bad luck with heaters

[JEB]

I have been having very good luck with the Finnex glass 300 heaters as well but interestingly enough, the ViaAquas have also been very accurate at less than half the price. Visitherm stealths work well if you are interested in blowing up your tank. LOL- SAD BUT TRUE

[jimmyjoe]

Since all this talk on heaters I thought maybe I could ask a question regarding my Titanium heater I got awhile back. It's not working and was wondering if it's the heater or the control unit. I had it in my wet/dry filter for a bit before it died, the light still works on the control unit to show me it's alive but I just don't know if I shoud spring for another heater or the whole shebang again... Jim

[Jhhnn]

Since all this talk on heaters I thought maybe I could ask a question regarding my Titanium heater I got awhile back. It's not working and was wondering if it's the heater or the control unit. I had it in my wet/dry filter for a bit before it died, the light still works on the control unit to show me it's alive but I just don't know if I shoud spring for another heater or the whole shebang again... Jim

You need to open up the control unit, if it's not glued together, and check the resistance thru the heater element with a meter. Open circuit= bad element. Resistance too low= bad element, likely damaged controller. A 300Watt element, for example, should have ~45 ohms resistance, give or take, from this handy calculator-

http://www.the12volt.com/ohm/ohmslawcalculators.asp

Your controller may have an internal fuse, so look for one...

You can also cut the cord between the element and the controller (leave a foot or so sticking out of the controller) & measure the voltage from the controller & the resistance thru the element independently.

Decent multimeters are extremely inexpensive & handy to have. Just an example-

http://www.amazon.com/Equus-3320-Aut...2743395&sr=8-2

If the controller is good, then a female plug can be installed, and a variety of elements used as replacement, including a regular aquarium heater.

People who aren't good with tools would probably just do well to discard anything electrical that doesn't work, buy new.

[Chipper jones]

Finnex titanium heaters. Buy one you will be happy

[DiscusLoverJeff]

I think all heaters to some degree have flaws in their design. I have gone through 5 different brands myself in the past year and each brand had its pro's and con's. From my experience though, find one that has a great warranty and return policy. I had Hydro Theo heaters as mentioned in this thread and the good news was, they have lifetime warranty. Bought them from the local fish store, when one went out, just exchanged for another. The only ones I had real bad luck hold temp was the Fluvals. Set it at 84 and it barely made 78.

Heaters seem to be the one thing all aquarians can say they go through the most.

[Luvewithkindness]

The best heaters that I have had good luck with a cheap eBay heaters 200 watts like $7 with shipping from china . I ordered 6 over a year ago and works awesome I ordered another 8 last month and tested them all out all worked great . Never had any issues with any of them they are in all my tanks 4 55gal 3 20gal 2 30gal and 2 10gal .

[Craigmax]

Good thread to read as i had an Aqueon 400watts fail at 32 days. Luve do you have a link?