Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board  

Go Back   Canreef Aquatics Bulletin Board > General > Reef

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old 04-29-2012, 05:29 PM
christyf5's Avatar
christyf5 christyf5 is offline
Staff
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nanaimo
Posts: 9,175
christyf5 is on a distinguished road
Default why do heaters always fail in the "on" position?

I mean come on! I don't know how many bloody heaters I've had die on me over the years and every single time they cook the tank. Came downstairs to my nano at 89.7F. Friggin ridiculous!!
__________________
Christy's Reef Blog

My 180 Build

Every electronic component is shipped with smoke stored deep inside.... only a real genius can find a way to set it free.
Reply With Quote
  #2  
Old 04-29-2012, 05:32 PM
Megalodon's Avatar
Megalodon Megalodon is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2003
Location: Surrey, BC
Posts: 190
Megalodon is on a distinguished road
Send a message via MSN to Megalodon
Default

What brand?
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 04-29-2012, 05:34 PM
christyf5's Avatar
christyf5 christyf5 is offline
Staff
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nanaimo
Posts: 9,175
christyf5 is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Megalodon View Post
What brand?


oh this is some crap brand probably, I don't even think it says on it. It just says Thermo Compact Pre-Set. Its a 50watter so I was kind of limited by what I could find for a nano around here.
__________________
Christy's Reef Blog

My 180 Build

Every electronic component is shipped with smoke stored deep inside.... only a real genius can find a way to set it free.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 04-29-2012, 05:52 PM
bauder1986's Avatar
bauder1986 bauder1986 is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: Edmonton, AB...find the earie glow of the T5 lights coming from a house lol
Posts: 439
bauder1986 is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by christyf5 View Post
oh this is some crap brand probably, I don't even think it says on it. It just says Thermo Compact Pre-Set. Its a 50watter so I was kind of limited by what I could find for a nano around here.
Those pre-set temp heaters are dangerous. Had one a while back that cooked my tank and killed off half of what i had.
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 04-29-2012, 05:55 PM
christyf5's Avatar
christyf5 christyf5 is offline
Staff
 
Join Date: Aug 2001
Location: Nanaimo
Posts: 9,175
christyf5 is on a distinguished road
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by bauder1986 View Post
Those pre-set temp heaters are dangerous. Had one a while back that cooked my tank and killed off half of what i had.

this one is no different from any of the other heaters I have, are there some that aren't pre-set (that don't cost a fortune because they have their own fancy external controller)? All of mine you dial to wherever you want it and it heats to that temperature (or close to it anyways).
__________________
Christy's Reef Blog

My 180 Build

Every electronic component is shipped with smoke stored deep inside.... only a real genius can find a way to set it free.
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 04-29-2012, 07:12 PM
fencer's Avatar
fencer fencer is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Ed Ab
Posts: 1,331
fencer is on a distinguished road
Default

most heaters are regulated by a bimetallic strip which basically will fail with time. They are not seleniod switches which open on fail. Your best choice ia a Thermocouple and controller. You can program in failsafes
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 04-29-2012, 07:19 PM
Cade's Avatar
Cade Cade is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Victoria BC
Posts: 110
Cade is on a distinguished road
Default

That sucks, is everything ok?



Quote:
Originally Posted by Megalodon View Post
What brand?
Nice avatar! lol
__________________
Tankless and Planning
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 04-29-2012, 07:44 PM
SeaHorse_Fanatic SeaHorse_Fanatic is offline
Gold Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2004
Location: Burnaby
Posts: 4,880
SeaHorse_Fanatic will become famous soon enough
Default

Sorry Christy but it's called Murphy's Law.
__________________
If you see it, can take care of it, better get it or put it on hold. Otherwise, it'll be gone & you'll regret it!
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 04-29-2012, 08:02 PM
Tom R's Avatar
Tom R Tom R is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Surrey, BC
Posts: 1,117
Tom R is on a distinguished road
Default

Hi Christy

why do heaters always fail in the "on" position?

And while your asking

Why does a stapler always run out of staples right when you need one?

The best way to fail safe a heater system is to use a controller to monitor the temperature and attach all your heaters (cheap or expensive) set to a temperature that is well above that set in the controller. The controller will shut off the electricity to the heater once the controlled heat level has been achieved.

Tom R
__________________
My Tank Setup
http://www.canreef.com/ftotm/may08
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 04-29-2012, 08:45 PM
ScubaSteve ScubaSteve is offline
Member
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Vancouver
Posts: 1,591
ScubaSteve is on a distinguished road
Default

To answer your question... The bimetallic strip activates the switch into the ON position and as it switches over there is often a small arc between the two contacts when they're only a short distance apart. Sometimes this arc can actually cause the contacts to weld together, thus leaving you with a heater that is permanently on. This usually happens as the bimetallic strip begins to fail and the switch switches over slowly or the contacts become worn with age.
Reply With Quote
Reply


Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 11:36 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.7.3
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.