What Is Up With My Heaters?

lkgrenegade22

lkgrenegade22

Member
So today I go check on my tank and my water is 83.0 AGAIN and the heater is on and running wide open...This is the 2nd time this has happened in about 2 months...
My water stays at about 76 with no heater and a little warmer when the lights are on. Both heaters have been 300 watt models. The 1st one was a marineland that I found running wide open when the water was 84 while the heater was set on 78-80. This one is an Aqueon and has done the same darn thing...I adjusted both of them back to 68 or the lowest setting and they would not cut off. As long as they were plugged in they were running.
Has anyone else had this problem? I just can't see the probability of 2 heaters doing the same thing within 2 months.
 
ironeagle2006

ironeagle2006

Active Member
Sometimes the Thermostats just fail in them I had 2 do that on me also. One time when I was gone for the weekend tank got to 88 before the heaters burned out.
 
fishfreak1242

fishfreak1242

Active Member
Be careful with heaters. They fail more than any other piece of equipment. You should look into a temp controller like the Ranco Temp controller.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
You've got a couple problems. First, you are running two heaters (which is good), but they are oversized. The idea of two heaters are so that if one sticks, the tank's temperature doesn't run out of control (at least not quickly). To accomplish this, the heaters have to be half sized. Your heaters are each big enough to heat the tank on your own, hence the problem. Plan for about 5 watts / gallon. This means that your two heaters should be in the 150-200 watt range, assuming this is the 75g tank in your profile.
I use Jager heaters myself. I have 9 of them in use right now plus another few lying around and have never, ever had a problem with one. So if you are replacing your heaters you may consider them.
The other problem is that you are relying solely on crappy heater thermostats. The Ranco that was mentioned controller's relay is infinitely more reliable than the heater's thermostat. The ultimate heater setup would use two heaters and two ranco controllers. The heaters back each other up, the two ranco controllers provide redundant thermostats. When you measure them up against the cost of your livestock, a bit of protection is a good thing. Ranco units are expensive, so many folks use two heaters hooked up to one ranco. This is a good compromise, but you are not protected if the ranco unit fails dead (off).
 
lkgrenegade22

lkgrenegade22

Member
I didn't know you could ever have to much equipment in this hobby?
J/K. I see what you're saying and I never thought about it like that. I have a bunch of heaters around here. I might just put 2 150's in the tank and look into the Ranco deal. With all the time I've already invested I will do whatever I need to in order to protect the tank. I'm learning something new every week.
 
scsinet

scsinet

Active Member
Originally Posted by Rotarymagic
http:///forum/post/2878390
I run my tanks between 80-82F
corals grow faster...
What would scare me is that should a heater stick, it wouldn't take long for the tank to overheat... you're already so close to the limit...
 
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