Best Place for a heater

MHG

Active member
Where is the best location for the heater? The sump? the return area of the sump? is the flow rate too high? The fuge?
 
I have four chambers in my sump, incoming water, skimmer, 'fuge and return. I keep the heaters in the third portion which serves as my refugium. The return pump chamber is next.
 
My Ebo Jager is longer than my sumps width, so I have it in the overflow. Not to mention it was not UL approved to be submersed
 
I place mine in the return section right in front or next to my return pump. The thermostat probe is in the same chamber, but on the other side of the return pump to avoid the heater directly affecting the probe reading.
 
I have both my heaters in the return side because I figure that's where the water gets shot out anyway. I have the probe on the drain side this way the heaters don't affect the temp reading.
 
Mine are on either side of my return pump area. I like the idea of putting the temp probe in the drain/skimmer area though.
 
Picture this, you have a 3-BR house and each bedroom are next to each other, separated by a door from each other. In other words, one can get from the first room to the third without going to the living room. Now, you want room 3 to smell good (expecting a company, perhaps) and thought about spraying febreeze. The doors are closed but there are slits beneath them where scent can pass. Would you spray in room 1 or 2 and expect room 3 to be as fragrant as the others? Just a thougt.
 
Picture this, you have a 3-BR house and each bedroom are next to each other, separated by a door from each other. In other words, one can get from the first room to the third without going to the living room. Now, you want room 3 to smell good (expecting a company, perhaps) and thought about spraying febreeze. Would you spray in room 1 or 2 and expect room 3 to be as fragrant as the others?

Lets say you are allergic to cats so you like to stay in the middle room but someone places the litter box in your room and they run out of litter. Your tuna sandwitch will taste like cat $hit... In other words, if my return section dries out and the heater is in the fuge, I am going to have cooked greens. I am going to place it in the return...
 
I was trying to make a point. Was it too deep for you? Room 3 is the DT that you want to keep warm, febreeze is the heater, room 1 & 2 are sump, overflow, etc.
 
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I personally place my heaters in the first section of my sump, receiving water from the overflow. It's simply because that section is the longest (200W Jagers are 16" long) and most stable. I'd recommend any section with a stabilized water level, just in case your overflow pipe gets clogged and say, your return compartment drains. You'll burn your return pump out, but at least your heater won't explode, potentially shattering your sump.

I also make it a point to run my heaters on a controller and place my temperature probe as far away as possible, but still in a section with a stabilized water level.

Good Luck
 
Also good to point out, flow rate can't be too high. The heat transfer from the heater to the water is actually improved with high flow since the water next the the heater is cooler.
 
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