Heater for storage tanks?

[Desertdrifter]

I have two fifty gallon plastic storage tanks .I have a 300 watt heater I move from the empty tank to the full one then the empty one fills with a float to a set level. my problem is the heater is only lasting two months or so. any sugestions.

[Carol_Roberts]

I keep a variety of heaters in my storage tanks, ebo whispers, etc. I use 250 watt. Most have been in use for a year.

Many hobbiests have been complaining of heater failures lately. I bet you've just been unfortunate and ended up with a couple of bad heaters . . . .

[mench]

I keep a heater in all of my storage barrels...I go to a lot of garage sales and when I find heaters I buy them just for spares or for the barrels.

Mench

[rickk]

It is possible that if the heater is hot when you move it to a cold barrel that it will break. I too have had this happen, I now have a heater in each barrel and have had no problems.

I think a steel heater is a better option


Rick

[korbi_doc]

:bounce2: :bounce2: I wish my storage tubs were 50g, use RM 32g. & I agree with Rickk, have just installed the 300w stainless steel in each one. Doing the job, am careful to unplug when water is in use, & they are less expensive than my 2 titaniums, which I also like. lol, Dottie ;D

[barron]

Hi

I do not use a heater.

I heat a stock pot on the stove, about 7 mins. Then I add it to the aged water tank.

The water in the pot is also aged.

I like this better then the heater.

The heater was running to long, I think it would have been be costly, maybe not.

Burner is 10k watts, at 7 min = 1.166 kilo watts about .14 cents per day.

Barron :o

[Desertdrifter]

I put pink board under my tank and wrapped them with foil backed insulation for heat loss. I am a heating and air conditioning contractor so I have access to most matierials readily.I agree about the expence ,I have thought about running my air conditioning condenser through my tank to heat it (free heat) but I am worried about the copper tubing in my water. PS thanks for the replys!

[barron]

Hi

I want to add comment.

If your tank temp. is 86 degrees and you change 15 gallons of water and the storage tank water is 74 degrees you will need to make up (12 degrees x 15gal.= 180 plus 86= 266 total unit of heat).

Water boils at 212F so 266degrees needed div. by 212 boiling point=1.25 gals. needed to bring age tank water to tank temp.

Thats how I do it.

Barron :)

[barron]

Hi

After playing with the numbers if you have 10 or more tanks a solar hot water heater may be wise.

Barron :)

[Desertdrifter]

I just compleated training and certification to install solar water heaters. at $1500.00 for parts only itll take me a while to recoupe. my investment.

[daninthesand]

Yes, but how do you heat all the tanks when they are not on a central system? I guess you could heat the room itself with solar....hmmmmm.....

[barron]

Hi

Check out used ones. Back in the late seventies and early eighties that was a big tax scam. People bought them just for write offs.

They were junk back then.

However I seen one listed for 450.00, if you removed.
fairly new.

In the Penny Saver (used listing here in Daytona).

I guess you could put it on a drip system.

Barron ::)

[Miles]

I use 3-500 watt commercial heaters in my water storage containers.
My containers are 2-550 gallons and 1-300 for RO water. The others contain the RO waste.
You can purchase the heaters from Jon at Jehmco.

Miles

[barron]

Hi Miles

What does that run in electric?

I guess about 50.00 per month.

How many tanks?

Barron 8)

[ronrca]

Depending on the ambient temperature of your storage tank to start will depend on how long your heater must be on to heat the storage water. When I first started, I only used cold water to fill my storage barrels and I used 6 heaters equaling around 1000W (per 60G). It would take 4 hours of continuos heating to get the temp up to 86F. Now I reconfigured my tap water so that I am using my hot/cold water mix to fill the storage tanks at 86F right away. I use 1 250W to keep the temp at 86F therefore the heater is only on intermitantly.

My hot water heater is gas btw.

[RichieE]

My storage heater is on a timer. I change the water around the same time every night. Its only on for 5 hours a day. Rich

[barron]

Hi

I may be better off leaving mine outside 9 months out of the year.

House is 72-74 year round, out side avg 84-86 9 months out of the year.

Anyone done this before?

Barron :)