Tank Heaters

A

accord728

AC Members
Dec 3, 2009
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Chalfont, PA
I am getting very frustrated purchasing heaters that fail within a year. I have probably purchased half a dozen heaters of different manufacturers in the past 4 years. I purchased 2 Rena Smart Heater about a year ago and the 1 has failed. This heater worked great prior before I unplugged it for the hot summer months. I plugged it in the other night and the next day I saw that the water was 85 degrees and still was heating the water. That was 7 degrees above my set temp. I decided to give a try again with close monitoring and now it’s flashing a message that its 5 degrees out of temperature range. It doesn’t appear to be heating the water.

I had high hopes for these heaters and liked how they attached to my Rena canister filter.

Any recommendations for a long lasting reliable heater?

Thank you,
Tim


 
I have had just as much luck as you have with heaters =/ I've tried ALL the popular brands over the years. All of them which have failed way short of what I expected them too last.

So I tried a brand I hadn't seen before at my LFS called Jager. It seems really well built. No plastic on it what so ever, like most heaters. I've had it running about 6 months on 55 gallon... so far so good but we shall see in the long run.

BUT what I'm really excited about is the brand new line of Fluval heaters that has come out. I have ALWAYS trusted Fluval, one of the filters I have from them have been running 12+ yrs with out a single problem and with out much water flow loss. Infact I will be buying one of these new fluval heaters today for my new 29 gallon setup. I'll update on it once I get it.
 
I am very happy with my Fluval E-Series heater. Accurate settings to 1/2 degree.Expensive but they work as advertised.Quality+heater
 
accord728 said:
This heater worked great prior before I unplugged it for the hot summer months.
Click to expand...

Why bother unplugging it? I never do. In warm weather the heater should just turn off (although I'd never let the house get that warm; 78-80 degrees even in the middle of the night?).

Most heaters are based on a very cheap design that is inherently unreliable (i.e., heaters that use a bimetal element as both temperature sensor and heating element switch).

IMHO it also doesn't help that nowadays people use them in fully submersed. Yea they're supposed to work that way now, but the seals at the top are another point of potential failure.

FWIW, I'm been using a Hydor in-line heater for a couple of years and have been happier with it than with other heaters I've tried.
 
PDX-PLT said:
Why bother unplugging it? I never do. In warm weather the heater should just turn off (although I'd never let the house get that warm; 78-80 degrees even in the middle of the night?).
Click to expand...

My house does not have central air. Why would I keep something plugged in if I am not using it. It still uses power plugged in. Plus, I was hoping to extend the life of the heater.

Thanks for the suggestions already! More suggestions are welcome. I am going to look more into this.
 
I know that this thread dates back a few months ago but I thought that i would share my warranty experience with you guys. I was in communication with the API (MARS Fishcare) the manufacturer of the Rena Smartheaters in the past few days to get this heater replace through the warranty. They made it so easy for me that I drove a mile down the road to their corporate office, I handed them my failed heater and they gave me a brand new 1 in a retail box. I was extremely satisfied with their customer service and warranty.

In talking to their technician, the guy explained that this is their 2nd heater in the 5 year run of this line of heater that has failed by not turning off at the set temp (kept heating the tank). He also explained that these heaters are a better quality than their glass heaters (the glass heaters have a 5% failure rate). The glass heaters have a tendency to be knocked around a lot in shipment that could cause weaken heater durability. The reason why their Smartheaters aren't as popular is due to the high cost.

I really enjoyed my experience with dealing with API. Their warranty made it easy and re-assured me that this is a good quality product and they will stand by it. The technician will be delivering a care package at my house which will contain some filter media to me in the upcoming days. He told me that my house is on his way to work. I would recommend this heater to other people. I have another Rena Smartheater which I briefly mention in an earlier post that is still going (over a year now) with no problems.
 
Its great to hear you got such good replacement service and that they took the time to talk with you. Some good points were made on this thread especially how before heaters were made submersible the failure rate seemed lower. Also I see how separate outside controllers would be much more reliable since nothing electronic is exposed to moisture. Im still waiting to use my new cheap Jebo heaters as it is still warm here in SW Arizona daytime temps are still in the 90's and nights in the 80's but its cooling off fast. Like I stated before with all the large tanks I have scattered throughout my house I intend to use the N-gas furnace and set the thermostat to 72F which should take a load off the tank heaters which will be set to 80F.
 
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