Cobalt NeoTherm heater exploded in sump.

[Blakethereefguy]

Ok now I am worried. I have two of the 150s on mine

Get rid of them asap, it’s not a question of if, but when. They will either runaway on heating, just not turn on, or explode. Get literally anything else lol.

 

[Thespammailaccount]

Get rid of them asap, it’s not a question of if, but when. They will either runaway on heating, just not turn on, or explode. Get literally anything else lol.

Any brand you recommend that has a built in thermometer? I like the fact that it turns on or off to keep temp within a half of a degree

 

[esther]

I have two of the Neotherm 300w in my sump. Haven't had issues at all (knock on wood).

 

[esther]

Glad your tank didn't have any serious issues, though!

 

[Robertellis30]

These heaters are junk. I’ve had them break and malfunction on me multiple times.

 

[Spieg]

FWIW - I don't care for GFCI outlets. If anything on the entire circuit is faulted (I'm sure that one outlet is not the only thing on that supply circuit), they can't/shouldn't reset. Maybe ask your electrician about switching to a GFCI circuit breaker (they're more durable).

Also, I would never run any heater without a redundant control (Inkbird, Neptune, etc...) as all heaters will fail eventually.

 

[brandon429]

I trust the good old wal mart standby tetra preset 78 for my reef though that one is 90's clunky. reliable. for larger reef Id do external controlled / something quality contact

 

[Character85]

I have an older finnex module that controls up to 800 watts and 2 heaters. I dont think they make that module anymore but u can prolly find it on a warehouse type site. It has an override control 2 plugs for heaters and its own temp probe thats 2 inches long with suction cup. It was like $50 when I bought it 12 yrs ago. Still works great and still calibrated correctly.

 

[Character85]

I agree with that statement. In preparation for my tank I had electrician put in a dedicated 20amp line for my tank via 2 separate GFCI outlets. Its on its own circuit breaker on my box. Cost anywhere from $1k-2k to do. Well worth it. Same with a Generac Generator in event of power outage esp if u have aboveground powerlines. The new ones can hook into ur furnace (if u have nat. gas) or to ur electric box if u have oil heat.

 

[Character85]

But a portable Honda 2k put-put can run most tanks and much cheaper.

 

[Blakethereefguy]

Any brand you recommend that has a built in thermometer? I like the fact that it turns on or off to keep temp within a half of a degree

Honestly man I just have a ehime Jager and a aqueon as a back up now. Both are plugged into my ink bird I recorded checking out the ink birds.

 

[samnaz]

I have a 100w in my mixing container because it’s broke and stuck on 94 degrees. It fried my tank awhile back making it reach 88 before being noticed. Now it sits in my mix station keeping the salt water warm. I like the slim look and set and forget with the thermostat light. But this is scary

Same thing happened to me. 150 watt stuck on max temp for days at least, cooked and killed most of my coral.

 

[Cell]

Every lfs around me recommended those heaters, but thanks to R2R I avoided them for this reason. I've had 2 1eheim Jager on my tank for close to a year now with no issues whatsoever

The Eheim Jager is also my preferred heater. But it's not without some minor flaws. Its oversized and the can be hard to calibrate, but once dialed in its rock solid.

 

[alton]

If you want to keep a heater for more than a year then keep the controls out of the water and only submerse the glass part. I have a marineland that is 10+ years old and still works perfectly because its whole life I kept the controls dry. All GFCI's built today are self testing. So when the receptacle can no longer self test it shuts off. When you purchase the GFCI plug strips or short cords make sure they say "Auto Re-set". If not they are made for construction, where if you lose power and then it comes back on, the the worker doesn't get hurt because the drill automatically starts when not expected. Lucky you had a GFCI otherwise you may of had a fire at the receptacle before tripping the breaker. I have seen a friends heater do the exact same thing. I replaced the receptacle, he replaced his plug strip, and repainted his sheetrock wall.

 

[Jonreefer]

I don't know how they haven't been hit with a class action by now.
I had a 150w a few years ago. Used it only a handful of months. after that it was leaking current and was giving me a slight shock anytime I touched the water. After that, I only used Jager in my tank till yesterday. When I got my new Apex I switched to the BRS titanium. I would never recommend anyone use neotherm unless its for mixing up water and that's it.

 

[Chefwheredyougo]

The Eheim Jager is also my preferred heater. But it's not without some minor flaws. Its oversized and the can be hard to calibrate, but once dialed in its rock solid.

Completely agree

 

[javisaman]

Just an update. Everything made it alive! So to anyone who encounters the same thing. Immediately do water changes, run double dosage carbon, polyfilter, and cubrisorb. I was very lucky that I was in immediate vicinity when it happened!

 

[esther]

Just an update. Everything made it alive! So to anyone who encounters the same thing. Immediately do water changes, run double dosage carbon, polyfilter, and cubrisorb. I was very lucky that I was in immediate vicinity when it happened!

Glad to hear you came out on the other side 100%!!

 

[Cell]

Good reminder to always keep a poly filter on hand.

 

[clockman]

My Cobalt 150W Neo Therm malfunctioned overnight, and by the time I noticed it, the water temp was already 94F! It was a fluke that I noticed it, as the ATO was beeping due to the IceCap sensor being a bit flaky. If not for that, I would not have stuck my hand in the water to notice how warm it was. So now II've ordered InkBird as a backup temp sensor to turn off the heater in case of another malfunction. I lost all my xenias, maybe the GSP and Umbrella Green Polyp survived, but they are all retracted atm. The spiderman zoas and twizzlers seemed to have survived. My prized blood-red fireshrimp cooked and became a meal for the nassarius snails. My pistol shrimp seemed to have survived. Saw it poke its head out of the rock burrow. All the fish survived, but acting a bit stressed. Frankly I feel completed spent and devastated by the loss. I can understand why some people give up the hobby when they encounter a major catastrophe.