Heater protector, what do you think?

RyanM

New member
Thinking alot about the electrical part of my tank lately and hearing about tanks being fried by the heater has given me a thought. Submerge a heater in a bottle of water and place that in the tank. Soda bottle works ok but is just a bit too short. Im still looking for a nicer size but this one works ok.

73131heater2.jpg

73131heater1.jpg


With a little silicone around the top (that I havent done yet)
The heater is kept away from the water in the tank. Any break or short would be isolated. The only concern I can see is the heat transfer from the water bottle may not match the heat transfer from a bare heater.

I used saltwater in the botle because of something I read once about salt and how it reacts to water. I think it lets it heat up easier but I may be wrong and it should be fresh water for the best transfer. Im not sure.

See any reason why this would be a problem?
 
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IMO its a bad idea.

Your tank might drop pretty low due to the heater not kicking on in time.

You also need water to flow passed the heater for it to work properly.

You are also taking up about 5 times as much room as you need to.

Better off just putting the heater somewhere in a safe place.
 
Electrical current wont pass thru the plastic bottle.

There may be a difference in the way heat is transfered but I would think it would keep the water in the bottle at 80deg and the water passing around the larger surface would meen more contact. The heater gets alot hotter than the 80deg so it may not be effective.

It would be bad if running a controler tho so maybe not such a good idea..

As far as room goes I have plenty.

But oh well...
 
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why not just get e-ther a titanium heater or I think dr fosters has some stealth heaters that are made of plastic. the problem with that is the thermostat is internal and the water in the bottle will be much warmer than outside in the tank
 
I'm pretty sure the heater would keep the water in the bottle at the right temp, but there would be a 5-10 degree temp difference in the tank water. With a heater you want good flow over the tube for the best heat transfer. I would recommend a titanium heater. I'll never buy a glass one again after mine broke...
 
I've got a titanium and a stainless steel one from drs foster & smith.. they seem to work perfectly.. and are supposed to be indistructible..

They're not that expensive either.. so I'd say, go for that solution.
 
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