Heaters in sump and Water Change

[patdown]

I have a 180g tank and 50g sump. My two 300W heaters are in my sump and they are controlled by a temp controller with the sensor in the main display tank. During a water change, I will turn off my sump pump for the approx 30 minutes it takes to do a water change. At this point, my sump will have about 35g of water in it, just no flow.

Should I also turn off my heaters since I won't have any flow over them while I have the sump pump off? Most ppl shutoff heaters because they might get high and dry which would cause problems. Would this get the water in the sump too hot and cause a problem when everything starts back up?

This applies mostly to cold weather when my incoming water temps get into the 60's, maybe even the 50's. In warmer weather, my heaters might not even come on because incoming water temp is fairly warm.

 

[Pharaoh]

I never ran into an issue having my heater in the sump during water changes. If you notice the water getting overly hot, I would shut them off while you do the water change.

 

[rook45]

I wouldn't worry about it as long as the heaters stay submerged.


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[bassguy]

Do The heaters have internal thermostats or are they titanium? If they are a normal internal stile I wouldn't worry as it will only let it get so hot. But if they are like a titanium style I would shut them off.
some time ago i had shut of my pump in my sump and have a true temp titanium and forgot to turn the pump on for about a half hour and it cooked my sump, went through a mini cycle, made the tank supper cloudy as soon as I turned on the pump.


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[rwellbaum]

i don't think you have anything to worry about

 

[ecoli73]

If your heater has its own temp control, then don't worry about it.

 

[patdown]

They are Jager Thermostat Heaters. I have the thermostats set high because the temp controller controls the heater. I have the temp controller energize/de-energize a power strip with the heaters plugged into the power strip.

I'll just leave them plugged in and monitor the sump water temp for the first few water changes.

Thanks guys.

 

[West1]

If its not Titanium, turn it off. I wouldnt risk a "Marineland Stealth Heater" incident for a few extra seconds.

But if you trust them, I would not bother n leave them plugged in.

 

[aldiaz33]

They are Jager Thermostat Heaters. I have the thermostats set high because the temp controller controls the heater. I have the temp controller energize/de-energize a power strip with the heaters plugged into the power strip.

I'll just leave them plugged in and monitor the sump water temp for the first few water changes.

Thanks guys.

Since your temp sensor is in the display and heaters are in your sump, the sensor will keep the heaters running and your heaters will fire up until they hit the Jager's internal thermostat's set point. Therefore, you should set the internal thermostat on your Jagers just a few degrees above what you have your temp controller set to in order to avoid cooking your bio.

But in addition to what I wrote above, I would move your temp controller's sensor...
I would recommend placing the temperature controller's sensor near the drains in your sump. If you have baffles, place the temp sensor where water enters your sump and place your heaters in the compartment where your return pump is located. This is the safest way to set up your heating system. If you think about it, placing the sensor in this location places it at the farthest point from water that has recently been heated, ensuring that your water column is being heated evenly.

 

[patdown]

The heaters are to long to fit in my sump pump compartment. My sensor is about in the middle (top to bottom) of my display tank. I figured that would get a good mix of the water coming thru the background at all levels, thus giving an average temp of the water in the display tank. The water that flows to the sump area is the warmest water in the tank since the overflows drain the water from the top of the tank.

Sorry I didn't reply earlier. This is great info. I will set the internal thermostat to 88 or so. At what temp would the sump bio start to suffer?