Exploding Heaters - Marineland Stealth and Stealth Pro (Pictures) - Recall Issued

[abcha0s]

This falls in the category of "I should have known better", but I'm going to share it anyway. It's not new information that that these heaters explode, but if there is anyone out there that is still using them, please cut your loses and take them out of your tank. It's just not worth the risk. A quick search will bring up dozens of examples and I know it's been posted on Canreef before.

Honestly, I am appalled that Marineland hasn't formally recalled these heaters. Consider you entire tank crashing to nothing because of one of these heaters. How mad would you be?

This particular Marineland Stealth Pro 300W heater is only about 6 months old, so this problem is still happening. It had been in the box until about a week ago when I plugged it in for the first time. I am fortunate that it was in my new tank which doesn't have a lot in it right now, but it's still a major problem for me. I'll have to do a 90% water change to ensure there are no residual chemicals left over from the explosion and that will cost me $300+ (300G RO/DI + Salt) and take a day of my time.

The heater was fully submerged. There were no electrical faults. Nothing fell on it. There is no reason why this should have happened.

The explosion was loud and could have cracked the glass of my sump. There was a black powder covering the surface of the tank. I had an almost clogged filter sock which I think caught most of the black stuff (lucky), but it's the stuff I can't see that worries me.

http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/explodingheater/tn_marinelandheater04.jpg

http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/explodingheater/tn_marinelandheater01.jpg

http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/explodingheater/tn_marinelandheater02.jpg

http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/explodingheater/tn_marinelandheater03.jpg

http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/explodingheater/tn_marinelandheater05.jpg

http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/explodingheater/tn_marinelandheater06.jpg

http://owa.footit.ca/wwwimages/explodingheater/tn_marinelandheater07.jpg

[lastlight]

Holy cow! I previously ran these but have since gone back to the good old jagers.

[wayner]

Holy Shite!, that's bad, run the jagers too.

[Delphinus]

Wow :(

[dsaundry]

Finnex for me has been good.:biggrin:

[Dez]

There's a guy that rents space from me at work and he has a turtle tank there and the same thing happened to him. His looked a lot worse though. It's just crazy!

[fishoholic]

Yikes, somehow I didn't know this, I've used and am using this type of heater right now. I always thought they were well made, I haven't had any issues yet and been using one for 3yrs. I was always worried about glass ones crapping out/breaking (which I have had happen) which was why I switched to stealth in the 1st place! Apparently the stealth's suck too :neutral: Looks like I'll be looking for a new heater.

[mseepman]

Yikes...I have two of these...one still in the box and one running my 70g tank.

My Ebo-Jager failed on and nearly cooked my tank at 90 degrees so J&L replaced it (it was in the first year) with two smaller Stealths.

Guess I should be looking at other options before it costs me my tank.

[abcha0s]

The trouble is, when these things fail they pour toxic chemicals into your tank.

When a glass heater fails, you should be able to catch it by monitoring the temp of your tank. Most people, including myself, recommend a secondary control. I have mine connected to my Apex controller, so a stuck heater won't crash my tank.

An exploding heater is an entirely different story.

[mseepman]

Yeah...I've been holding off on a controller to buy the right one once my 290G starts.

[Binare]

Ive had 5 or 6 of these heaters and never had issues. That said... I like the Jagers now for calibration.

[phi delt reefer]

Everything Jager is good...

http://ducksdailyblog.com/files/2010/04/jaromir_jagr_mullet.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_6uMd9hpH6bQ/Rh_gTSiS4wI/AAAAAAAAAAM/gpEMr1w0YB8/s320/JAGERMEISTER.jpg

http://www.saltwatertogo.com/images/detailed/0/ebo-jager-150-watt-heater.jpg

[cale262]

I had one of these fail on me a couple years ago in a hi-tec planted system, I came home to find everthing dead and a very established and mature system wiped out, it was heart breaking to say the least...All my systems are running ehiem heaters now...

[sphelps]

So basically the heater is a loaded pipe bomb, nice! You know that is definitely lawsuit material, especially with any kind of damage, even emotional.

