Heater With Condensation Inside

[fishman/ashley]

hi all i have had two interpet heaters now both have had condensation inside is this ok there not exploding or anything i have a 4ft tank 175 litre and its not getting to temperature iver doe i need two heaters inside? i have a 300w in here at the min

 

[KittyKat]

I would replace with new heaters and keep those two as backup. It is possible to pull them apart and dry them DIY style, but I wouldn't recommend doing that unless you like getting your hands dirty.

Out of all the heater brands I have used, Visitherm are the only glass ones which have never acquired condensation inside them. NeWatt heaters are also nice, although not glass.

You say the water doesn't get up to temperature, what's your house temperature and is the heater light always on? If it isn't, have you tried turning them up past the temperature you want? They can become misaligned sometimes. Two heaters is almost always better than one, in case one breaks. One or two heaters cost the same in terms of energy consumption.

 

[fishman/ashley]

ya see i have been to buy two heaters now both with same problem are they safe? im going to go buy new ones tomorrow again! lol

house is 20 wile been away for weekend and he lights on in day and of at night

should i add the other one? and see if that helps or should i just wait to get new ones tomorrow?

this is costing me a bomb lolheater light goes one and of

 

[KittyKat]

I think they'd be fine to wait till new heaters. I find that 1 W of heater per litre is enough to keep my water temperature up (house temperature is 16-20 C in winter, 20-25 C now), but it sounds like you want a bit more W per litre Maybe try a 100 W and 150 W heaters?

Btw, what temperature are you trying to get it up to and why? Most tropicals are usually ok at 22-25 C, although there are exceptions, of course.

 

[fishman/ashley]

24 is what i want it at............................. there is now a 300w and a 150w in there to keep the temp right............. so you are defo saying they need replaceing or could they be left like that they are brand new..........

 

[KittyKat]

Blimey. Try turning up one heater by 0.5 C every 5 minutes until you see the "on" light go on, then do the same with the other. Measure your water temperature, what the heaters are set to now is probably 0.5 - 1 C above what the water reads at.

 

[fishman/ashley]

yeah i will carry on trying that untill it dose reach that chears

 

[Ant_Soton]

Looks like interpet heaters are a brand to avoid. I've had mine 6 days and it has condensation in it! It looks like im going to have to move my fish into other tank for a day and return that heater

 

[Geoff-]

heater thermostat markings are horribly inaccurate in my experience. At best they are only good for a relative reading ie if you raise the thermostat temp by 2C then your tank goes up by about 2C (you need to wait several hours to let it settle at the new reading).

One of my heaters is set at 28C and the tank sits at 24C, the other heater is set at 28C and the tank sits at 26C. Both heaters are appropriately sized, they are just optimistic in terms of the number on the dial.

 

[Brett_dale]

heater thermostat markings are horribly inaccurate in my experience. At best they are only good for a relative reading ie if you raise the thermostat temp by 2C then your tank goes up by about 2C (you need to wait several hours to let it settle at the new reading).One of my heaters is set at 28C and the tank sits at 24C, the other heater is set at 28C and the tank sits at 26C. Both heaters are appropriately sized, they are just optimistic in terms of the number on the dial.

ill agree on that its pretty much the same with my vivs and temp controllers, dont rely on the thermostat as there horribly inaccurate, even different brands of thermometers can vary by a few degrees C, my 100w heater is currently set between 29 and 30 to achieve a temp of between 25 and 26.

As for the condensation i have a interpet to, since placing in the water on day one it has had some condensation on the upper part of it, this comes and goes depending on how much the heater is running, im a little confused as to if this is actually a fault tho, when you take a glass object apply heat to one side and something cool to the other side (i.e. water) then condensation is going to form. I could be totally wrong on this as i didnt think to look into the makeup of the heaters (time to get reading)

Good job u made this thread most sources are saying to throw it/return it, this is kinda concerning as the unit was brand new, in reading it seems a lot of people are having the same problem with brand new items. Did this company hear of quality control

 

[Brett_dale]

great, went to the shop showed them the condensation and got the reply "yeh thats broken", so they swapped it out no problem, put the new one in the tank, within 30 mins iv got condensation again

 

[Tizer]

Turned on while out of water usually cracks them.

Take back again and say it was probably a bad batch, box might have got dropped.

 

[Ant_Soton]

great, went to the shop showed them the condensation and got the reply "yeh thats broken", so they swapped it out no problem, put the new one in the tank, within 30 mins iv got condensation again

I'd steer well clear of interpet heaters. I've had two with condensation in them now. The original one i had and the one i swapped it for.

 

[CezzaXV]

Are you trying a different brand? You're not buying the same heaters again, are you?

 

[HayzH]

Are you trying a different brand? You're not buying the same heaters again, are you?

now this hasme worried..my Interpet heater has had condensation since day 1....its bloody hot though burnt my arm on it! If so many have condensation i would say its pretty normal?!