Need Advice: Electrical bill increasing due to heating tanks during winter
- Thread starter 888fish
- Start date
me neither especially a 100 watt maybe u just used a lot of energy that month and thought it was the heater
actually now that i think about it with that much of a degree jump it probably is possible. best bet i would say is heat the air.FSM;2888856; said:
The idea is too keep the heaters off by constantly keeping the water temp to what you want it.
I have a 125 gallon tank and have 2 300 W heaters set to exactly the same temp. The two are of the same make as this can make a difference.
If i only have one the heater it is always on but because one side of the tank is colder it will be flowed around to the hot end triggering the heater constantly on and off.
If the whole tank is at the same temp this can't happen. My two heaters are very rarely on. Mainly obviously at a water change or when the lights go off.
If you find there is a cold spot (a large cold spot furthest away from your heater compared with close you need more heat.
Also, Fish that swim in and out of warm to cold water wil have more chance of getting an illness.
Electric!..As a member or members said, two heaters will cut your costs in half to if you only have one if done correctly...That is a Fact!
I have a 125 gallon tank and have 2 300 W heaters set to exactly the same temp. The two are of the same make as this can make a difference.
If i only have one the heater it is always on but because one side of the tank is colder it will be flowed around to the hot end triggering the heater constantly on and off.
If the whole tank is at the same temp this can't happen. My two heaters are very rarely on. Mainly obviously at a water change or when the lights go off.
If you find there is a cold spot (a large cold spot furthest away from your heater compared with close you need more heat.
Also, Fish that swim in and out of warm to cold water wil have more chance of getting an illness.
Electric!..As a member or members said, two heaters will cut your costs in half to if you only have one if done correctly...That is a Fact!
Just run to Home Depot or Lowes and grab some of that Pink Foam insulation and wrap the tank durring the winter months.. Here's what my ray tank looked like when i was insulatiing it.. And these are semi old pics so all the junk around the tank is gone now..lol
Oh yea i run 2 250watt heaters and it keeps it right at 82 weather it's 60 or 20 degrees outside..
Oh yea i run 2 250watt heaters and it keeps it right at 82 weather it's 60 or 20 degrees outside..
Is your garage insulated?
Insulate your tank with insulation or styrofoam board. You would probaly want to insulate at least the back, bottom and sides. You could also insulate the top if the lights aren't too hot. If you have a sump you will want to insulate it also. If your sump is inside your aquarium stand you will also want to insulate the stand.
Extreme differences in temp. are going to require extreme heating. You don't really ever want a heater to always be on. Its going to burn up faster, have a shorter life, work less effeceintly and eventually fail. Also, most heaters thermostats fail in the on position.
The general rule is 2-3 watts per gallon. This for an aquarium in a house. A tank in the garage, after it has been insulated, is going to need at least twice the normal wattage.
I would recommend some redundency protection also. Don't put all your heating wattage into one unit. I typically have at least two heaters in each of my tanks. So for a 100 gal tank I would have at least two or three 100 watt heaters. The first heater I would set at 78, the second at 79 and the third at 80 .
Insulate your tank with insulation or styrofoam board. You would probaly want to insulate at least the back, bottom and sides. You could also insulate the top if the lights aren't too hot. If you have a sump you will want to insulate it also. If your sump is inside your aquarium stand you will also want to insulate the stand.
Extreme differences in temp. are going to require extreme heating. You don't really ever want a heater to always be on. Its going to burn up faster, have a shorter life, work less effeceintly and eventually fail. Also, most heaters thermostats fail in the on position.
The general rule is 2-3 watts per gallon. This for an aquarium in a house. A tank in the garage, after it has been insulated, is going to need at least twice the normal wattage.
I would recommend some redundency protection also. Don't put all your heating wattage into one unit. I typically have at least two heaters in each of my tanks. So for a 100 gal tank I would have at least two or three 100 watt heaters. The first heater I would set at 78, the second at 79 and the third at 80 .
Thanks for the responses. I'm going to buy a 300W titanium heater to see how that works. If not, I'll add an additional heater. The garage is not insulated, I could do that. The tank is staying there, I couldn't imagine a huge, heavy tank in my upstairs. The responses were mostly positive, I thank those people. It's a great hobby, but its got to be financially manageable. Also, I do realize that it's not going to cost another $100 dollars for another heater, I was just stressing from the bills. I'm a new homeowner.
Hopefully, this helped others.
JJ
Hopefully, this helped others.
JJ
Ha how about trying to live in New England...50's is cold??...my bill was ridiculous for jan and dec. At one point my heaters never turned off. Blankets around the bottom and back, one on the top, really does keep a lot more heat in. That and an old school gas/electric heater that puts out some heat and doesnt use too much juice
I understand stressing about the bills, just go my electric bill (bout $580 for 2 months, was more than $100 more this year than last, over the same period. (rates have gone up a fair bit here)
I will be plugging another 2000 watts of aquarium heaters, in the next week.
Lets see if we can break $300 a month
I will be plugging another 2000 watts of aquarium heaters, in the next week.
Lets see if we can break $300 a month
