tkeracer619
New member
Right, but a ranco won't keep your cheap cobalt heater from melting in your sump. What is the risk? I would even risk my salt water storage with one of these. A box of salt is more valuable.
Cobalt neotherm heater just blew up!!!
- Thread starter fifthtoe
- Start date
Right, but a ranco won't keep your cheap cobalt heater from melting in your sump. What is the risk? I would even risk my salt water storage with one of these. A box of salt is more valuable.
coffee_snob
New member
If failure/melting is due to heater being "stuck on" the RANCO would no doubt help. Not a solution, but would manage the problem until hopefully owner notices/smells the problem.
But I agree, don't go cheap on a heater(s).
tkeracer619
New member
It's a manufacturing problem not a thermostat problem. A heater requires 100% duty anyways.
Talking about cheap heaters i have a 8 year old won brothers 250w heater I paid $17 for thats innards are discolored from leaving it on all day outside of water within a few weeks of the purchase. Still works great.
Talking about cheap heaters i have a 8 year old won brothers 250w heater I paid $17 for thats innards are discolored from leaving it on all day outside of water within a few weeks of the purchase. Still works great.
dodgerblew
Team RC
You're assuming the failure is from being stuck on. I was told by cobalt that the problem was the glue inside the bezel was the problem and couldn't handle the heat put out by the element and the glues expansion resulted in the cracking and subsequent hazards. So in theory the Ranco is a good secondary fail safe but in reality I don't think it would solve anything.
jason2459
Well-known member
Can't believe what is still going on?
Edit: never mind. It sunk into my thick skull
Last edited:
coffee_snob
New member
Yes, that's why I prefaced my post with "If".
anoriega211
New member
The way I see it, it's not a matter of the heater being stuck on. It's that the 150 and 200w heaters get hotter in general than the 100w and lower models. So the 150/200w's will still shut off at the right temp, but let's say they get up to (just throwing numbers out) 150 degrees, which is enough to melt the epoxy used. Whereas the other models will get up to 100 degrees or less which is safe for the epoxy. A ranco will only shut off the power if the water temp gets over what it's set to be... and probably won't help here because the thermostat was fine on my heater and didn't warm past what it was set for, it was just leaking and dumping melted gunk into the water.
I hope that makes sense.
I hope that makes sense.
dodgerblew
Team RC
I guess I worded it wrong. "If" it's assumed the heater was in the stuck on position creating the failure/melting.........my apology. But my post was more about an explanation of what the actual failure is. This is such an unfortunate thread.
coffee_snob
New member
Agreed.
tkeracer619
New member
:lol: sorta like containing a cup of coffee in a mug made of ice. Plastic heaters... What a stupid idea.
Add me to the club please[emoji29]
200w neotherm heater
Luckily no smoke here
With the sump without light I see the led on the heater ON, the apex shut down the heater and one led is still ON!
I made some test with my apex and heater, finally put a watt meter between apex and heater and!!!!!!
The readings from 200w heater made me search on the web, found this thread and check the heater, then I see the break on the body.
Sorry for my bad english
Greetings!
200w neotherm heater
Luckily no smoke here
With the sump without light I see the led on the heater ON, the apex shut down the heater and one led is still ON!
I made some test with my apex and heater, finally put a watt meter between apex and heater and!!!!!!
The readings from 200w heater made me search on the web, found this thread and check the heater, then I see the break on the body.
Sorry for my bad english
Greetings!
firemedix911
New member
So for now stay away from the 200Watt heaters? Are the 150's having the same issue?
jason2459
Well-known member
I'm with racer above. I wouldn't go with any heater whose main element is housed in plastic.
Supposedly there have been a few of the 150s blowing up but it's a significantly smaller number. I think probably like 2-3 for this entire thread. I have a 100 in my 20g that I'm using but I wouldn't get a bigger heater of this model then that.
dkennedy1282
New member
Same thing happened to me
Christian J
New member
I count to 6 melted 150W heaters out of 31 in total (the rest are all 200W). Maybe that's because the 150W model is more reliable, or maybe less of them have been sold in the first place?
Christian J
New member
It's just the housing that's made by plastic, I recall the interior is some kind of epoxy. Can't remember if the smoke and melt came from the interior or exterior, maybe it's mentioned earlier in the thread?
Christian J
New member
Which heater size did you have?
jason2459
Well-known member
Either way I will stay away from any heater that is shrouded in any manner with plastic from any company. Just not worth the risk.
Yeah I know it was a lot less. I'm guessing it's because it just produces a significantly less amount of heat. Less heat less expansion pressure. I'm guessing that's what is happening the insides are heating up and trying to expand and the cases just can't hold it all in and crack.
