Aquarium heaters condensation - is it broken?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- Sometimes aquarium heaters appear to have condensation inside and people worry about this - lets discuss!
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I jumped when you acted like you got shocked lol- that’s been my main concern. Thank you in case you still look at this from time to time:)
Thank you!! I replace heaters in my fishroom all the time because I'm scared of the moisture!! You make total sense - thanks for saving me money in the future by keeping my heaters longer!
A very interesting subject, and one of importance to us fish keepers that live in a northern climate. A little while ago l got quite geeky and bought a very accurate thermometer, l was truly shocked at the difference in tempreture that the heaters tempreture indicator, l won't call it a thermometer said it was and the true tempreture, l checked all my tanks and found the thermostats would sometimes allow a drop of 3°C before coming on again. Have since moved to tempreture controllers which do seem more accurate & a nice large LCD display of the temperature appeals to my geekienes.
Interesting stuff. I liked Cory's thoughts in heaters similar to yours. I only tend to run heaters on tiny tanks as they gain and lose temperature so quickly I feel its just keeps it a little more stable through those long winter nights, their ratio of volume to surface area just isn't conducive to stable temps, fun fact, it's also why babies struggle to maintain their temperature too 👍
Makes sense - love a fun fact!
I did leave my heater on once while doing a water change and yes it did crack all over. Lucky.....i had a spare and learned a good lesson.
I would never accept condensation inside a heater as normal--regardless of the excuses by the manufacturer (high humidity in the plant where they were assembled). Moisture inside the heater can't be any good for the mechanisms inside--whether it's mechanical or electronic. It may or may not affect the reliability, but I wouldn't chance it.
Thanks for the explanation of the physics of condensation helps me understand why it happens
If you weren;t my mum Id be sure you were taking the piss... In fact, im not entirely sure you're not...
Don't think she is, but you never know 😜
Have you been away so long you have lost your Scottish dry sense of humour mum xx
Good logical advice and and the bonus excellent accent
"piffle". What a gent. Keep up the good work!
I had a jäger a few times and they are fish fryers but the interpet ones can be a fish fryer when the bimetallic thermostat jams on because of the moisture inside of them
How do you suppose it is air tight enough to prevent the fish from being electrocuted, while at the same time, having a small hole where air can create condensation? At what point would electrocution be an issue?
There is no hole. It is 100% airtight. When it was sealed up at the factory in China if it was a high humidity day then the air trapped inside is going to contain moisture. That moisture will condense onto the glass inside the tube when it's in your aquarium because the moisture is sealed into the tube.
One other note, at about 6:30 you mentioned non-adjustable heaters. Those still have a thermostat, just not one you can adjust.
Good point 👍
Hey guys....yes..heaters get all sorts of goodies inside....and there is NOTHING you can do other than manually check your tank temps daily to see how they are doing. (Other than spending a ton on temp alarms).
I use a laser and just open the top and check the temp real fast. I only have 10 to 15 tanks going at any time, but a bad heater shows up easily and immediately. If you learn, you can aim at the exterior glass and just do the math to add the few degree or whatever the glass temp is versus a direct measurement of the water.
I have had expensive and cheap heaters.... they are hit and miss for quality at all prices in my opinion. I just buy several cheap ones and check them frequently.
On another note...I have been raising bristlenose plecos from egg to free swimmers wth no yolk at 72 degrees which is the constant temp of my fishroom. They do great. Just thought I'd mention it since we are talking temperatures!
Good video sir! 👍.
Best regards all. -Bruce
hi there i have now been running aquariums now for 35 years and never had a heater in my tanks.my temp in my tanks are roughly about 74 degrees and no fish losses
Why do Eheim state their heaters should be positioned vertical?
Great topic! Hey, I have Top Fin 200W heater in my 55 Gal fresh water tank. The first unit installed, got condensation inside glass and water level is where it should be. So, the unit didn't turn on anymore and return to store and got another same kind. Well, the second one worked great until 3rd water change where introduce colder water. If condensation is normal as you indicated due to colder temp introduce in tank and potentially heater trying turn on, bam... condensation build up inside site glass. So, question will this heater eventually dry up and turn back on automatically while still submerged in tank or should I remove it and wipe off outside, air dry? thanks! I can't imagine second time around, condensation buildup and unit is bad... I agree with your point but how do I get unit back working...
