Tank heaters revisited

[my2rotties]

My heaters do not like they are sealed enough on the top to chance submersing them. I got bugged at the LFS but still insisted they should not be submersed since they said not to do so... Electricity in water just seems like a real bad idea if it says not to submerse. The last thing the previous home owners said was not to submerse the heaters and he lost a tank full of fish when he did so once by accident.

That would be a show stopper if anything...

[Pan]

Heaters have to be the most brought up and controversial aspect of have an aquarium, seems the most money potentially lost on one of the cheapest things. I'm still looking for "fireplugs" of the kind on oregonreef.com (I had one sent but it was damaged in shipping, got a refund but no more were available) That combined with an aquadyne controller....or maybe a simple ranco...or maybe a "KevCo" controller

[my2rotties]

Thanks for the heads up on heaters, we bought them a few months ago before knowing very much. Hubby has to go pick one up today when he gets my Zebra Mantis for my refugium later in that day. I know he will be asking which ones can be submersed since it was never a question before. If the box says don't do it, I follow what the box says. Mind you most men do things and consult the instruction when they have a small hang up.

Getting the "I told you so" from hubby about the heater exploding is one thing. My "I told you so" for zapping my tank of livestock would not be so sweet in the end

[brizzo]

I use ebo heaters, but I try not to submerse them. The thermostat dial moves on the outside, and of course moves something on the inside; so in my mind that tells me water COULD get inside somehow.

When possible I don't submerge them, like in my main setup. But I have stock tank full of rock, and the heater is somewhere in the bottom

[jasond]

I use two stealth heaters, 100w, fully submersed and they have given no problems whatsoever, definately happy with this purchase.

[Jay180reef]

I use the 500W Jalli titanium heaters with controllers. Just make sure you turn them off and let them cool down before taking them out of the water...the heaters have a fuse that will burst and you can't replace it!

[mike31154]

Originally Posted by nazerine

I use ebo heaters, but I try not to submerse them. The thermostat dial moves on the outside, and of course moves something on the inside; so in my mind that tells me water COULD get inside somehow.

When possible I don't submerge them, like in my main setup. But I have stock tank full of rock, and the heater is somewhere in the bottom

I'm with Nazerine on this one. There is a mechanical linkage on most heaters to dial in the desired temperature. That mechanical linkage is the weak 'link' in the case of this type of heater. The fewer electrical cords in the water the better off you are. Standards, schmandards, while I agree they are needed, essential even, I've also seen and heard of sufficient mishaps with equipment certified to a certain standard. When it comes to electricity and water I prefer to err on the side of caution. I keep my heater within the waterline markings at all times and turn it off well before lowering the water level or removing it.

I do have a small powerhead with a partially submerged cord running my skimmer, but there is no linkage involved as is the case with the heater. It's completely encased in epoxy with nothing entering except the cord itself. So I'm putting my trust into the integrity of the insulation and epoxy. If I could figure out a way to raise it a little without running the pump dry, I'd do it in a heartbeat. My safety valve in this case is that it is connected to a GFCI ciruit so that if I happen to become the path to ground for 120 volts AC, the GFCI will trip before there's sufficient current flow to take me out. My other power head is a VorTech which has all the electrical components on the outside of the tank. If you're submerging your powerheads, look at getting the newer 12 or 24 volt DC types when the time comes to replace them. Lower voltage poses much less danger near or in the water. The trend with the newer controllable power heads is DC voltage vs 120 volt AC. Safety is one reason and ease of control is the other.

[sphelps]

You're both wrong, you shouldn't use heaters in saltwater that can't be fully submersed. You're also better off using the titanium heaters since they don't smash and the seals are better.

Cut your losses and the arguments, buy new titanium heaters and split the cost.

[Pan]

Originally Posted by sphelps

You're both wrong, you shouldn't use heaters in saltwater that can't be fully submersed. You're also better off using the titanium heaters since they don't smash and the seals are better.

Cut your losses and the arguments, buy new titanium heaters and split the cost.

[Red Coral Aquariums]

The titanium submersible heaters with external controllers are the way to go.
From the directions sheet.
" The titanium tubing resists corrosion caused by salt water or ph fluctuation of water"
On the other hand many submersible glass heaters do not specify if they are salt water resistant. I am slowly changing the store over to the titanium heaters as I am tired of getting shocked. Logic states keep the electronics out of the water. LOL

mytworotties;
You are doing everything correctly (unplugging during H2O change and keeping the electronics out of the water) but if you want a true submersible you would need a titanium element with controller.

Cheers
Kevin