Heater Failure HELP!

[Fishy!]

I had the heater in my saltwater mixing bin fail the other day. I was unsure of what happened, just that the breaker kicked. I unplugged it and left for the weekend. I went in to investigate today and noticed a very "burnt smell". I pulled out the heater and saw it was open and had some gooey looking substance stuck to it.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04/27/7c244a5d59741fa0e2b83fad22ab1370.jpg

The water smelt strong of burnt wires so I dumped it down the drain. Blah what a waste. My question is in regards to the remaining container and power head. I have them in vinegar water with the ph on. Am I safe to use these again once I rinse them?! Or are they permanently tainted? Anyone know what's inside a heater like that? It was from a small beta tank. It worked perfectly btw till it failed. Any help is appreciated.


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[gobytron]

There will be some trace metals to be sure.

What kind of material is your mixing container made out of?

[Fishy!]

Plastic trash bin


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[gobytron]

I would just axe it...

Better safe than sorry and you'll only be out 30 or 40 bucks for a new one.

[Fishy!]

I would just axe it...

Better safe than sorry and you'll only be out 30 or 40 bucks for a new one.

The bin I'm impartial to. I can still use it as a garbage can. Think I need to axe the power head too?

[gobytron]

If it were me, I think I would probably keep the powerhead.

Possibly run it for a while in some straight ro\di water just to ensure if anything did leach, it would come out there rather than in your tank.

[Fishy!]

My thought too. Thanks goby.


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[MKLKT]

Considering most electronics have Cu components I'd be concerned about that, never mind whatever likely popped out of the other bits that burnt. While you likely didn't let it sit long enough to leech, the bucket is worth less than livestock.