Heater options

[Backwoods Reefs]

My main display is 300gal sump is 220

Sump also runs a 150gal flat a 80gal deep blue and a 20gal nem tank .

I have some 800watt heaters in sump.


What is a good lg heater for this system or a good lg heater that i can put in the 300 .

 

[McPuff]

You might consider building a hot water loop. Many people with big tanks do this and it saves a lot of money... and is very effective.

 

[Backwoods Reefs]

Hmm can you explain more possibly? Im running 2 500watt and 2 800watt now im up in NH and my electricity bill is killing me

 

[McPuff]

If you look in the DIY section there are sure to be at least a few threads outlining how to do it. It's pretty simple from what I gather. You'd have some sort of heat exchanger in your sump, that connects to a PEX line which goes to your water heater. There is a pump (Taco pump) that will kick on when heat is required; instead of your heater coming on, it simply circulates hot water through your sump via the heat exchanger. So no water actually enters your system... just the heat from the water. It will likely increase the amount of energy required by your water heater, but only incrementally. People report saving quite a bit of money, paying off the investment in about 2-3 months and then just pile on the savings after that (compared to traditional heaters). If my system grows at all, I'll consider adding one to mine as well. Unless you run halides on your system, heaters are likely the biggest energy hogs.