Heater placement in sump..

[Xclusive Reef]

So my sump is first chamber my chaeto refugium then its my skimmer and finally return. Is it ok to keep the heats in the first chamber with the chaeto? Skimmer chamber is vert tight and no room for heaters and apex probes.

 

[redfishbluefish]

I believe it doesn't make a difference. The flow through is so great, you should be able to put them anywhere. I run two heaters, one in the skimmer section, the other in the return section, and the temperature probe is in the return section as well.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

I believe it doesn't make a difference. The flow through is so great, you should be able to put them anywhere. I run two heaters, one in the skimmer section, the other in the return section, and the temperature probe is in the return section as well.

sounds good. thanks I was worried it would burn the chaeto or something lol

 

[jwt1603]

Thanks. I was going to ask the same question for my new set up. This forum is great.

 

[Xclusive Reef]

Actually yes I think it matters. Now that I think about it, you don’t want to put the temp probes after your heaters. It can throw off your reading being that the water temp is PASSING through the probes. I will have to find a way to put them after the probes.

 

[jwt1603]

Actually yes I think it matters. Now that I think about it, you don’t want to put the temp probes after your heaters. It can throw off your reading being that the water temp is PASSING through the probes. I will have to find a way to put them after the probes.

Makes sense. I'll probably put my probes where the water is coming back from the display tank to get a more accurate reading of what it actually is in the DT. Then the heaters after them.

Or, because there is so much water moving through the sump, does the temperature change radically from one end of the sump to the other or not? I don't have mine set up yet so I can't put probes on both ends of the sump to compare readings.

 

[redfishbluefish]

Actually yes I think it matters. Now that I think about it, you don’t want to put the temp probes after your heaters. It can throw off your reading being that the water temp is PASSING through the probes. I will have to find a way to put them after the probes.

I've been running a 90 DT with a 40B sump this way for ten years with a tight temperature range of 28.0 to 28.3. Hysteresis keeps the probe from immediately reacting. The only thing I can say is, it works for me!

 

[NS Mike D]

Also, not in the return if the heater is standing up. Many heaters must be submerged to a certain level. The return side level is variable.