Whiskas Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 How do you set these to a temp? I have some and I am not sure how they work. There are no dials like on newer ones. I think these ones have a thermostat attached (?) Does anyone use them? Are they any good? I don't need to use them anytime soon but thought they may be good backups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 If they are the old ones made by Betta in Christchurch you probably should hang on to them as they must be going up in value. They were an element only and you wired a seperate thermostat into the system. It is what us oldies had before combos were imported. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianab Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 They probably came with seperate thermostats that the heaters were originally wired through. If you have a good one of those then they are still usefull. Check the rubber seals on them though, if they are real old they may have perished and will leak.. not a good thing Like Alan I can remember having to wire my own heaters and thermostats together while setting up a tank - never killed myself Cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jn Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Did you need a separate temp controller? OR did the thermostats that you set up have a sensor built in to cut out at some specific temp? (ie: you chose the thermostat you required at the time?) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianab Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Did you need a separate temp controller? OR did the thermostats that you set up have a sensor built in to cut out at some specific temp? (ie: you chose the thermostat you required at the time?) The ones I had 'back in the day' had seperate thermostats in their own glass tubes. You had to pop the top off and adjust them with a screwdriver (with the power off ) They did have the advantage that the temp sensor was seperate from the heater, giving a better control of the tank temp. The new style with the easy adjust temp are MUCH more convenient though. Cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jn Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 With a screwdriver huh and you just had to keep tweaking them till the temp was right? I ask cause someone once offered to loan me one of that type.. trying to talk me out of a cold tank. I didn't know what to make of it and felt too stupid to ask The white rubber caps looked like they had been melted on and off several times over :lol: It had a dirty great big white cable and 2 wide but short clear glass tubes. (Not exactly the most stylish accessories ever made!) I'm all for vintage by the way.. they sure don't make stuff like they used to and you really have to admire stuff that last and last and lasts...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richms Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Well considering that any correlation between the numbers on a typical heaterstat and the tank temperature usually results from luck then there being any accuracy to those things, other then needing the screwdriver I dont think your too badly off, plus the contact size on the old thermostats I have seen looks to be much better then the pathetic size in the heaterstats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianab Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 With a screwdriver huh and you just had to keep tweaking them till the temp was right? The way I remember setting them was to get a big jug of warm water, at 25C or whatever you wanted your tank at. Sit the thermostat part in the water for 10 mins or so, then adjust the screw so it just clicked on. Once you got them set right they were pretty accurate and reliable. Cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jn Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 That sounds pretty ideal actually !! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 26, 2007 Report Share Posted July 26, 2007 Because the seal on the thermostat had to be opened to adjust the temperature they were not waterproof and could not be submerged. You could run a number of tanks of the same size with one thermostat and a heater in each tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskas Posted July 29, 2007 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 I will go look a lil more slosely at them tonite or tomoro. Sounz like they should work really well! So could they already be set to the 'right' temp or do they need to be reset each time they are taken out of storage to be used? If i remember correctly they looked as if the person who had them put them together themselves, including some of the wiring to the electrical plug. Would i need to get the connection, between heater or thermostat and plug, checked? Don't wanna burn down the house or electrocute myself or the fish! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ianab Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 The thermostat are probably set.. to something... but you dont know what. Sit them in a bucket of water and see what it heats up to. Yes I would check the electrical connections, especially if they look DIY. There are a variety of safe ways to connect them, and some real dodgy ways like just twisting the wires together If they are just wrapped with insulation tape you can unwrap it, check there are some proper electrical connectors used and the joins are still secure, then insulate it all up again. If you aren't sure get someone with some electrical knowledge (preferably an actual certificate) to check it for you. Cheers Ian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted July 29, 2007 Report Share Posted July 29, 2007 If there is more than one heater and one thermostat they willonly work on tanks of the same size. Check that the thermostat is OK by opening it up and checking the look of it. If old the contact points can be rusted or the magnet can have come unglued. If they fail they usually fail "on". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whiskas Posted August 3, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 Okey dokey so these are the ones i have: these 4 are not connected to an electrical plug nor are they connected too each other. these 2 are connected to the same electrical plug but not each other. this one they are in teh same tube but with no electrical plug. Maybe i should sell them to someone who knows how to wire them up....?? and then i have this thing: what is it? I think this is all the bits? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richms Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 The 2 connected to the same plug will have the thermostat in series with the element, there will be another connection in the plug where the 2 are twisted or soldered together. Often done really dodgey so it pays to open the plug and have a look. I would just buy new ones for the piece of mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 That last green thing looks like a siphon tube with the net missing (from the wide round open bit). You would connect it via an air hose to a pump and it would suck up the waste. Never did a very good job in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanmin4304 Posted August 3, 2007 Report Share Posted August 3, 2007 They are the old Betta heaters/ thermostats. If there is no water or rust they may still be OK. Don't submerse the thermostat but the heaters are OK. That system could run two tanks at different temperatures. As advised ---make sure the joints are OK. We used the joining strips and wrapped with insulation tape. Phase to thermostat then heater --heater back to neutral. They cannot be earthed. Any sparky could correct me if wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.