RequiemTCE
New member
Hello, first time poster but long-time reader.
First I'll admit that this is not for a saltwater setup - I've got ~1000gal in 3 freshwater tanks draining back into a shared 220g sump.
You saltwater folks are the real experts on solutions and equipment though, so I figured I'd ask here before trying MFK and others.
I've got a 10gph drip coming into the sump through appropriate chloramine/sediment filtration, but since it comes in cold, it has my ~2200 watts of heaters working a lot when previously the pumps alone would keep it around ~76 so the heaters did very little work.
The drip, after the filters and pressure regulator, is just a 1/4" vinyl tube with a flow-selecting end cap in the sump. I can't help but think that a measly 10gph drip could be heated directly using more like 50-100 watts somewhere inline on that final 1/4" tube, saving me a lot of money on the power bill. Ideally something adjustable, so I can turn it up in the winter and down in the summer or set it once during the summer to avoid over-heating. Ideally it would come in at around 75 degrees max on a hot summer day.
Problem is, I can't find any product that is designed for low-flow usage at all(the "micro" tankless water heaters start at around 1800w), much less one that can be set. I do have an Apex though, so I could tell it to turn the drip heater on and off based on the temperature of the tanks and sump. So adjustable isn't completely necessary, but would be nice. The main thing is that I need to find one small enough to even be useful at all.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
First I'll admit that this is not for a saltwater setup - I've got ~1000gal in 3 freshwater tanks draining back into a shared 220g sump.
You saltwater folks are the real experts on solutions and equipment though, so I figured I'd ask here before trying MFK and others.
I've got a 10gph drip coming into the sump through appropriate chloramine/sediment filtration, but since it comes in cold, it has my ~2200 watts of heaters working a lot when previously the pumps alone would keep it around ~76 so the heaters did very little work.
The drip, after the filters and pressure regulator, is just a 1/4" vinyl tube with a flow-selecting end cap in the sump. I can't help but think that a measly 10gph drip could be heated directly using more like 50-100 watts somewhere inline on that final 1/4" tube, saving me a lot of money on the power bill. Ideally something adjustable, so I can turn it up in the winter and down in the summer or set it once during the summer to avoid over-heating. Ideally it would come in at around 75 degrees max on a hot summer day.
Problem is, I can't find any product that is designed for low-flow usage at all(the "micro" tankless water heaters start at around 1800w), much less one that can be set. I do have an Apex though, so I could tell it to turn the drip heater on and off based on the temperature of the tanks and sump. So adjustable isn't completely necessary, but would be nice. The main thing is that I need to find one small enough to even be useful at all.
Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
