Heaters ***blah***

[TomNeely]

Hey I do not know if this is happened to anyone else. I came home today after work and noticed my 75 gallon was shut down, off, nothing at all on... (off for 5 hours stated my timer)

Went to the basement and had seen the breaker blew. So I switched it on and went upstairs and the tank was alive again.

So I sat and wondered what the heck happened.

All of a sudden I noticed flashing in my sump. Looked closer and lightning was shooting out of my heater and into the water!!!

Quickly unpluged it and yanked the thing out. It had a crack down it!!! (GLASS HEATER) NOTHING could have bumped it, moved it, or looked at it the wrong way because it sits in the corner of my sump.

HEATERS STINK! THEY NEED TO CREATE A "GOOD" HEATER!

Went and bought another one just now and put in in my sump. Tank is 72 right now...

 

[cloakerpoked]

I guess that's why they make the titanium ones. Problem with glass is that with a temperature differential, or any time its heated, its susceptible to breaking. Probably a good thing your breaker blew the first time....The voltage could be very dangerous.

 

[TomNeely]

I purchased another glass one not knowing the titanium ones are about the same price....

 

[mr.reef24]

Re: Heaters ***blah***

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15100932#post15100932 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by TomNeely
Hey I do not know if this is happened to anyone else. I came home today after work and noticed my 75 gallon was shut down, off, nothing at all on... (off for 5 hours stated my timer)

Went to the basement and had seen the breaker blew. So I switched it on and went upstairs and the tank was alive again.

So I sat and wondered what the heck happened.

All of a sudden I noticed flashing in my sump. Looked closer and lightning was shooting out of my heater and into the water!!!

Quickly unpluged it and yanked the thing out. It had a crack down it!!! (GLASS HEATER) NOTHING could have bumped it, moved it, or looked at it the wrong way because it sits in the corner of my sump.

HEATERS STINK! THEY NEED TO CREATE A "GOOD" HEATER!

Went and bought another one just now and put in in my sump. Tank is 72 right now...

just had the same situation with my heater. one question was it laying sideways or up and down?

mr.reef24

 

[AHDOnline]

I use the visi therm stealth and have for years with no issues. They are cheap and seem to last

 

[raynist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15102487#post15102487 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by AHDOnline
I use the visi therm stealth and have for years with no issues. They are cheap and seem to last

I have started to use these as well. Used to use the Ebo Jager, but everyone of them dies almost exactly at the one year mark.

So far so good with the visi-therm.

 

[Reefbox]

Glass heaters break easily. I will never use one again.

I have used the visi therm stealth for probably 3-5 yrs. no problems yet.

 

[Tswifty]

Titanium Tubes with a Ranco Temp controller (or some type of controller like the Aquacontroller) which tell the heaters when to turn on and off via a calibrated temperature probe is the only way to go IMO. However, you want to avoid the Titanium heaters with the built in controllers, as the controllers included with them are notorious for failing.

I now use the Blue Line Biotherm Titanium Heating Elements in my tank (just the titanium tube), and they are controlled by my AC3.

I used to use the ViaAqua Titanium heaters which have a built in controller, but both failed right around the 1 year mark.

 

[raynist]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15104492#post15104492 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tswifty
Titanium Tubes with a Ranco Temp controller (or some type of controller like the Aquacontroller) which tell the heaters when to turn on and off via a calibrated temperature probe is the only way to go IMO. However, you want to avoid the Titanium heaters with the built in controllers, as the controllers included with them are notorious for failing.

I now use the Blue Line Biotherm Titanium Heating Elements in my tank (just the titanium tube), and they are controlled by my AC3.

I used to use the ViaAqua Titanium heaters which have a built in controller, but both failed right around the 1 year mark.

Good point. I NEVER trust the heater's built in thermostat. I use either ACJR's to control my temp or a Ranco.

 

[cloakerpoked]

I use a grotesquely undersized heater, so that even if it did fail on, I doubt very seriously it could do something catestrophic to my tank, definitely would be noticeable pretty quickly, because the chiller would start running a lot and I'd know something was up. The halides do a nice job of heating up the tank to 82 degrees anyway...

 

[LeviChar1]

Two things here:

1.) Always have a probe near your heater that is grounded (ideally both are in your sump. I have popped a few old glass "submersibles" Its just a matter of time before they explode, which is cool if your breaker trips quickly and your there for the light show. Otherwise, tanks die...bad things, man...bad things!

2.) Try the groovy HYDOR ETH300 external heaters (you can push water through a powerhead). I totally forgot to put them on a list as they are from my canister days (stop laughing). Anyway, I got 3 if anyone wants to goof around with them $30 each (they are $60 new for the 200w model, mine are older. Low miles, been sitting in a box for a year). They are not compromised by water, and their thermos work pretty well.

 

[cloakerpoked]

My entire tank is on a GFI circuit, as everyone's should be really. Hopefully that would give some protection in this event in the future. I dropped a PC light into my 20 gallon a few days ago and the GFI did exactly what it was supposed to, not sure if I should pat myself on the back for having it on a GFI, or shoot myself now for my carelessness and save mother nature the hassell.

 

[LeviChar1]

ur right coak. Mine is also on a GFI.