Multiple Heaters Dying, Bad Luck or Normal?

[Hugh Mann]

Been in the hobby a little over two years. In that time I have kept a 55 gallon and two 20 gallons and now have just a 260. In that same time period, I have had one heater fail on, one dump voltage into the tank and three more just quit. The latest of which was a rather expensive Aquatop 500 watt titanium heater with the built in controller. That one had only been running about a month. Edit: I neglected to mention I was running two 500 watt heaters, which seemed to work pretty reliably. Didn’t run continuously once I insulated the sump.

Is it normal to burn through this many heaters in two years or am I just incredibly unlucky?

Does anyone have a suggestion for a brand/model that is perhaps a bit more reliable?

 

[Grimmj]

I'd say not normal. I have a fluval heater that has been running for around 3 years. I did have a cheap amazon special one that I use in my RO/DI brute can die but I chalk that up to it was undersized for the tank. In my 80gallon I run the fluval 300 watt and a I run another eihem in my overflow(to long for my sump). I think running multiple is better than 1 big one. I would suggest checking the voltage where they are plugged in. Are you by chance turning them off and on frequently with a smart switch or something? I know my fluval says when power is interrupted to leave it off long enough to cool off completely before reapplying power.(always seemed weird)

 

[LeftyReefer]

I use a Hygger controller that allows you to use any (120v) style plug in heater as the heating unit.
If the heater dies, just replace the heater unit, not the whole controller.

I'm using a titanium heater, which is going on 2 years of service and hasn't needed replacing yet.

Hygger Heater

I've also had good luck with a cheap Inkbird heater that I've been using in my QT tank for over a year now.... no issues and it was only like $25.

Inkbird heater

 

[thomas_neil]

Been in the hobby a little over two years. In that time I have kept a 55 gallon and two 20 gallons and now have just a 260. In that same time period, I have had one heater fail on, one dump voltage into the tank and three more just quit. The latest of which was a rather expensive Aquatop 500 watt titanium heater with the built in controller. That one had only been running about a month.

Is it normal to burn through this many heaters in two years or am I just incredibly unlucky?

Does anyone have a suggestion for a brand/model that is perhaps a bit more reliable?

A 500 is very small for a tank that size. Check out BRS heaters on there website. I’d pair 2 of the 1200 watt titanium heaters with an inkbird controller. When the heater dies you only have to replace the heater and not the controller. I run 2 heaters on my tank and set 1 a few degrees cooler than the primary so when the primary does eventually die I have another one that will kick on as a back up. They’re fairly cheap heaters as well and usually last about a year. When it comes time for a new one I put the back up as a primary and put the new heater in as the backup.

 

[Hugh Mann]

I'd say not normal. I have a fluval heater that has been running for around 3 years. I did have a cheap amazon special one that I use in my RO/DI brute can die but I chalk that up to it was undersized for the tank. In my 80gallon I run the fluval 300 watt and a I run another eihem in my overflow(to long for my sump). I think running multiple is better than 1 big one. I would suggest checking the voltage where they are plugged in. Are you by chance turning them off and on frequently with a smart switch or something? I know my fluval says when power is interrupted to leave it off long enough to cool off completely before reapplying power.(always seemed weird)

I am running two heaters, specifically two 500 watt heaters. Tank is in my basement, hence why so much juice is required. They’ve done a pretty good job and don’t run continuously.

I have never run any smart plugs or the like. Closest was an inkbird on the 55 after the failed on heater. These ones are just plugged into the outlet. Haven’t had any power outages either.

 

[Hugh Mann]

A 500 is very small for a tank that size. Check out BRS heaters on there website. I’d pair 2 of the 1200 watt titanium heaters with an inkbird controller. When the heater dies you only have to replace the heater and not the controller. I run 2 heaters on my tank and set 1 a few degrees cooler than the primary so when the primary does eventually die I have another one that will kick on as a back up. They’re fairly cheap heaters as well and usually last about a year. When it comes time for a new one I put the back up as a primary and put the new heater in as the backup.

I live in Canada. Between currency exchange, international shipping fees and the like I could buy two of these for the cost of one BRS heater unfortunately.

 

[blaxsun]

I live in Canada. Between currency exchange, international shipping fees and the like I could buy two of these for the cost of one BRS heater unfortunately.

You can order the Hygger heaters with or without the controller on Amazon. I've heard the Hygger controller is actually very accurate (possibly even more so than the Inkbird).

 

[Hugh Mann]

You can order the Hygger heaters with or without the controller on Amazon. I've heard the Hygger controller is actually very accurate (possibly even more so than the Inkbird).

I was just looking at those. Fastest shipping would be April 20th, assuming no delays. About the same price as one of these aquatops, but it seems like these are a good option if my backup heaters don’t die on me in the meantime.

 

[blaxsun]

I was just looking at those. Fastest shipping would be April 20th, assuming no delays. About the same price as one of these aquatops, but it seems like these are a good option if my backup heaters don’t die on me in the meantime.

I run a 500-watt as a tertiary heater in my setup. Works flawlessly.

 

[jda]

Any heater fails... best bet is to use a commercial piece of equipment like a Ranco - built in heater controllers and InkBirds are too unreliable for me. Titanium heaters are reliable, but often too powerful if they stick on. I use 300w Eheims and they last between 4 and 7 years, but they do fail from time to time - I buy them in a 6 pack. Set the Eheim to 79 and the Ranco to 78. I have 4-6 Eheims per tank (larger tanks), so no single one that sticks on, or fails, can hurt me.

 

[C_AWOL]

It's uncommon but not impossible. Is there a particular reason why you're opting for 500w vs multiple 200-300w? I've had significantly more heater failure experiences with really big heaters than smaller ones thats likely due to them turning on and off more often than than a few smaller heaters running more constantly.

The addition of a quality controller tp reduce the potentially frequent on/off cycles would help with their longevity (I would still replace the heaters annually though)

 

[Hugh Mann]

It's uncommon but not impossible. Is there a particular reason why you're opting for 500w vs multiple 200-300w? I've had significantly more heater failure experiences with really big heaters than smaller ones thats likely due to them turning on and off more often than than a few smaller heaters running more constantly.

The addition of a quality controller tp reduce the potentially frequent on/off cycles would help with their longevity (I would still replace the heaters annually though)

I am running two 500 watt heaters. Or rather was. Now I am running a 500, 300 and 150 while I await a replacement.

 

[polyppal]

I only use Eheim Jager Thermocontrols. And I have two - one as backup managed by controllers. And I replace heaters about once a year

there’s no heater currently available id trust beyond a year