Heaters won’t stay on, what to do?

[MarsReefer]

I have three new heaters, each of a different brand, each set to 84 degrees. Each is in a separate section of the sump. My tank is sitting at 72 degrees as confirmed by two separate thermometers. The heaters will not stay on. They go on for 1-2 minutes then turn off again. They will only hold the tank at 72 degrees. Flow through the sump is about 500 gph. Total tank volume is 160 gallons and the three heaters add up to 700

is there a way to stop this from happening? Are there heaters with no internal thermostats that will just stay on? If I could get the tank up to temp I could probably hold it there with the constant on and off but I can’t get there like this.

nothing alive in the tank right now so this isn’t an emergency, just need to figure out what’s going on before moving forward.

 

[thatmanMIKEson]

I have three new heaters, each of a different brand, each set to 84 degrees. Each is in a separate section of the sump. My tank is sitting at 72 degrees as confirmed by two separate thermometers. The heaters will not stay on. They go on for 1-2 minutes then turn off again. They will only hold the tank at 72 degrees. Flow through the sump is about 500 gph. Total tank volume is 160 gallons and the three heaters add up to 700

is there a way to stop this from happening? Are there heaters with no internal thermostats that will just stay on? If I could get the tank up to temp I could probably hold it there with the constant on and off but I can’t get there like this.

nothing alive in the tank right now so this isn’t an emergency, just need to figure out what’s going on before moving forward.

You need a heater controller in order to have better temperature range along with the thermostat on board the heater is a great combo

 

[doubleshot00]

Get a inkbird and two ehiem 300 watts. Be done with it.

 

[Lbrdsoxfan]

What brand heaters? I've had cobalts, eheim, aqueon and cheapies crap out the box.

 

[MarsReefer]

Ok I looked into a little further. One has the light come on but doesn’t actually draw any current, looks like it’s DOA. One has its thermostat about 15 degrees off, it works in ice water but not in the tank so it’s worthless too. Final one is the only one that actually puts out heat but it won’t stay on. I ordered some new heaters, these are all crap I guess.

 

[PigDaddyF15E]

Someone jump in and correct me if I'm wrong here:

If the heater has the temp control built into it...like a dial you rotate to get the temp set. Aren't those notorious for NOT being correct? and need to be "calibrated"?

Without using a dedicated controller with a dedicated temp sensor...I was always under the impression you don't really trust the temp setting "ring" on the heater and just turn it up slowly (while watching it with a separate thermometer) and forget about the "numbers" on the top. So if it has to be set to 82 degrees but it keeps your aquarium a the temp you want...who cares what the number on the top says?

I have an EHEIM heater. It has a dial on the top and a smaller blue ring under that. When I first got it...I had to keep turning the temp up. Once I used an outside thermometer...and got it to heat my 20 gallon to 78 degrees...I then rotated the blue dial to 78 degrees and now I can adjust temperature up/down and it's accurate.

 

[Mr. Mojo Rising]

Are you using right size heaters for your tank, heater should be 3-5 watts per gallon, of the heater is not strong enough, it may not heat the the tank adequately. Or it may work too hard and burn out.

Would also suggest to get a good brand of heater, don't cheap out on the heater.

And once you get your new heaters, think about a heater controller, it will alert you if the temp falls below your programmed setting (or rises above your programmed setting), so you will know about heater problem right away.

 

[Jon's Reef]

I have had good luck with these:

HMS Titanium Heater w/Digital Controller

The Finnex HMS heater is a modern digital heater with simple controls and design features that make it an excellent choice for heating your reef. The HMS heaters feature an integrated touchpad control interface and bright digital temperature display which mounts outside of the aquarium for quick...

www.bulkreefsupply.com

 

[reefsaver]

Get a inkbird and two ehiem 300 watts. Be done with it.

I agree with this. Such a simple easy fix. Although I've been looking for something a little more long-term & high end over an Inkbird temp controller. Something that maybe has replacement probes and looks a little nicer.

 

[Dburr1014]

Someone jump in and correct me if I'm wrong here:

If the heater has the temp control built into it...like a dial you rotate to get the temp set. Aren't those notorious for NOT being correct? and need to be "calibrated"?

Without using a dedicated controller with a dedicated temp sensor...I was always under the impression you don't really trust the temp setting "ring" on the heater and just turn it up slowly (while watching it with a separate thermometer) and forget about the "numbers" on the top. So if it has to be set to 82 degrees but it keeps your aquarium a the temp you want...who cares what the number on the top says?

I have an EHEIM heater. It has a dial on the top and a smaller blue ring under that. When I first got it...I had to keep turning the temp up. Once I used an outside thermometer...and got it to heat my 20 gallon to 78 degrees...I then rotated the blue dial to 78 degrees and now I can adjust temperature up/down and it's accurate.

+1 with this.
Can you verify the temperature with another device? Set each thermometer to the right temp you want plus one degree and put it on a controller.

 

[Idech]

Get a inkbird and two ehiem 300 watts. Be done with it.

+1

 

[andy28115]

I agree with this. Such a simple easy fix. Although I've been looking for something a little more long-term & high end over an Inkbird temp controller. Something that maybe has replacement probes and looks a little nicer.

Get a ranco thermostat. Much better and you can have one to control fans if it’s too hot and one to control heat. Lastly buy a thermapen. They are accurate enough to be used commercially out of the box. Mine pulls double duty as I use it in my tank and kitchen after washing the probe of course.

 

[MarsReefer]

I have an apex as my temp controller. It has two probes, one in the overflow and one in the return chamber. They provide a switch 1 degree over where I want the tank.

I run two heaters so even if one fails on it won’t be enough to cook the tank.
However I’ve never had 3 all fail simultaneously before, I thought I was going crazy. I ordered two new ehiems to replace them, hopefully they work better.

 

[MarsReefer]

So just to follow up on this, it looks like the heaters may be fine, it looks like the apex power bar is actually the thing that might be failing. It seems turning one outlet on turns another off even though it says it’s on. And then sometimes the light comes on but the outlet doesn’t actually get power. Guess that’s what I get for thinking the $20 heater failed and not the $300 power strip.
Investigation ongoing but I think the powerbar is the issue.