Eheim Jager heaters suck!

[Engloid]

3 heaters setup to go in three stages. On my new build (about 350G total) it will be

stage one 300W
stage two 200W
stage three 300W

To further add redundancies, the first two can be plugged via RANCO controllers

Additionally, they should be plugged into a different power strips on your controller (if you have) running off separate circuits.

Hope this helps.

I believe you're going to find it won't work very well like that. If your house is kept very warm it might. Otherwise I think you're going to see that the first heater will stay on nearly all the time. The second one maybe off and on, or it may be on all the time and the third one off and on. I don't think I have 350 gallons of water and Iam using four heaters.

 

[AMBER NICHOLS]

I think the problematic exploding Neotherms were on the 150's only and that was several years ago. I don't think that is occurring with the new ones

I just had a Neotherm explode. Luckily it was just in my water station but I do have them for my DT and am constantly worried now.

 

[PDR]

I just had a Neotherm explode. Luckily it was just in my water station but I do have them for my DT and am constantly worried now.

What model did you have and how old was it?

 

[AMBER NICHOLS]

200 Watt and only 3 months. I am talking with their warranty folks about it. I have an Apex on my DT but if it explodes it's likely too late. I will let you know what they say!

 

[Fish_Sticks]

I just had a Neotherm explode. Luckily it was just in my water station but I do have them for my DT and am constantly worried now.

Was the heater plugged into a GFCI outlet? If so, did it flip?

 

[AMBER NICHOLS]

Was the heater plugged into a GFCI outlet? If so, did it flip?

Yes it was and no it didn't flip! Crazy enough, my husband and I just happened to be right there when it happened. We heard a pop, we couldn't figure out what it was until we started to smell something. It was smoking hot smelly mess. Could have burned our house down, it was just in RODI water thankfully.

 

[Fish_Sticks]

Yes it was and no it didn't flip! Crazy enough, my husband and I just happened to be right there when it happened. We heard a pop, we couldn't figure out what it was until we started to smell something. It was smoking hot smelly mess. Could have burned our house down, it was just in RODI water thankfully.

Wow that will help me sleep at night. Its a good thing you didnt stick your hands in the water.

Was the heater fully submerged? Im starting to think this happens when water enters through the head and makes its way to the heating element.

 

[AMBER NICHOLS]

Wow that will help me sleep at night. Its a good thing you didnt stick your hands in the water.

Was the heater fully submerged? Im starting to think this happens when water enters through the head and makes its way to the heating element.

Yes fully submerged, even the diagrams on their instructions show this. Also says shatterproof outer casing.

 

[PDR]

Yes fully submerged, even the diagrams on their instructions show this. Also says shatterproof outer casing.

Where did you purchase it from? I was under the impression they stopped making these years ago as they were the ones that gave these issues in the past.

 

[ca1ore]

Very interesting discussion BTW ….

Although I have apex, I don't generally bother to monitor the wattage draw from my heaters. Maybe I should LOL. I wonder if there is any correlation between lower than expected wattage draw and impending failure? So, if a 300 watt EJ for example draws 300 watts but then, over time, the draw declines, does that mean the resistive element is failing? When I have had EJ heaters fail, it has usually been a mechanical break in the element.

 

[Jonreefer]

Yes fully submerged, even the diagrams on their instructions show this. Also says shatterproof outer casing.

just proof even though cobalt just sent me a new 150w under warranty last week because the other leaked current shocking me a little and it was only used for a few months. I would NEVER use one of these other than heating water in my garage for water changes. they charge so much for them but they are junk and instead of just failing on or off they are house burning heaters waiting to happen. I feel just fine with my jager in my sump

 

[AMBER NICHOLS]

Where did you purchase it from? I was under the impression they stopped making these years ago as they were the ones that gave these issues in the past.

I got this and all my equipment from my LFS when I first set up my tank in October. I will keep you guys updated with what they say! I do want to give them a chance but I am still scared.

 

[Engloid]

Very interesting discussion BTW ….

Although I have apex, I don't generally bother to monitor the wattage draw from my heaters. Maybe I should LOL. I wonder if there is any correlation between lower than expected wattage draw and impending failure? So, if a 300 watt EJ for example draws 300 watts but then, over time, the draw declines, does that mean the resistive element is failing? When I have had EJ heaters fail, it has usually been a mechanical break in the element.

If you have the eb832, some simple prigramming can set alarms for heater wattage. I set them up on mine and it warned me when a heater outlet was on but no wattage was drawn.....heater had failed. Until the failure, there was no change in amps

 

[Fish_Sticks]

Yes fully submerged, even the diagrams on their instructions show this. Also says shatterproof outer casing.

