My heater is over 3 years old...should I replace it?

[muzikalmatt]

I have a 150W Eheim Jager on my IM Nuvo Fusion 40 and it's been running for over 3 years now (3 years and 2 weeks exactly). Probably 2 years ago (I can't remember exactly), I installed an Inkbird controller for some redundancy and also to add a cooling control element (fan) for the tank. I know that heaters are notorious failure points in the reefing hobby, particularly the heating control element within the heater itself. I've heard some people even say it's best to replace them every year regardless of whether they have failed or not. Given that the heater has been controlled by the Inkbird for more than half of its life, I would hope that has taken some of the wear and tear off of the heater, but it just popped in my head that it might be time to replace the heater regardless.

Thoughts? Also, if I do decide to replace it, would you recommend I replace it with two smaller heaters or just go with the same 150W size I've been running thus-far? Thanks in advance for any feedback or advice!

 

[Ippyroy]

I'd at least get a back up heater. If that worked, I'd get the same one. I would personally get 2 of them and a new temp reader for the inkbird.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

I have a 150W Eheim Jager on my IM Nuvo Fusion 40 and it's been running for over 3 years now (3 years and 2 weeks exactly). Probably 2 years ago (I can't remember exactly), I installed an Inkbird controller for some redundancy and also to add a cooling control element (fan) for the tank. I know that heaters are notorious failure points in the reefing hobby, particularly the heating control element within the heater itself. I've heard some people even say it's best to replace them every year regardless of whether they have failed or not. Given that the heater has been controlled by the Inkbird for more than half of its life, I would hope that has taken some of the wear and tear off of the heater, but it just popped in my head that it might be time to replace the heater regardless.

Thoughts? Also, if I do decide to replace it, would you recommend I replace it with two smaller heaters or just go with the same 150W size I've been running thus-far? Thanks in advance for any feedback or advice!

I replace mine every year, even though I run Ranco or Inkbird. I will say I have some Eheims that are old as dirt and still work well.

For my smaller tanks, I always run 2 smaller heaters, just in case.

 

[fishguy242]

hi, i'd say replace it,clean and keep this one for backup,
go with same Eheim ,reliable .

 

[Zach B]

Great advice above

 

[GARRIGA]

I prefer two versus one and having the Inkbird was a smart redundancy feature. As for replacing a 3 year old heater that all depends on how much you trust that Inkbird which is a potential failure point and how hot would the tank get were the thermostat to fail and the Inkbird didn't work along with how cold could it get if it just stopped heating.

I tend to use a heater which maxed out can't exceed 80 in salt and 84 in fresh. My place never gets cold enough that the tank would drop to low enough levels to cause issues. As with everything. It depends because no two systems are ever very alike.

Worse case. Heaters are cheap enough that annual replacement shouldn't be a concern considering the cost of our livestock not just in dollars but emotional attachment and sweat spent. Same for that Inkbird. Anything mechanical can and will eventually fail.

 

[muzikalmatt]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone! I think I'll go ahead and replace the heater and keep the old one as a backup.

I will likely downsize the wattage as well. Currently, I'm running my tank at 77 degrees and my home's ambient temperature is between 70 and 72 degrees, so I think 150 Watts is overkill for ~35 gallons of water volume. I'm not as concerned about the temperature bottoming out and I think 150 Watts could definitely cook my tank if both the Inkbird and the heater failed in the on position.

Would 100 Watts be sufficient or could I go down to a 75 Watt Jager?

 

[SPR1968]

I’ve got 2 Eheim jäger heaters (150 or 200w I think they are) that have been in my S650 for nearly 6 years, controlled by a DD temperature controller and ultimately Apex, I’ve never had any issues with them

Of course if your just relying on their built in thermostst that’s maybe a different issue as your taking a chance of some basic equipment failing

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone! I think I'll go ahead and replace the heater and keep the old one as a backup.

I will likely downsize the wattage as well. Currently, I'm running my tank at 77 degrees and my home's ambient temperature is between 70 and 72 degrees, so I think 150 Watts is overkill for ~35 gallons of water volume. I'm not as concerned about the temperature bottoming out and I think 150 Watts could definitely cook my tank if both the Inkbird and the heater failed in the on position.

Would 100 Watts be sufficient or could I go down to a 75 Watt Jager?

Depending on how much heat the equipment generates, hard to tell. My jbj 45 did fine with a 100w heater, even with my wife keeping the house like a freezer. It was running an AC pump and AC powerheads though. So those contributed to a little heat being added.

