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Another Hydor Heater Failure...

Hi Crew
I know sometime £$ are hard to accumulate.
Eheim produce filters with a heater included....don't see why all the filter manufactures don't go down this route.
I've never had one fail yet from Eheim....they are more expensive but they do have their + points.
Fluval did a nice filter G6 (Huge Price £300.00) or something....shame they didn't think outside just filtration ..box?
I will not purchase a external filter from a company (other than Eheim) until they produce a filter with a decent reliable integrated heater now.
Never lost any fish/inhabitants using any Eheim heated filter ever and i have been using them for at least 8 years to my memory?
Cheers
hoggie
 
@hogan53 - Nearly all heaters are notoriously unreliable, wether reading way off the actual temp or sticking on. Doing a quick google search on any make will soon bring problem threads up. Some of us just have to count ourselves lucky.

Integrated heaters won't solve any issues a regular heater could get, but would surely make things even more complicated, increasing the chance and/or expense if anything were to go wrong. Things need to be kept simple.

I've already mentioned the STC which solves nearly every problem associated with heaters.
 
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What a mare:(...Mine started to leak...so being inquisitive I opened it up, and the thermostat sensors are just wires with soldered ends shoved in to the heating element and held in place with grease. If they aren't placed in all the way the temp reading can be many degrees higher than the actual heater setting. And I'm guessing that during cleaning etc they can eventually work loose and boil your tank...
 
NC10 said:
Nearly all heaters are notoriously unreliable, wether reading way off the actual temp or sticking on.
Doing a quick google search on any make will soon bring problem threads up.
Click to expand...

Yes, but at least they don't cost £50 a heater. Honestly, if your home electric heater failed like that stuck in the on position and causing some sort of problem or your gas heater exploded so often you wouldn't be so forgiving of heaters. Can't they just make reliable aquarium heaters....For that price I'd expect it to cook the dinner for me :)

I personally use the cheap internal ones as I prefer everything on a separate line so there's one fail at a time. With two leaking filters and a filter I forgot to shut the valves off letting it run dry for I don't know how long, I'd hate to think what would happen.

I had a problem once with one failing heater totally as in not turning on anymore, rather than overheating the tank. If anything, I use heaters slightly underpowered for the size of the tank and never two heaters in one tank as the possibility of cooking the fish is greater. I'd rather deal with colder water than cooking the fish because at certain times of the year here the water just won't go below certain temps.
In the old years they only sold heaters without thermostat where I lived and I often forgot to switch them off and cooked many fish those days.
That's really awful Claire. Really sorry for your fish. Poor things.
 
@NC1O
Maybe Eheim should incorporate this device...a STC what ever it is....... into its filter to make them even more reliable.
Actually some Eheim filters are more versatile than you think they have 2 separate power inputs.
1 for the heater.
1 for the filter.
So if the heater fails...you can disconnect it and use the filter.
I think Eheims can only be heated to a Maximum of 36 degrees....then shutdown.
hoggie
 
Having 2 plugs doesn't help though if the heater sticks on. Obviously if you're actually there and notice it it does, but if Claire had have been there she'd have simply taken out the plug out of hers. Not really versatile just providing a plug for filtration and one for heating. That's just the same as having a filter and a heater.

Also, saying it only heats to 36 then shuts down is irrelevant. When a heaters stuck on it's obviously because it's thermostat or at least some sort of wiring has gone wrong. If the eheim stuck on, it's stuck on. It wouldn't recognise the fact it should only go to 36.
 
I have had 2 hydors fail in the last 12 months lucky both failed to heat. But have gone back to my trusty old jager the trusty hunter :)

Sent from my GT-I9505 using Tapatalk
 
NC10
What i was trying to point out is that the Eheim range of filters with the integrated heaters are more reliable in my opinion ....you pay your money and take your choice.
Scapers would be better using the £50.00 they spend on a Hydor 200/300 and use towards a Eheim.
Of course any heater can stick in the on position be it in the filter or out.
Never experienced that with a Eheim........yet.o_O
Cheers
hoggie
 
My mate has one of these and has had numerous temperature control problems, luckily no fish deaths, but did run at 32C for ages. Issue was the temperature control knob on the side of the older style ones is extremely easy to knock, especially whilst doing tank maintenance, and alter the tank temperature. He insulation taped over the temperature knob, later moving to self amalgamating tape to stop the knob being knocked.

I know it may not be your problem at 40C.
 
makes me nervous about mine now as ive been running it since 2009 but it has always been taped up so the dial cant move.

I might get one of those controllers mentioned above to regulate it. Sorry to hear about your plant and fish losses Claire :(
 
stuworrall said:
I might get one of those controllers mentioned above to regulate it
Click to expand...

Yep, got me worried too! Went out at lunchtime and bagged one… just have to work out the wiring. Do you have the controller set to a higher temperature or lower than the heater?
14435281446_8fa0738869_c_d.jpg
 
:thumbup:

You set the controller to exactly what you want the temp to be. You then run the heater set at a slightly higher temp so the internal thermostat doesn't start interfering. Just leave the 0.3 difference as it is.
 
NC10 said:
Sorry to hear that Claire :(

I'd always recommend getting an STC-1000 regardless of what heater you use. Great little bit of kit and for the sake of £10-£15 would prevent things like this from happening.
Click to expand...
How do you wire up the Hydor heater to this control unit? Is it just a case of taking the plug off and putting the wires into the 'heating' sockets?
 
Julian said:
How do you wire up the Hydor heater to this control unit? Is it just a case of taking the plug off and putting the wires into the 'heating' sockets?
Click to expand...

Basically yes, but the actual unit doesn't supply power, so it's not just a case of putting the heater in the heater terminals. You'll need a couple of connector blocks of some sort. One wire from the heater goes in to the heater terminal, with the other wire being connected straight to the connector block and to the plug/power.

Have a google search and you'll find plenty of diagrams.

Edit: Like this. Obviously heating though, not cooling.

wiringstc1000.jpg
 
NC10 said:
Basically yes, but the actual unit doesn't supply power, so it's not just a case of putting the heater in the heater terminals. You'll need a couple of connector blocks of some sort. One wire from the heater goes in to the heater terminal, with the other wire being connected straight to the connector block and to the plug/power.

Have a google search and you'll find plenty of diagrams.
Click to expand...
Thanks, what about a sensor? Does it come with one or do you have to buy one for it?
 
Yes all comes ready to go with temperature probe. All you need is a bit of wire and connector blocks. You might need a plug as well, depending on if the heater has a removable one or the pre moulded type thing.
 
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