It's interesting the company hasn't recalled them as I'm sure they are aware of the issue, my bet is they did a value analysis which proved the expense required for the recall is higher than the damages they may have to pay out as a result from the defective products. Although this is common practice it's also basically illegal. Any registered engineer or other professionals working on the project could loose their license and face jail time. Their is certainly danger towards human life here, if the instant before the heater exploded you noticed a strange sound and decided to pull out the heater to investigate it would certainly do some damage.

I would investigate some options if I were you, this kind of BS shouldn't just be shrugged off as "I should have known better", the manufacturer and designers should have known better. It's certainly not your responsibility to make sure such products are safe to use.

[phi delt reefer]

$50 says the warranty with the product has a limited liability clause that only covers the physical heater itself and wont cover any other damages caused by the heater malfuntioning.

every product has the clause. Though some lawsuits have been very successful in turning over a LL clause but it takes $$...lots of $$

[Jackie]

Are we talking about ALL Stealth Pro heater as of those ones on shelf today or just those from a bad patch of defective heaters?

[abcha0s]

Are we talking about ALL Stealth Pro heater as of those ones on shelf today or just those from a bad patch of defective heaters?

If you search around, I think you will find that this has been going on for a while now. There are many reports of this happening. If it is limited to a bad batch, then I think it's more than one batch that has this problem.

I really would take the heater out of opperation. It's just not worth the risk.

[sphelps]

$50 says the warranty with the product has a limited liability clause that only covers the physical heater itself and wont cover any other damages caused by the heater malfuntioning.

every product has the clause. Though some lawsuits have been very successful in turning over a LL clause but it takes $$...lots of $$
Doesn't matter in this case as it's not a warranty issue. If they are knowingly selling a defective and ultimately dangerous product you're looking at a whole different issue. A heater that stops working is a defective product, a titanium heater that explodes is a pipe bomb.

[abcha0s]

I agree with the pipe bomb analogy. It would likely have taken my hand off if I had been holding the heater. Look what it did to someone elses tank!

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=18640&d=1267314565

That picture is from this thread - http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equipment/103155-beware-marineland-stealth-pro-heater.html

The first page shows a tank blown out by an exploding Stealth Pro Heater. There are several more exploding heaters throughout the thread.

Another thread can be found here:
http://forum.simplydiscus.com/showthread.php?77930-BEWARE!!-Marineland-Stealth-Pro-Heater&

There are so many examples of this happening. I really think it is all of these heaters. They haven't all exploded yet, but one day they may.

[Jackie]

I guess one reason is we can not see any crack or damage on these Stealth heaters. And we handle them much more roughly than glass heaters. 300W mixing with water.

[lastlight]

That thread mentions copper in the heater as well. This isn't like treating fish in a tank with copper where it can potentially make a tank unfit for reefs? I'm guessing an actual piece of metal is not the same.

[Coleus]

hmm i have this heater somewhere for backup but i think i am going to throw it away. Thanks for the warning

[Tracey2]

My experience

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv305/Missy4now/IMG_1694.jpg

[sphelps]

My experience

http://i694.photobucket.com/albums/vv305/Missy4now/IMG_1694.jpg

From the same kind of heater???

[mws]

When it was time for a new heater I did search the net and came upon the tanks with the bomb hole, still couldn't believe the heater did this. But as a precaution I took it out of my tank(I used this heater for over a year)Now I only use it to do water changes.
So sorry for everyone's bad luck, it must be devastating.

[Palmer]

I have a heater that is metal and labelled as a stealth heater in my freshwater cichlid tank but its not made by marineland. I bought it at petland about 5 years ago. Does anyone know if this is pretty much the same? Wonder if Marineland bought them out or something.

[phi delt reefer]

read this - http://www.beananimal.com/articles/aquarium-heaters-what-you-need-to-know!.aspx

good article on the truth/design of aquarium heaters and their reliability. You can use something like this (plumbed into your sump) to protect it from explosions like the ones pictured above.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/219x7LFpXCL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

[BlueTang<3]

I have about 6 of these heaters running on my systems never had any issues. All have been going 1-2 years. Tried two hydor heaters first one stuck on good thing it was a small heater and the replacement one exploded within a month of use. I think all heaters have issues. But this is crazy

[abcha0s]

I have a heater that is metal and labelled as a stealth heater in my freshwater cichlid tank but its not made by marineland. I bought it at petland about 5 years ago. Does anyone know if this is pretty much the same? Wonder if Marineland bought them out or something.

