I set up a new tank (92 gal total volume) a little over a week ago with an eheim jager 200w heater. I had it connected to an inkbird controller, and the alarm kept going off because the heater was heating too much. I disconnected the controller thinking maybe that was causing the issue, but the tank has been holding at 82 degrees. The heater was originally set to 78. I turned it down to 76, temp still holds at 82. Turned it down to 74, temp still holds at 82. The heating light is always on. I even tried calibrating it per the instruction manual. Has anyone else had this issue? I don’t know if I’m doing something wrong or if it’s a defective heater. I’ve always used cheap petco heaters in my other tanks and never had any issues.
Bad heater?
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AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
Sounds like the internal thermostat on the heater is defective. The one thing that has me confused is that the Inkbird controller should shut off power once the temperature setpoint is reached. As long as the heater would come on, the controller should prevent overheating. After all, that's the whole purpose of a temperature controller!
Can you test the controller power outlet with a volt meter while placing the temperature probe in hot and cold water baths? As long as the temperatures are sufficiently lower or higher than tank temperatures, the voltage on the power outlet should be zero in the hot water and a nominal 115VAC in the cold water.
In the short term, you can also use a different heater until you sort things out. 82°F is higher than I like to keep my tank, but I know of others that successfully keep reefs at that temperature.
Honestly this is my first time using any kind of controller with a heater so I’m not entirely sure what’s going on with that. All I know is that the alarm kept going off and it got really annoying so I stopped using the controller altogether. I don’t have a volt meter on hand, I think I’ll just try to get a refund from my lfs where I purchased the heater.
I know 82 degrees should be fine, but I don’t trust this heater anymore and would rather keep the temperature at 78 like in all my other tanks. Luckily there is no livestock in the tank with the bad heater yet. I don’t know if this makes a difference, but the controller was plugged into a battery backup ups. Now the heater is plugged directly into the ups. Ive been using the same exact ups on my other tanks for almost 2 years and I’ve never had any issues with them.
AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
I'm not familiar with the Inkbird setup/configuration procedure, but now that you've described it in more detail, it seems like it could be an issue with the configuration of the Inkbird controller (as in the setpoint and high temperature alarm are set at the same temperature).
Seems like the heater is working fine except that the internal thermostat may be off. A properly configured controller should be able to maintain the temperature all day even if the internal thermostat on the heater is set to the maximum temperature.
Seems like the heater is working fine except that the internal thermostat may be off. A properly configured controller should be able to maintain the temperature all day even if the internal thermostat on the heater is set to the maximum temperature.
I have the inkbird’s low temperature value set for 77 degrees and the high temperature value at 79. I thought this would keep the temperature at the 78 degrees i set the heater thermostat to.
How should I get the water temperature down to 78? It seems like adjusting the heaters thermostat does nothing to affect the temperature, unless I need to adjust it even lower.
AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
So, according to the manual, there are low and high temperature alarm setpoints (as expected). But in between those limits, there should be a temperature control setpoint.
Can you post a shot of the controller while it is powered up and working? A visual image might help with the troubleshooting.
Can you post a shot of the controller while it is powered up and working? A visual image might help with the troubleshooting.
AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
I know it sounds like a stupid question, but are you sure the heater is plugged into the heating outlet? The reason I ask is that if the temperature exceeds setpoint and the heater is plugged into the cooling outlet, the controller would actually turn the heater on in an effort to cool temperature to setpoint. At that point, only the internal thermostat in the heater would limit the temperature to 82°F, which is exactly what you're seeing whether the heater is plugged into the controller or not.
Sorry for the late update, the heater ended up heating the water to 94 degrees and cracking. I threw it out and got a refund. Now that I’m without a heater, does anyone have any suggestions for a better one? My lfs tried to convince me that it was just a freak accident and sell me the same one but I didn’t want to take the chance.
AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
I've used Jaeger heaters for the last four years. I have a 150W, 200W, and a 300W. I've had no issues with any of them.
Some of the titanium heaters out there have been recommended by others, but I have no experience with them.
Some of the titanium heaters out there have been recommended by others, but I have no experience with them.
AllSignsPointToFish
"No Longer The Guy Without FaceBook"
Honestly, even if I had an issue with a Jaeger, I wouldn't hesitate to try another one. I once left the heater controller on Apex to AUTO during a water change. The heater came on and was so hot that water would sizzle on it. I removed the heater, cleaned it up, and it still functions perfectly to this day.
I think we still need to understand why the Inkbird controller did not turn off power to the heater when the temperature setpoint was exceeded (regardless of heater thermostat malfunction). I'm concerned there is another issue we haven't yet resolved.
I think we still need to understand why the Inkbird controller did not turn off power to the heater when the temperature setpoint was exceeded (regardless of heater thermostat malfunction). I'm concerned there is another issue we haven't yet resolved.
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