Well if the water enters the heating element through a poor joint seal, then its gonna gonna create a nasty reaction and cause everything to crack open with a nice steamy explosion lol. I think they mean it wont shatter like glass would if you drop it from a few feet or if you bang it around too much. But with a poor seal you've basically got a pipe bomb in the works and its going to come apart.

Then once it cracks you've got even more water entering and thats when the smoke and electrical fire starts, if your GFCI doesnt kick on.

Perhaps its better to have glass that would shatter, then your GCFI would have to turn off at that point where you have a completely exposed heating element in your tank, or at least your home breaker would flip lol.

 

[BZOFIQ]

I believe you're going to find it won't work very well like that. If your house is kept very warm it might. Otherwise I think you're going to see that the first heater will stay on nearly all the time. The second one maybe off and on, or it may be on all the time and the third one off and on. I don't think I have 350 gallons of water and Iam using four heaters.

My current system is setup like that and it works just fine. The scenario you've described plays out throughout winter months. During summer it's mostly just 1st stage if any.

I've had the primary heater (yes Eheim Jager) fail twice in past few years and there is no per outlet monitoring on the EB8 so it took few weeks to notice that the temp wasn't stable at 78 but was drifting few decimal points below. For now I added the AMP monitoring to the display for the different EB8 and EB4 and can see at a glance if the heaters kick on in relation to the temp.

Down the line its either 832 or its competitors if proven worthy. Possibly even a combo for redundancy.

 

[AMBER NICHOLS]

Well if the water enters the heating element through a poor joint seal, then its gonna gonna create a nasty reaction and cause everything to crack open with a nice steamy explosion lol. I think they mean it wont shatter like glass would if you drop it from a few feet or if you bang it around too much. But with a poor seal you've basically got a pipe bomb in the works and its going to come apart.

You know I hope it's just that, I do want to give them a chance still. Also, I have so much invested lol. I have them in my sump, QT and water stations.

 

[Haberdasher]

I put these on all my tanks now. Covers heating and cooling. I run dual Jagers and a boxfan blowing across the top of the sump for cooling. Hasn't failed me yet.

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC

 

[erk]

I have two Jagers that I've been running for two years straight. No issues. I have my own DIY controller as I wasn't willing to trust that the relays inside the heaters will last forever. I'm sure they are designed to fail on as well. I also chose my heaters such that one heater wasn't enough to heat my water, it would take two. So I run two undersized heaters such that if one fails on, it shouldn't be enough to heat the tank past 80°F. This would also mean my controller would have to fail as well.

Everything fails at some point. Therefore redundancies are a requirement for a life support system.

 

[Sleepydoc]

I have had jaegers, finnex titanium and other heaters. I cannot say that one is more reliable than the other. The thermostatic switch is the weak point on almost all these heaters. With rare exception, they all use a bimetal thermostat to make a connection. When the contacts close, there tends to be a bit of arcing and over time, the two sides are prone to fusing together, causing the heater to stick on. This appears to be what happened to the OP.

As has been reiterated many times above, heaters failures are incredibly common an all heaters can fail! Using undersized heaters minimizes the risk, but the safest course is to buy a heater controller (Ranco, Inkbird, Apex, GHL, etc) Set the controller thermostat to your desired temp (i.e. 78º F) and the heater thermostat slightly higher (i.e. 80º F) This will let the more robust controller do all the switching under normal circumstances. In the event that the controller fails in the 'on' position and the temp continues to rise the heater will serve as a backup.

FWIW, I work at in a hospital and they use Ranco controllers for the medical refrigerators and freezers.

 

[T Carey]

I put these on all my tanks now. Covers heating and cooling. I run dual Jagers and a boxfan blowing across the top of the sump for cooling. Hasn't failed me yet.

https://www.amazon.com/Inkbird-Max-1200W-Temperature-Controller-Greenhouse/dp/B01HXM5UAC

I have been using a Wilhi temperature controller with a underwater heater. Set the heater to a degree or two higher than the wilhi. If the wilhi or any other temp controller sticks on, the thermostat in the heater should function. It won't protect against an exploding heater, that would require an GFI and a grounding probe. It will give you an additional layer of protection against a stuck on heater.

https://www.ebay.com/p/Willhi-WH143...m=271782572156&_trksid=p2349526.c100854.m4779

The Wilhi is about the same price as the Inkbird. I have had the wilhi for about 3 years.