HEATER WPG
- Thread starter Shark123
- Start date
The 3-5 watts-per-gallon is mostly outdated now. It was a good rule of thumb when the majority had closed systems and full covers on their tanks. With todays peripheral equipment (bio-wheels, wet/dry filters, refugiums, raised lighting, skimmers, etc.) the rule is useless.
For any system, especially if you're trying to save money, go as big on heating as possible. If you're tank is 125 gals and a heater says it's rated to 125 gals, go with the heater rated to 200gals. The larger the heater, the more quickly it'll reach the temp setpoint and the better the temp maintenance. Another help would be to go with a stainless steel or titanium body heater since the metals will hold the generated heat longer than a glass tube heater. It'll cost more for the initial purchase of the heater but, the heater will pay for itself in utility savings in a short time.
For any system, especially if you're trying to save money, go as big on heating as possible. If you're tank is 125 gals and a heater says it's rated to 125 gals, go with the heater rated to 200gals. The larger the heater, the more quickly it'll reach the temp setpoint and the better the temp maintenance. Another help would be to go with a stainless steel or titanium body heater since the metals will hold the generated heat longer than a glass tube heater. It'll cost more for the initial purchase of the heater but, the heater will pay for itself in utility savings in a short time.
I think this is the first time I'm going to have to disagree with Oddball (and I'm ok with being wrong, since I probably am...) but IMO, undersizing or oversizing a heater isn't going to make much difference in regards to how much energy is used. A smaller heater will stay on longer to achieve your desired temp, whereas a larger heater will not need to be on as long to achieve your desired temp...this I agree with, but...
A 100W heater on for 10 hours per day is using the same amount of energy as a 200W heater that's on for 5 hours per day. In both cases you are using 1KWhr. You are using the same amount of energy to reach your desired temperatures. At the end of the day, the amount of energy required to get a tank to the temperature you want to achieve and maintain that temp is going to be the same, all else being equal.
In regards to using stainless steel or titanium heaters over glass, IMO that won't save any energy either....1 watt of energy is one watt of energy regardless of the medium used to transmit the energy into the water. The energy has to go somewhere and it's all going into the water, whether the heating element is wrapped in titanium, glass or anything else you can think of. Not sure if they are all built this way, but a member on here who has had a titanium heater explode on them said that those "titanium heaters" are actually glass with a thin titanium shell.
I agree that oversizing your heater is a good idea...you don't want your heater to struggle to maintain your desired temperatures. They should only come on for a short period of time to achieve your set point and cycle off.
I am running 1800 watts on my 770G tank, so I fall well below the standard recommendation of 3-5 watts per gallon rule. The room my tank is in gets very cold in the winter (down into the low 50s) and I have no problem maintaining temps (my heaters cycle on for apprx 20% to 25% of the time to maintain these temps). But I think the reason I am able to get away with using only 1800 watts is because I insulate the nonviewing panels of my tank, I have lids and my tank is made out of 1.25" acrylic, which has a decent R-Value in and of itself.
I posted this in one of your other threads, but here's a helpful calculator that takes a lot of variables into consideration that will help you determine how many watts you will need: http://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/HeaterChillerSizing.php
A 100W heater on for 10 hours per day is using the same amount of energy as a 200W heater that's on for 5 hours per day. In both cases you are using 1KWhr. You are using the same amount of energy to reach your desired temperatures. At the end of the day, the amount of energy required to get a tank to the temperature you want to achieve and maintain that temp is going to be the same, all else being equal.
In regards to using stainless steel or titanium heaters over glass, IMO that won't save any energy either....1 watt of energy is one watt of energy regardless of the medium used to transmit the energy into the water. The energy has to go somewhere and it's all going into the water, whether the heating element is wrapped in titanium, glass or anything else you can think of. Not sure if they are all built this way, but a member on here who has had a titanium heater explode on them said that those "titanium heaters" are actually glass with a thin titanium shell.
I agree that oversizing your heater is a good idea...you don't want your heater to struggle to maintain your desired temperatures. They should only come on for a short period of time to achieve your set point and cycle off.
I am running 1800 watts on my 770G tank, so I fall well below the standard recommendation of 3-5 watts per gallon rule. The room my tank is in gets very cold in the winter (down into the low 50s) and I have no problem maintaining temps (my heaters cycle on for apprx 20% to 25% of the time to maintain these temps). But I think the reason I am able to get away with using only 1800 watts is because I insulate the nonviewing panels of my tank, I have lids and my tank is made out of 1.25" acrylic, which has a decent R-Value in and of itself.
I posted this in one of your other threads, but here's a helpful calculator that takes a lot of variables into consideration that will help you determine how many watts you will need: http://www.hamzasreef.com/Contents/Calculators/HeaterChillerSizing.php
I like how you actually did a study on the efficiency of different heating strategies. My statement is solely based on the difference I see in my utility expenditure. When I was running only 2 dozen tanks, I initially set up with exact-rated heaters. After a couple of years I read a club article on the benefits of using over-rated heating measures and switched my heaters over the course of a year. I experienced nearly a full third reduction in my utility bill after switching to all over-sized stainless-steel jacketed submersible heaters. I had replaced/removed no pumps or lighting during the turnover period.
The actual amount of savings may not conform to todays equipment. Once I reached the 80 tank mark, I stopped using aquarium heaters and began heating the room (after over-insulating the entire hatchery).
The actual amount of savings may not conform to todays equipment. Once I reached the 80 tank mark, I stopped using aquarium heaters and began heating the room (after over-insulating the entire hatchery).