BRS Titanium Heater PSA

[Flatlandreefer]

I'm not sure how well documented this problem is or how many users have had an issue but I thought I would share my experience with the 600w Titanium heater from BRS. I bought a 600w BRS Titanium heater about 9 months ago because I viewed it as a more robust design than an eheim glass heater and the 3 year warranty stood out to me as the minimum length of time this heater should last. Today I noticed my tank temp was slowly falling so I reached into the sump and noticed that the 200w version was warm to the touch and the 600w was cold. I swapped out the 600w for an old 300w eheim and overnighted 3 new eheim heaters from BRS.

I called BRS and explained the issue and they were nothing but helpful, they refunded the overnight shipping cost as well as the titanium heater cost since it was under warranty. The customer service agent mentioned that they found a wiring issue with the titanium heaters that would prevent the heating element from heating up in some circumstances. He claimed they resolved this issue at some point so it might not be an issue with the heaters they are selling now. If you have a BRS titanium heater I would definitely have a spare heater handy incase you have a heater fail on you!

 

[Marty's Reef]

Thanks for the info. Did they mention if it was all versions or just the 600W?

 

[PeterC99]

I'm not sure how well documented this problem is or how many users have had an issue but I thought I would share my experience with the 600w Titanium heater from BRS. I bought a 600w BRS Titanium heater about 9 months ago because I viewed it as a more robust design than an eheim glass heater and the 3 year warranty stood out to me as the minimum length of time this heater should last. Today I noticed my tank temp was slowly falling so I reached into the sump and noticed that the 200w version was warm to the touch and the 600w was cold. I swapped out the 600w for an old 300w eheim and overnighted 3 new eheim heaters from BRS.

I called BRS and explained the issue and they were nothing but helpful, they refunded the overnight shipping cost as well as the titanium heater cost since it was under warranty. The customer service agent mentioned that they found a wiring issue with the titanium heaters that would prevent the heating element from heating up in some circumstances. He claimed they resolved this issue at some point so it might not be an issue with the heaters they are selling now. If you have a BRS titanium heater I would definitely have a spare heater handy incase you have a heater fail on you!

I had problems with my new 300W BRS heater with Inkbird controller. Switched to an Innovative Marine Helio PTC 400 Watt Aquarium Heater w/ Controller (2 x 200W).

My temps have been a stable 78 degrees for a month now.

 

[metzer]

Any update from BRS if they identified a batch or reached out to buyers for the batch with the wiring issues?

 

[Flatlandreefer]

Thanks for the info. Did they mention if it was all versions or just the 600W?

I didn't get that question asked. He didn't mention that it was a specific to the 600w.

Any update from BRS if they identified a batch or reached out to buyers for the batch with the wiring issues?

Maybe BRS could chime in and clarify that.

 

[bitwise]

I have a kind of related question. I'm considering buying a couple of these for my new build (~300 watts each). Does a higher wattage heater produce more heat and introduce more "risk" in terms of scorching silicone or surrounding equipment if the suction cups were to come loose?

 

[ca1ore]

Should always have spare heaters on hand, regardless of the brand. None of them are particularly enduring.

 

[ca1ore]

I have a kind of related question. I'm considering buying a couple of these for my new build (~300 watts each). Does a higher wattage heater produce more heat and introduce more "risk" in terms of scorching silicone or surrounding equipment if the suction cups were to come loose?

Higher wattage means more heat per linear inch of the heater, but since the suction cup clips don’t melt and not worry all that much. I personally prefer the finnex tubes because they have a safety ‘bumper’ on the end.

 

[jda]

All heaters suck. Just make sure that they are on at least two thermostats and you have more than you need in the tank and test them often to make sure that they are working.

If you are tired of this then inline heat exchanger are a few thousand dollars for good ones.

 

[PeterC99]

All heaters suck. Just make sure that they are on at least two thermostats and you have more than you need in the tank and test them often to make sure that they are working.

If you are tired of this then inline heat exchanger are a few thousand dollars for good ones.

Very happy with Innovative Marine Helio. New technology that is NOT thousands of dollars and keeps aquarium temps stable.

 

[jda]

Let us know in 3-4 years how it is doing. Seriously. They all look good at first, but over time, they all seem to just regress towards the mean. If it is actually better, then that might be something. They all work when they work.

I know that I am going to jinx myself by typing this, but I have not replaced an Ehiem in probably 5 years... probably have one due to replace soon. The Ranco and Medusa controllers are rock solid as ever.

 

[Waynerock]

Old school TRU temp glass and an inkbird has been a great long term heater option (2 years plus) my trend graph is almost a straight line ALL-the time

 

[OhioFrank28]

Old school TRU temp glass and an inkbird has been a great long term heater option (2 years plus) my trend graph is almost a straight line ALL-the time

Do you use the Heater’s thermostat as the Primary and Inkbird as backup or vice versa?

 

[Waynerock]

Do you use the Heater’s thermostat as the Primary and Inkbird as backup or vice versa?

Inkbird as primary

 

[DarkSky]

Let us know in 3-4 years how it is doing. Seriously. They all look good at first, but over time, they all seem to just regress towards the mean. If it is actually better, then that might be something. They all work when they work.

I know that I am going to jinx myself by typing this, but I have not replaced an Ehiem in probably 5 years... probably have one due to replace soon. The Ranco and Medusa controllers are rock solid as ever.

5 years is nuts!!

I replace my eheims every year as a preventative measure. I run two slightly underpowered heaters, with a redundant thermometer controlling them.

 

[JumboShrimp]

Having read a ton on R2R about heaters, I’ll probably replace my BRS titanium heater every 24-months as a matter of course. ‘Cost of doing business theory,’ on one of the most likely pieces of equipment to fail.

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

This is weird I have a Ranco controller and Fineex 500 watt heater, and my 120 gallon tank felt cold to the touch so I checked it and the tank was71 degrees, so I pulled both bought a new racno and i put my Ehiem heater in, I triple checked my old heater and controller, they have been spot on every time now. So weird, but always check on them you never know when they will go south.

 

[jda]

If you have a heater on a good controller, there is almost no risk of it overheating a tank, so you can wait until they fail. Plus, I use at least 3 on each tank and some with 6, so one will not hurt me if it fails to heat. They are easy to check and I check them when I replace my MH bulbs about once a year.

I started leaving the tops of the Eheims out of the water and that makes them last a lot longer, it seems. They get all salt-creepy, but easy to wipe down or rinse off when cleaning out the sump.

 

[StPatrick89]

If you have a heater on a good controller, there is almost no risk of it overheating a tank, so you can wait until they fail. Plus, I use at least 3 on each tank and some with 6, so one will not hurt me if it fails to heat. They are easy to check and I check them when I replace my MH bulbs about once a year.

I started leaving the tops of the Eheims out of the water and that makes them last a lot longer, it seems. They get all salt-creepy, but easy to wipe down or rinse off when cleaning out the sump.

Can I see a picture of how you have your heater top out the water? All I’ve heard is fully submerge your heater

 

[zalick]

If you have a heater on a good controller, there is almost no risk of it overheating a tank, so you can wait until they fail. Plus, I use at least 3 on each tank and some with 6, so one will not hurt me if it fails to heat. They are easy to check and I check them when I replace my MH bulbs about once a year.

I started leaving the tops of the Eheims out of the water and that makes them last a lot longer, it seems. They get all salt-creepy, but easy to wipe down or rinse off when cleaning out the sump.

I’ve had 7 eheims show moisture in the tube in the last 8 yrs. I use titanium now but will never use an eheim fully submerged again. My old 90s eheims seemed to last years and years.