RnB Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 quick survey, what kind of heaters / controllers are you using..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Visiatherm glass heaters and a temprature controller JetSkiSteve sourced. Best $300 I ever spent (the controller that is). I am sure if you are serious about it Steve can sourse another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 same with the temperature controller off jss - and likewise an awesome investment. im running 4 x heaters of various makes/models and wattages. the type of heater doesnt matter in this instance (I have heater redudancy ), its the controller that counts. here's the 4th one i just bought, got it in 300W in the end: http://www.trademe.co.nz/structure/auction_detail_expired.asp?id=16083840 why so many heaters? well, why not, they are cheap! 4 heaters for 1,000 litres is definately overkill. however, the sump room is downstairs under the house and I havent fully insulated that room yet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 I use a controller with 2 x 1000w titanium heaters. I find that the Visiatherm glass heaters and alike are suspect as thay get water in them. Titanium is much safer . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 i use what pies uses but i have a nice controllable titanium one available (new) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pies Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 I try and have 'just enough heaters'. Chimera, think about this, what will do more damage, a heater not working and the temprature dropping, or too many heaters and the temprature rising. I am using 3 300watters an my tanks (2) + sump are all in the garage at the moment (and its cold in Wellington, hailed yesterday!). I fear overheat more than a dip. Just a good reason to consider having just enough. Alois - I don't see why a titanium heater would be less likley to leak than a glass one. I mean my tank is made of glass and I so far water isn't sneaking through. Piemaina Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RnB Posted September 20, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 what make of titainium heater are you using? thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Holiday Posted September 20, 2004 Report Share Posted September 20, 2004 Pies is right, overkill is not a good thing. they will heat alot more rapidly and cause erratic temperature flucuations, even with the controller. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 the heaters are sitting in different sections of the sump divided by baffles. all heaters are set 1 degree higher than the controller. controller is 25 degree's, heaters are 26 degrees (which is still an acceptable temperature) I can always use the additional 300W heater to heater water to be changed/use as a spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 Pies is right, overkill is not a good thing. they will heat alot more rapidly and cause erratic temperature flucuations, even with the controller. No they won't. Controllers are for that very purpose, reducing erratic temperature swings. Contrary to what most people think, controllers (good ones) don't just switch the heater on when the water temperature reaches a set minimum value, or off when it hits a set max value. They look at how fast the temperature is changing, the accumulated error (difference between your set point and the actual water temperature) over time, as well as the current water temperature, to determine when to turn on and off the heater. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 i dont think our ones are that flash layton! just simply a min/max on/off type arrangment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jetskisteve Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 Chim, no they have set points, high & low Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petplanet Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 I find most glass heaters end up with moisture in them as they get old and they still seem to run fine. I have thrown out quite a few visitherm heaters that have kept on heating. Mostly the low wattage ones. I think the AquaOne heaters are just as good. It pays not to overkill with the heaters. Cooking is much more dangerous than cooling. I had a heater blow in the middle of winter and my tank dropped to 17 degrees. Fish stopped moving and the corals closed. Once it reheated it was all back to normal. What if your controller packs up....just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 yeah but it doesnt monitor how fast the temperature changes overtime and adjusts that way does it. it simply has min(low) and max(high) set points, measures water temperature and turns on or off accordingly. is this all layton was meaning? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 It pays not to overkill with the heaters. Cooking is much more dangerous than cooling I dont see how this can be a problem with my setup. 1. The heaters are hooked up to and controlled by a 3rd party temperature controller 2. The builtin thermostats in the heaters are set to 26 degree's 3. Each heater is in a separate baffle so no heat coming off one heater can directly influence another Sure, if we're just talking the average joe who has a couple of heaters and no temperature controller, then this may have an affect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lduncan Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 i dont think our ones are that flash layton! just simply a min/max on/off type arrangment. You'd be surprise just how inexpensive it is to implement this in an electric circuit. (only a few cents more in component costs). I would be very surprised if your controller did not work on this principle. IF it doesn't then you will get massive swings in temp. Layton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 I am sure this should go into a beginner section. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chimera Posted September 21, 2004 Report Share Posted September 21, 2004 blah Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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