Heat exchanger

[PaulCurtis]

I was just reading an article on some one's high electric bill due to the drip into their aquarium. I too run a continuous drip into my discus tank and noted the high electric use. I lowered my electric bill by building a simple heat exchanger.

The basis idea is that you can use the hot water that you are throwing down the drain to warm the in coming water. My incoming drip runs through about 25 feet of 1/4 plastic tubing. I surrounded the input tube with some 3/8-1/2 inch tubing and run the overflow water through it. All of this is coiled in the top of my sump bucket. I have the overflow drain into a bucket that I have a sump in but if you are able to do use a gravity feed that would be easier/cheaper and better.

The result of this is that the incoming water is almost as warm as the tank water.

[Leland F.]

Electric heat is the most expensive, and has the longest recovery time. Small natural gas tankless heaters on a loop with a pump can heat larger systems, 300 total gallons and up, much cheaper that electric aquarium heaters, or electric water heaters. Also the high use will create dramatically more sediment in your water heater, so flush it 2-3 times a year, and change the anode rod every 2 years or at least check it every year to make sure it's not depleted.

-Leland