Heater Problem Maybe?

[jaylam]

Bit of a weird one but I came down this morning and my tank is at 23c and no light on the heater, I had to turn the dial on the heater around until 28c before the light came on and it started to work then it went off pretty soon after but no temp change in the tank.

Has anyone had these sort of problems before?

My heater is one side of the tank and I have put the temp prob for the digital thermometer the other side.

 

[Carlovel1]

A week ago, I bought a new heater for my tank and I put the dial 25 degrees, and the light was on. Next morning the tank is 19 degrees and the heater isnt working. Anyway I fiddle with it for some time for a couple of days. Now its working fine though. I found out, if for example, you select 25 degrees, the heater will heat the water to 25 degrees then it will turn off. If the heater senses the water dips below 25 degrees it automatically turns on. Bizarre But its very reliable
Do you have a link to where you bought the heater from or do you know the model of the heater?
Carl

 

[elisew]

I had a Visitherm heater that did the same thing, within a couple days of noticing it the light came on and stayed on and would only go off if I gave it a nudge. To be on the safe side I replaced it as I didn`t want to take the risk of boiled fish
I replaced that heater with the Fluval M Series mirrored heater but that`s another story

Anyway, personally I`d replace the heater if it`s showing signs of not working properly....better safe than sorry

 

[Carlovel1]

I replaced that heater with the Fluval M Series mirrored heater but that`s another story

Jaylam, if you have a Fluval M series heater, what you are experiencing is normal as that series of heaters are absolute junk

 

[jaylam]

This is the heater I have, it came with the tank.

http/www.juwel-aquarium.de/en/heizer47.htm?cat=187

So are you saying just because the heater is set to 24c that does not mean the tank will be that temp as it will heat up the water around it to 24c then turn off. So I may need to set the heater to say 28c (example) to get the tank temp to 24c?

 

[Carlovel1]

No, if your heater is working properly, the heater can be set to 24 degrees. It will then heat the tank to 24 degrees , it will turn off. If the heater senses the water temp drops a bit under 24 degrees, it will turn on immediately. But different heaters work differently.
Its not uncommon for heaters to fail for the first few days.

 

[ZoddyZod]

So are you saying just because the heater is set to 24c that does not mean the tank will be that temp as it will heat up the water around it to 24c then turn off. So I may need to set the heater to say 28c (example) to get the tank temp to 24c?

no, what you are describing is exactly how heaters SHOULD work. They should only be active/on until they reach the target temperature. When the thermostat senses the water is cooler than target, it will swith on again (much like central heating)

however, the settings/thermostats on heaters can sometimes not be very accurate. I have to set mine to 27c on the dial to obtain 25c (as measured by seperate thermometers)

 

[jaylam]

So are you saying just because the heater is set to 24c that does not mean the tank will be that temp as it will heat up the water around it to 24c then turn off. So I may need to set the heater to say 28c (example) to get the tank temp to 24c?

no, what you are describing is exactly how heaters SHOULD work. They should only be active/on until they reach the target temperature. When the thermostat senses the water is cooler than target, it will swith on again (much like central heating)

however, the settings/thermostats on heaters can sometimes not be very accurate. I have to set mine to 27c on the dial to obtain 25c (as measured by seperate thermometers)

ok thanks, I will play about with it tonight but as soon as i touch the dial the light comes on then goes of pretty quick.....might just bin it and get something else.

What heaters do everyone recommend?

 

[Carlovel1]

I dont think you should bin it, give it some time, it should work.
If you do want to change heater, Rena heaters are the best heaters on the market. Very reliable, effective and cheap.
Read this thread

 

[ZoddyZod]

ok thanks, I will play about with it tonight but as soon as i touch the dial the light comes on then goes of pretty quick.....might just bin it and get something else.

I completely agree with Carl, dont bin it yet. If you are checking the water via a seperate thermometer, just keep an eye on the water temp. If it stays pretty constant (it will always fluctuate slightly) then the heater is doing the job. If it doesn't but it is new, it should've come with some form of guarentee so you can send it back to the makers or retailer for a replacement.

 

[jaylam]

I understand the temp will go up and down depending on the room temp just a bit confused as when the temp said 23c and the heater is set to 24c why the light was not on indicating that it was heating yet when I touched the dial the light come on.

I got my wife to turn the heater up this morning to 27c to see if the tank temp goes up and have just called her and asked the temp and she said its sitting at 24c so even turning up the heater it obviously its on and heating otherwise I would expect that tank water tenk to be higher than that.

I have a spare heater by some random make I have not even heard of, I might put that in it tonight and see if the temp is better if so that would prove the heater is bust.

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

First thing that comes to mind is are the heater and thermometer nect to each other in the tank and is there ample water movement past the heater, so that the heater is reacting accurately to the overall temp of the tank?

Rena Smart Heaters are brilliant, I've got two 300W units (plus a connector kit I will use soon for filter intake integration) that came off Ebay for a few pennies short of £23 each, from two differnt sellers (both sent promply and I intend to but another 300W soon, as there are not much savings to be had by buying lower wattage units).

 

[jaylam]

First thing that comes to mind is are the heater and thermometer nect to each other in the tank and is there ample water movement past the heater, so that the heater is reacting accurately to the overall temp of the tank?

Rena Smart Heaters are brilliant, I've got two 300W units (plus a connector kit I will use soon for filter intake integration) that came off Ebay for a few pennies short of £23 each, from two differnt sellers (both sent promply and I intend to but another 300W soon, as there are not much savings to be had by buying lower wattage units).

My heater sits on the right hand side of the tank in a black plastic filter box that comes with the Juwel tanks and the pump is next to it so as soon as it heats the water its gets pushed out in to the tank. The digital thermometer prob is right over the other side of the tank as far left as it can be.

 

[elisew]

I wholeheartedly recommend the Rena heaters, I replaced the Fluval one with a Rena Smart heater, then bought another one when I upgraded to a larger tank. This is the cheapest I could find and it`s actually the same seller I bought mine from:

http/cgi.ebay.co.uk/RENA-SMART-200-WATT-SUBMERSIBLE-AQUARIUM-HEATER-/350107690107?pt=UK_Pet_Supplies_Fish&hash=item51840b647b#ht_2490wt_907

 

[N0body Of The Goat]

300W from same seller (where my most recent one came from) is the same price

http/cgi.ebay.co.u...=item56408484ce

In comparison to the Renas, the Juwel 250W and 50W I have are far less predictable. The Renas seem very reliable; look great; "unbreakable"; a built in safety cut out if out of water etc. etc., very pleased I followed suggestions from the board on these.