From what I can tell, it seems to only be the stealth pro heaters. Most of the feedback for the original stealth heaters is good. I haven't heard of any that exploded.


Brett - I saw the reference to copper as well. I'm not sure what would happen if you dropped a penny in your tank? In any event, a really big water change should be sufficient to dilute it.

[Palmer]

Thank's that's good to know. My cichlids are getting kind of big and I actually liked the fact it was metal. Have had it for 5 years with no problems.

[mseepman]

Okay so I have two Stealth heaters, not the pro's...should I still be really worried?

[lastlight]

Brett - I saw the reference to copper as well. I'm not sure what would happen if you dropped a penny in your tank? In any event, a really big water change should be sufficient to dilute it.

What else can a guy really do? I'm sure it'll work out ok. Thankfully the tank did not have all your stuff transferred into it that would be heart-breaking.

[abcha0s]

Okay so I have two Stealth heaters, not the pro's...should I still be really worried?

Hi Mark. I don't think you need to worry. It's only the "pro" heaters.

[Tracey2]

From the same kind of heater???

Stealth pro 300 W made in china. I think the ones made in Italy are ok.

[Jackie]

Stealth pro 300 W made in china. I think the ones made in Italy are ok.

If you look around. Over 80% stuff around you are made in China.
You are dead long time ago.

[abcha0s]

If you look around. Over 80% stuff around you are made in China.
You are dead long time ago.

That's a strange thing to say to someone who's tank exploded? I assume you are just poking fun at China for making crap - in which case, I guess it's funny.

Anyway, most of my hardware comes from somewhere in Europe.

[Jackie]

I just want to say
"made in China" is not equal to bad and most of the time there is no choice.
"made in Italy" is not equal to good.

[chris121277]

WOW!!!!

how did I miss this thread, so to get up to speed...it's only the "Stealth Pro" that this happens with? none of there other heaters?

[abcha0s]

..it's only the "Stealth Pro" that this happens with? none of there other heaters?

Hi Chris - I suppose any heater could potentially explode, but it is really only the Marineland Stealth Pro heaters that have a documented history of exploding.

[abcha0s]

It looks like Marineland is recalling these heaters!

February 11, 2011

Dear Valued PetSmart Pet Parent,

Marineland has issued a voluntary withdrawal of the Stealth PRO Submersible Heater (100, 200 and 250 watt). The product is being withdrawn due to a quality issue.

If you have this product, please stop using it immediately and take the following steps:

1. Unplug the heater from the wall to stop the flow of electricity
2. Let the heater cool for 15 minutes
3. Remove the heater from the tank

Please bring the product to your closest PetSmart for a full refund or exchange. Replace the product with a comparable heater as soon as possible to maintain the temperature of your aquarium. A PetSmart store associate can help you select the right heater for your aquatic environment.

If you have questions about this withdrawal, please call Marineland Customer Service at 800-526-0650 or 800-432-6986.

At PetSmart, we are concerned pet parents, too. We will continue to do everything we can to help you and your pet during this time.

Sincerely,

Debbie Gonzalez
Vice President, Brand and Customer Marketing

http://petsmart-mail.com/P/v3/Microsite.asp?E=1524;812537;1930616628;25;02&R=T1_ONL&A=1007

I don't see the 300W heater listed? - It's possible that PetSmart doesn't carry the 300W version, so they left it off this letter? - I am interested to see when this information makes it to our LFSs.

I sent my complaint to MarineLand on Friday morning (the same day as this recall). I haven't heard back from them yet.

I personally think they let this go on for far to long. The first reports were almost a full year ago.

[Jackie]

Marineland removed Stealth Pro from their website as well....humm

[Jackie]

Just called Marineland and Petsmart.
Marineland does not recall it. They only stop selling it.
Petsmart's recall does apply to Canada as well.