Hey, after sending this email. Check my heater and it turned back on so I think everything is fine even with condensation appear top of the heater... thinking 2 layer glass, electronics are buffered, whew... good to know.
Graeme, I know it's an old video. But is there such a thing as an economical aquarium heater?
Not that I know of - unless you can hook it up to a solar panel or something they are all much of a muchness!
I added a heater and there is condensation in my tank and it has make it look cloudy? Is that normal?
I have two 55w aqua one heaters and they both have condensation. Are you sure condensation is ok. Also they’re both set at 26 and one shuts off and one doesn’t?
Hard to say without looking at them - but the point is some condensation does not automatically mean they are broken 👍
@@AquariumAdventures condensation doesn't mean it's broken, will it start working again if leave it alone? I have 200W heater that after partial water change, see condensation top portion and should be turning on but it's not at the moment. This is the second Top fin heater that have installed, first one same situation return it thinking condensation destroyed it but being second unit and seeing this vid, I am not so sure it's bad or this normal condition. But it's not turning on like it's suppose so what should I do? Wait...
My lid on my tank has condensation is that ok? Will it effect my Betta in any way?
Lids on aquariums always get condensation - its what they are designed to do (stop evaporation) so should be fine as long as it isn't dripping outside of the tank.
I noticed whenever I lift my lid off my marine tank lots of water keeps falling off the lid I’m assuming it’s condensation how can I change this from happening.
Thats a good thing, it just means you're not losing water to condensation. If you don't want it to happen - dont have a lid, or allow some ventilation somehow.
@@AquariumAdventures thanks the light uints brokon so not on but i was worried if it was on and condsaton got in the light thats all
Doesn’t warmer water sink?
Heaters should be sized by how much they have to raise tank temp above room temp.
Heat rises in air or liquids.
I remember some of this from high school Physics - but wont pretend not to have googled it before I answered! In water it's to do with density - and generally the cooler water sinks as it is more dense, making warmer water rise. There are all sorts of variables, and the reverse is observed around freezing points (which is why lakes freeze at the surface first).
Also - heaters should be sized based on water volume AND the temp change above ambient temps you need.
Sir there's water inside my heater . What to do ?
Condensation - its probably fine. Filled with water - bin it and buy a new one.
Yeah it's filled with water n used it for just two days .. bad luck 😁 thank u
hows your discus?
No more losses - keeping fingers crossed 👍
Sorry you’re wrong There is a water level on the thermostat you cannot go lower than the water level has to be above the mark
Sorry - I'm not sure what you mean?
Aquarium Adventures on some thermo starts there is a water level meaning that it can’t go in water past that level other wise you will get condensation
Ah right - well if you're using a heater under water that isn't meant to be fully submersible - condensation wont be the problem!! I don't think that makes me wrong!
Aquarium Adventures no that’s why your heater in the tank is condensationing up. It’s up to that mark have a look it’s says level and that’s the level. You could get an electric shock of it because it’s fully submerged.
All my heaters are fully submersible. It says so on the packaging, in the instructions and on the vendors website. They even make a point in the FAQ to say that the heater should be used fully submersed.
This is exactly the reason I made this video!
One argument against large heaters is that large heaters will cycle more frequently. This isn't a great argument, but it's not an entirely invalid one given the cheap thermostats that are in almost all aquarium heaters. Another argument is that they cook your tanks faster. I don't think this is a great argument either because we all know that equipment seems to break when we aren't looking, so you'll most likely ultimately cook the tank regardless.
On very large tanks there is an argument to be made for having several small heaters that are incapable of cooking the tank on their own, but realistically the best answer is to have a standalone temperature controller. If you are willing to spend the money on fancy lights, fancy fish, fancy plants, fancy substrates, etc, you should be willing to willing to spend 20-40 dollars on a cheap inkbird controller, or to spend a bit more and get a proper industrial control unit like a Ranco.
