heaters= the weakest link?

  • We are currently upgrading MFK. thanks! -neo
If you want to be really safe, then couple a thermostatically controlled heater with another thermostat.

You want to maintain ~78F (with a max. of 80F if failure occurs).
You plug the heater into the power out of the thermostat. You set the thermostat to ~78F. Thus the power will turn on at 78F and below.
You set the heater to ~80F. When supplied with power from the thermostat it will turn on since the temp is below its set point.

If the heater sticks on it doesn't matter since the thermostat will control the temp.

If the thermostat sticks on it doesn't matter since the heater will kick off at ~80F.

A bit of redundancy and some piece of mind....

Burt:)
 
hillbilly;764640; said:
It easy to find high quality heating equipment. Temp. controllers with titanium heaters from www.jehmco.com . Many people including myself, have used these without problems for years. The problem with most heaters you find in a LFS, is they are made cheaply to keep costs down and appeal to the masses. The low cost thermostats built in to these types of heaters just won't hold up to years of use in most cases. Some are better than others. Some will say " I've run my $20 heater from Walmart for 5 years without problems". Well, I say you are lucky, and I would replace it soon, before it craps out on you while you're at work frying your prized fish. Since I run multiple heaters in sumps for the most part, a dual stage controller works best anyway. Won heaters are OK, but watch out for the controller that comes with them. I have had 2 of those fail. I replaced the controllers with a 2 stage Ranco controller from jemhco, and still use the heaters in a sump. You can buy Ranco controllers at other places of course, but they will cost you more.
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Can I use one of these temp controllers to bypass the internal thermostat on any heater. Like if I buy a Jager or Stealth, can I still use one of these controllers? And since this is only for a 75g can I get a cheaper controller for like 50$?
 
Yes, you plug the heater into the controller, and turn the heater to it's highest setting. This will prevent the heater's internal thermostat from working. You can then set the controller to the temp. you want to maintain. You can get a single stage Ranco controller (operates one heater) for about $75. It is worth the money. These things are rated for more load than you will ever put on them, so they last for many years.
 
should I still get two heaters instead of one? or since Im using the temp controller one 300 watt heater would be ok instead of (2) 150 W? I was going to get (2) 150 watt ones, but I dont want to spend over 100$ on a temp comtroller, how do you know which of those controllers listed will work with one vs 2 heaters. They seem to just say they handle up to X watts, but not how many heaters?
 
santoury;764527; said:
I have NEVER!!! had any issue with ANY Visi-Therm heater. They rock
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out of the 3 heaters i have at the moment 2 are visitherm and work fine for me.
the other is tronic and works fine too.
 
A single stage will operate 1 heater only. A dual stage controller will operate 2 heaters, or 1 heater + 1 chiller. If the tank in question is a 75gal. with no sump, 1-300watt heater with 1- single stage controller would work fine. If you wanted to use 2 - 150 watt heaters, you would use the 2 heaters with 1- dual stage controller (you would plug both heaters into 1 controller). Dual heaters would not be necessary on a 75 gal. IMO, unless a very large sump was being used. 75gals. just isn't that much water, besides the controller would shut off if something ever went wrong.
 
chirojosh;766119; said:
should I still get two heaters instead of one? or since Im using the temp controller one 300 watt heater would be ok instead of (2) 150 W? I was going to get (2) 150 watt ones, but I dont want to spend over 100$ on a temp comtroller, how do you know which of those controllers listed will work with one vs 2 heaters. They seem to just say they handle up to X watts, but not how many heaters?
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The Bio Therm handles up to 1000 watts. It has one receptacle. I'm just going to get a two way adapter from the hardware store and plug two heaters into it.
 
On my big tank I just use 2 smaller heaters.
That way, if one sticks on, it won't have enough power to raise the tank temp too much by itself.
Likewise, if one stops working the other one will keep the tank temp from getting too cold.
 
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