heater section of a big box store.

In addition to a heater maybe look into plumbing in a recirculation loop to keep the water moving in the cold conditions.

Insulation is a great idea, I didn't think about that as an option. In terms of recirculation, I was thinking about having a power head in each container; maybe a 400gph flow pump, not sure if that would be enough though. If not I could add to the design of my filling station before it gets too cold to incorporate this with a stronger submersible pump.

 

[Flaring Afro]

The tank is a Reefer 170; 34g in the tank and 9g in the sump. The past couple of winters its just been uncomfortable, temp-wise, while in there, but I don't think anything has froze, but in the past on a cold enough day it could do so.

Do the Catalina heaters have temp controllers built in? or would I need to buy a separate controller to operate them?

The 500 watt has a temperature controller. I believe the temperature sensor is located within the heater unit, but I could be wrong. It has an external dial. Their larger heaters do not come with one and you will need a controller. I bought an inkbird for $35 to use with a 800 watt that I'm putting in a turtle tank.

There aren't many people on here that have used the brand but many people do on monsterfishforum.

 

[zKRYt]

The 500 watt has a temperature controller. I believe the temperature sensor is located within the heater unit, but I could be wrong. It has an external dial. Their larger heaters do not come with one and you will need a controller. I bought an inkbird for $35 to use with a 800 watt that I'm putting in a turtle tank.

There aren't many people on here that have used the brand but many people do on monsterfishforum.

Great price for the 500w unit, was expecting that to be in the hundreds. What is the average lifespan of these heaters?