One thing that doesn't seem to get brought up very often is the fact that pumps are in fact heaters. Exterior pumps do radiate some heat, but submersible pumps dump nearly all of their energy into the water in some fashion or another. The only energy that a submersible pump isn't heating your tank with is the noise the pump and the water flowing make, although those values are generally pretty trivial. Now, I'm not pretending that your 10 watt HOB filter is meaningfully impacting your temperature in a 40 gallon tank, but an 80-150 watt return pump in a sump probably is to some extent. It honestly baffles me how infrequently I see this brought up.
This is actually why I think DC pumps are a bit over-hyped. Sure, the fact that they are dead silent and can be easily tweaked is enough to sell them on their own, but their efficiency simply doesn't matter in a tank that you are actively heating above room temperature. One way or another you are using the same amount of electricity to heat the same amount of water. In fact you can make an argument that an inefficient pump that isn't cooking your tank is better, all other factors like noise, flow, reliability, etc being equal. The inefficient pump causes your heater to trip less often, and your temperature will degrade more slowly. Now, I'm not going to pretend that this actually matters. Fish wouldn't survive in the wild if they couldn't handle a temperature swing of a few degrees after all, but I think you'll be hard pressed to make an argument that the system that is closer to steady state isn't at least conceptually better at a minimum.
Now, this obviously doesn't apply if you are actively cooling the tank (saltwater springs to mind), or you are heating a room to keep tanks in. The less heat you add the better when cooling, and heating a room with natural gas or heat pumps is far more cost effective than electrically heating a bunch of tanks in a room. Most people aren't in either of those scenarios and are directly heating their tanks with electronic heat though.
Are you a physic major? There is a formula for condensation. It takes a 9 degree drop in temperature to start the process of condensation. Your thermostat in your heater should never drop and rise more then 5 degrees F. If you have condensation in your heater that means you have corrosion. If you’re heater is built to a good standard you will nit have condensation. Once that heater heats up the condensation should disappear. You you can get it from the factory but after in use it should go away. So if you gave comings condensation in your heater get a good one that’s nit normal.
I'm not sure where to start - there is more wrong than right in your comment
Aquarium Adventures Lol. I’m giving you facts. This is not made up these are facts. The fact it takes a 9 degree temperature drop to creat condensation a fact. When the heating element is turned on it will clear the moisture up and it also creates its own heat zone. The moisture should not reappear. No a submerged electrical appliances should not have moisture in it. That’s just common scene. Like I said at best it shortens the life of the heater at the worse it pops. Theses are just facts. I did ask you if you had a Physics degree? Don’t insult my intelligence just what makes you an expert on this subject. The fact that you’re an aquarium hobbyists and you’ve used them. I have a background in electrical engineering. I was being courteous but you are being rude. Here’s the answer. Cheap heater production leads to fully heaters. Theses manufacturers know this. There has been enough data gathered over the years that they know it really just effects longevity of the appliance and the physical injury level is low. They put them out with a disclaimer. But the truth is if there is moisture in the tube it’s faulty. It’s simple a submerged heating device of this type should never have moisture in it. That should make sense to you. When you put your opinion out in an open forum you should expect to get comments that may be contrary to your own. Anything I’ve said is public knowledge. You didn’t learn in high school about moisture and condensation? You don’t know how a thermostat works? You’ve never been schooled that water and electric don’t mix? Hell one of the first things you learn in your first 101 electrical class is never put a box under a water line. The water will eventually dissolve the block holder for the elements over a short period of time. Oh yeah theses are things you might have known if this was in your wheels house. Nothing is complicated about this. You have a case of cognitive bias. Look it up
Repeating the word 'fact' does not in fact make the nonsense you spout in any way more factual.
I am not a physics major. The fact you can't tell that by my accent (people in the UK don't 'major' in anything) starts you off low on the totem pole of credibility. Given the drivel you've commented and the passive aggressive manner in which you've done it hardly makes me want to engage with you - you appear to at best have a extremely basic grasp of the concept, and are even getting that wrong.
I'm sorry for being rude, but believe what you want.
He lookes and sounds like shrek
Thanks.