A heater that overrated

[Tastee]

You want to think about redundancy too - both ends. I have a 250L system with a 300W main heater and 200W backup. The main is controlled by my Apex controller, set to turn on < 25 and off > 25.2 degrees celsius. The main heater’s thermostat is set to about 26 degrees C so if the Apex malfunctioned and left the heater on, it will turn off before the water gets too hot.

The backup heater is not controlled by my Apex and is set to ~24.5 degrees C. If the main heater fails, or if the Apex malfunctions and doesn’t turn it on, the backup will kick in to ensure the water doesn’t get too cold.

The only other maintenance I need to do is periodically check the backup is still working. That typically happens when I do a water change as the water going into the sump is a little colder and I see the backup kick in as well as the main.

 

[som857ee]

That GE 3 way posted above is rated for 110v.
You would need a 220v version of it. Although its rated for 1800w so it will handle 2 x 100w like a breeze.

Thanks, you are awesome...

 

[som857ee]

You want to think about redundancy too - both ends. I have a 250L system with a 300W main heater and 200W backup. The main is controlled by my Apex controller, set to turn on < 25 and off > 25.2 degrees celsius. The main heater’s thermostat is set to about 26 degrees C so if the Apex malfunctioned and left the heater on, it will turn off before the water gets too hot.

The backup heater is not controlled by my Apex and is set to ~24.5 degrees C. If the main heater fails, or if the Apex malfunctions and doesn’t turn it on, the backup will kick in to ensure the water doesn’t get too cold.

The only other maintenance I need to do is periodically check the backup is still working. That typically happens when I do a water change as the water going into the sump is a little colder and I see the backup kick in as well as the main.

Sorry but I really don't sure what you mean about that not, I'm not sure it's because of my English well...because we just spoke about a less rated heater...

 

[Tastee]

Sorry but I really don't sure what you mean about that not, I'm not sure it's because of my English well...because we just spoke about a less rated heater...

Apologies, I did reply a little off topic. Having a larger heater than you really need is not going to cause any issues. It will heat faster than a smaller heater so for example if you introduce slightly colder water during a water change it will help bring it back up to correct temperature quickly. I have a tank of a similar size to yours and my main heater is a 300W heater too.

My earlier comment was about running multiple heaters. I personally have a main and a backup one, and the backup is 250W. From your earlier replies it looked like you were going to put in a second heater too. Rather than run two smaller heaters I would suggest you stick with the 300W as your main heater and buy a second heater as a backup.

You may want to choose a smaller and more budget heater as your backup to save money. That is what I did - I have a high quality, more expensive, 300W main heater and a more budget level 250W backup.

If you run two heaters and you use a controller you should also think about how you connect them. If you plug them both into the controller and something goes wrong with the controller, then both would fail. For this reason I have my main heater connected to my controller, with the controller managing the temperature, but the backup is intentionally not connected to my controller and runs off the regular thermostat. This gives better redundancy and protection in case anything goes wrong.

Good luck!

 

[vetteguy53081]

I love the titanium units with a built in thermostat and temperature probe.

Over rated are those such as Ebo Jaeger and marineland which eventually fail or get water creep within units

 

[laverda]

I love the titanium units with a built in thermostat and temperature probe.

Over rated are those such as Ebo Jaeger and marineland which eventually fail or get water creep within units

I have had very bad Results with titanium heaters, especially ones with controllers and separate temp probes. To start with the temp was off 4 degrees, then the titanium corroded very quickly. I stuck in to see what was growing on my heater a got shocked pretty badly. All three titanium heaters I tried failed with in 6 months of new.

 

[vetteguy53081]

I have 3 tanks with one in each. Oldest is 3 years trouble free. I use Finnex brand and have used titanium at least 10 years. Never seen one with rust. 30+ years in hobby and had numerous issues with glass submersible unite (mainly water getting in or stuck contacts)