 

[Wasabiroot]

I have a 150W Eheim Jager on my IM Nuvo Fusion 40 and it's been running for over 3 years now (3 years and 2 weeks exactly). Probably 2 years ago (I can't remember exactly), I installed an Inkbird controller for some redundancy and also to add a cooling control element (fan) for the tank. I know that heaters are notorious failure points in the reefing hobby, particularly the heating control element within the heater itself. I've heard some people even say it's best to replace them every year regardless of whether they have failed or not. Given that the heater has been controlled by the Inkbird for more than half of its life, I would hope that has taken some of the wear and tear off of the heater, but it just popped in my head that it might be time to replace the heater regardless.

Thoughts? Also, if I do decide to replace it, would you recommend I replace it with two smaller heaters or just go with the same 150W size I've been running thus-far? Thanks in advance for any feedback or advice!

I would say you are safe to replace it, especially if your gut is telling you to do so. You give plenty of good reasons. In general, I prefer the safety factor of two heaters for redundancy, but it may be hard to find a heater with half the wattage you currently have. You could try two 100w heaters. I prefer titanium ones myself but Eheim is a solid brand.

 

[DivingTheWorld]

I run dual Eheim Jagers and replace them every 2 years. Heaters are inexpensive and it’s not worth the risk of keeping them too long to me.

 

[GARRIGA]

Thanks for the great feedback everyone! I think I'll go ahead and replace the heater and keep the old one as a backup.

I will likely downsize the wattage as well. Currently, I'm running my tank at 77 degrees and my home's ambient temperature is between 70 and 72 degrees, so I think 150 Watts is overkill for ~35 gallons of water volume. I'm not as concerned about the temperature bottoming out and I think 150 Watts could definitely cook my tank if both the Inkbird and the heater failed in the on position.

Would 100 Watts be sufficient or could I go down to a 75 Watt Jager?

My house runs about the same and I'm using an Eheim 50w to heat approximately 16 gallons in a 20H. I think 100w will likely work just fine. That 150w was a potential hot spot should the thermostat fail. Reason enough to change. BTW, I've used 200W in my 75g and that got to 88 degrees easily. The Eheims are very efficient.

 

[Doctorgori]

Im in Ohio, even colder than VA …. most of my tanks don’t have heaters, so long as your room temps are stable not worth the risk IMO ….
BTW, IMO anything stable between 70 -80F hasn’t seemed to matter IME

 

[G Santana]

I'd at least get a back up heater. If that worked, I'd get the same one. I would personally get 2 of them and a new temp reader for the inkbird.

This right here!!!
Better safe than sorry, for a small investment you get peace of mind

 

[Sean Clark]

Get a backup, replace the old one when it brakes. Repeat.

 

[Sshannon]

Ya'll replace heaters? I've got an old cobalt going on 8 years now

 

[JGT]

I replace mine every 2 years. Cheap insurance. But every time I do I think, hmm it lasted 2 years, seems pretty solid. Should I replace it? And then I have this fear that the new ones will crap out in a week and fry my tank. Just reef paranoia I guess.

 

[Doctorgori]

OP I did see you have a Nuvo40 , are these 40g total or is the display 40g ? I ask because although 40 gallons seems small, it is enough water to be stable and reflex avg room temp without too much flux. that is assuming no smart home controls on your home thermostat et…
I usually go heaterless…
Not popular or conventional wisdom, …unless your area is subject to power outages or you are a thermostat mizer, my experience fish losses will come more from stuck on heaters than if one is missing altogether…

 

[muzikalmatt]

OP I did see you have a Nuvo40 , are these 40g total or is the display 40g ? I ask because although 40 gallons seems small, it is enough water to be stable and reflex avg room temp without too much flux. that is assuming no smart home controls on your home thermostat et…
I usually go heaterless…
Not popular or conventional wisdom, …unless your area is subject to power outages or you are a thermostat mizer, my experience fish losses will come more from stuck on heaters than if one is missing altogether…

Yes, the tank is an Innovative Marine Nuvo Fusion 40. The total tank volume is 40 gallons empty but with rock, sand, media, etc I think I'm closer to 35 gallons. I'm on radiator heating that keeps the house pretty stable around 70 degrees, but I'd prefer to keep the tank around 77.

I certainly understand the risk of using a heater and I've been pretty fortunate thus-far to not have any issues (*knocks on wood*), but I'd still prefer to keep my tank heated to 77.

 

[muzikalmatt]

Thank you for the input everyone! I think I'm going to pick up either a new 100W Eheim Jager or maybe a 100W titanium heating element. I'm considering replacing my Inkbird as well since I know it's been running over a year so I may actually go with the BRS titanium heater/controller combo. I'll keep the old ones as backups since I haven't had any issues, but for how little a new heater/controller costs, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Thanks again everyone! Always appreciate being able to bounce questions/ideas off of the knowledgable people here.