heaters exploded

dave76

dave76

Home Zookeeper in Training....
May 13, 2003
617
0
0
Midlothian, TX
dodaniel.tripod.com
I bought a used tank, and it came with two heaters. I decided to use them both and had been using them with no problem for at least a month now.....

So I went to do a water change today 50 gallon, and I did a 30% water change when I started to put water back into the tank, the largest heater went POW and started smoking and it cracked. I immediatly unplugged and removed it, when I started to put more water in POW, the second one did the same thing.

I have never had this happen before, anyone have any idea why this might happen? They were working just find right before I did the water change and I did my best to match the water temperature when I put it back in the tank.

I bought a submersible heater to replace it, any ideas on how I can prevent this from happening in the future?
 
My thinking is that they were exposed to air and the glass overheated, never ever leave glass heaters running out of water.:shakehead:
 
Yes, always turn glass heaters off when you do a PWC.
 
I have never had one explode but I have had similar experiences with my smaller 10 gallon heater. I took it out of the tank will I was cleaning it (my turtle was in it) and then i touched the glass and burned myself. When I put it in the water it made a hissing noise and the water steamed around it!
 
Not sure what caused both to go at the same time, that is certainly odd and makes you think something else somehow caused it. That said, one of the rarely talked about things but an extremely important bit of information none the less has to do with heaters. Being exposed to the air and making the heater think it is cooler than it really is, in turn kicking the heater on 100% to the point the glass is hot/then adding water may have caused it like fishcatch22 mentioned.

Heaters should be replaced every 12 months in an aquarium, even if they appear to be working properly. All heaters seem to start to fail (leak voltage) into the tank at 12+ months. Learned this one from one of the big names in the hobby at IMAC last year in Long Beach who was doing a speech. Forgot who it was now though.
 
they were ut of the water...why didnt you turn them off?
 
That happened to me a few months ago. Now I always keep my heater in the center of the tank close to the bottom so that it stays submerged during water changes. That way I dont have to unplug it. Most glass heaters have a line at the top saying its safe to let the water line hit but I dont trust that. Either unplug it and let it cool off or keep it fully submerged...
 
Ace25 said:
Heaters should be replaced every 12 months in an aquarium, even if they appear to be working properly. All heaters seem to start to fail (leak voltage) into the tank at 12+ months. Learned this one from one of the big names in the hobby at IMAC last year in Long Beach who was doing a speech. Forgot who it was now though.
Click to expand...

I don't know who spoke at IMAC, but I do agree with this. Heaters are a problem waiting to happen, which is why I have one connected to a Ranco controller just for safety. I then replace them once per year or sooner if I am forced to do so.
 
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