[cwatkins]

I got mine from J&L last spring. I've emailed Jeff to see if he's heard anything. I'll probably switch it out tonight with (unfortunately) a marineland visitherm I use for water changes.

[Coleus]

one of my spare heater is Stealth version but not the Pro. However, it does have the plastic wrap around it and it is made in Italy. Should i throw it in garbage or bring it to Petsmart.

Hmm nvm, I am safe

[sgreen]

My heater developed a crack down the side of it last night lucky it was in a secondary tank with nothing in it. Not sure what would have happend if I was not there. Stealth pro 200w

[Nebthet]

models are 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 watt versions of the Stealth Pro heater line.

http://reefbuilders.com/2011/02/14/marineland-stealth-pro-heaters-recall/

[RuGlu6]

If you look around. Over 80% stuff around you are made in China.
You are dead long time ago.

Out of topic but China now makes fake organic produce and fake rice made out of plastic...

http://www.naturalnews.com/031344_plastic_rice.html
.

http://www.naturalnews.com/031378_organics_China.html

[Jackie]

Out of topic but China now makes fake organic produce and fake rice made out of plastic...

http://www.naturalnews.com/031344_plastic_rice.html
.

http://www.naturalnews.com/031378_organics_China.html

I understand, but it doesn't mean other country won't make fake product.
I just want to say 'Made in China doesn't mean bad.
I bet more than one of lighting fixture in anyone's house is made in China.
Anyone scare it may explode?

[abcha0s]

models are 100, 150, 200, 250, and 300 watt versions of the Stealth Pro heater line.

http://reefbuilders.com/2011/02/14/marineland-stealth-pro-heaters-recall/models are 100,

The posted link doesn't work. I believe it is here:

http://reefbuilders.com/2011/02/14/marineland-stealth-pro-heaters-recall/

- Brad

[abcha0s]

I understand, but it doesn't mean other country won't make fake product.
I just want to say 'Made in China doesn't mean bad.
I bet more than one of lighting fixture in anyone's house is made in China.
Anyone scare it may explode?

Oh Jackie. Give it a rest. Everyone knows that not everything that comes from China is crap, but let's be honest. A lot of 'made in China' products are are of very poor quality. That's because they cut corners to keep costs down. This is not a secret. It is the Chinese economy. These heaters are crap no matter how you look at it, and they were made in China. Let's call a spade a spade. My tank almost blew up!

[hillegom]

I am keeping mine. Hopefully they will recall them in the future.

[cwatkins]

Just a quick note, I was able to successfully exchange my 250W Stealth Pro for an equivalent at PetSmart in Bellingham no questions asked (we go to Costco for some shopping and it's right next door).

So if you don't have a receipt and cannot return it to your local LFS, your local Petsmart is stepping up to the plate and handling this situation very well.

Cheers.

[hillegom]

Did you have to give a name and address to petsmart?

[Sunee]

Marineland will replace the heaters, with their "visitherm" model if that is something you would like to do. You can call the number in the in the notice posted on the reef builders site (link in Brads post above).

[cwatkins]

Did you have to give a name and address to petsmart?

No. I just asked if they're doing the heater recall and they said yup and took me over to the heater isle to pick an similar one (Hagen) and just rang it up on the register at $0. Very friendly people too.

[Kryptic4L]

So I read this thread last night, and I was quite happy to realize that when I was looking for the pros, they were no where to be found.

However this morning, I grabbed my original model stealth and got a pretty good shock. But at least it did not blow up in my hand.

Im still kinda sad about all this, as these were the only heaters I really liked the design on...

[lastlight]

http://reefbuilders.com/2011/04/25/marineland-stealth-pro-aquarium-heaters-recall/

[MKLKT]

I need to unplug mine, one of the two heaters I have in my sump is a stealth pro. Failing by just not working anymore doesn't worry me... blowing my sump to bits does!

[hillegom]

Anyone in the lower mainland exchanging these?

[monocus]

j&l exchanged 3 of mine for me-went with aquaheat titanium