Replace heater every 2 years?

[b4tn]

I recently heard that you should replace your heater every 2 years for both wear and tear and safety concerns. I have a 200w Eheim Jager thats been keeping my 70 gallon and sump heated for going on 3 years now. Is there any truth to that rule of thumb? I do have my heater is on a controller and my tank wired to to a GFCI outlet which does work lol

But on that note, with today's modern technology it does seem a bit odd that we all still use a live Alternating Current 110v or 220v heating element encased in a glass tube under saltwater! If you think about it, it just sounds scary. Are there no better, more reliable, safer solutions that are still economical?

 

[Tuffyyyyy]

Replacing your heater is something that has long been a frustration for hobbyists. Heaters are a necessary component that it so cheap, yet they can easily nuke your tank. Heaters will eventually get stuck in the on position, thus nuking your tank, will get stuck in the off position, potentially nuking your tank if it's cold, or will explode altogether. Most people on here will replace theirs every year or so.

 

[AdamNC]

I've been using the same heater in one of my tanks since 2005, Via-Aqua. No issues here.

 

[spsick]

I run 2 Finnex heaters with the analog dial. I replace 1 every year or so. Call it wasteful consumerism but they are cheap and I call it regular maintenance. That being said I use my old ones for heating up WC and they all still work.

 

[flooddc]

Personally, I don't think it necessary to place ever 2 years. I'd only replace my heater when it no longer function. IMO
I think the old heaters (maybe 2 decades or more ago) are made much better than today's heaters.
Also, many of today's heaters are submersible, thus prone to more issues. I have had old heaters that lasted for decades, whereas newer heaters that purchased seem to last only a few years.

 

[andrewkw]

I try and change mine about every 2 years but I'm not crazy about it. I do however stick a piece of tape with the date on them when I change them. August 2017 I did change my display heaters. I then demote the heaters to qt use, or less essential tanks like my frag tank. 2 years is simply a number that is playing it somewhat safe but not overly costly. Ideally someone would just make expensive heaters with 5 year warranties. The real problem though is a warranty is only good if it covers your tank and even then I would rather not lose livestock. Getting my money back would be only slightly comforting if I lost fish and corals I've had for 10 years.

 

[lapin]

I replace glass heaters everytime I drop one on the floor.

 

[LobsterOfJustice]

I change them every few years but also not religiously. Also absolutely necessary to run them on some sort of controller. And I only use eheim jager glass or finnex titanium. You can sell the old ones for $5-10 bucks to other local reefers and make some of the money back.

 

[Neo Jeo]

I dont know if I would. I run a inkbird heater controller so if 1 gets stuck on then the controller will turn it off and on and if one fails the other heater will still run. I can see my heaters lights so if mine gets stuck on its goes to 98d automatically and turns red. The only thing is the heater controller can go bad but they last long as I have read. The controller is only $30 and the heaters are $120 I use NEO Therm.

 

[Scurvy]

You may have a heater work flawlessly for years only to replace it for no reason and have the new one get stuck on and potentially cook the tank. Is it a "Best Practice"? Perhaps... Does it mitigate risk? Not so sure.

This coming from a guy that found out this week his 1 year old Neotherm was garbage. Pulled an old Apex Lite off the tank, got tied up and didnt get to install the replacement that night. Woke up to 101 degrees, A dead Anemone and Clown pair.

One night with no controller led to destruction. Who knows how long the Apex had been protecting me?

 

[WWIII]

We need a heater company to do a "core" exchange program. I wonder if they could refurbish them any cheaper than they make them?

 

[andrewkw]

We need a heater company to do a "core" exchange program. I wonder if they could refurbish them any cheaper than they make them?

A better solution is to use higher quality components. Why are heaters so prone to failing? Even if they could make it so they fail off and not on that would be an improvement.

 

[WWIII]

A better solution is to use higher quality components. Why are heaters so prone to failing? Even if they could make it so they fail off and not on that would be an improvement.

Maybe Abyzz will make a heater with a 10 year warranty! Would be awesome if some company would build one using only the best components/materials!

 

[joec]

Redundancy is best. One heater is risky. I have three 100 Neotherm heaters on my 53G ( all one year old, no problems)all. If one gets stuck ON, the other two will likely go OFF and one stuck ON is unlikely to overheat my tank. If one goes bad, the other two will keep my tank warm enough to not harm the animals until I replace the bad one. At least this is my theory, LOL.

I should probably have a Ranco controller, but I feel pretty comfortable with what I'm doing now.

I've read several posts about Inbird failures and temp drifts, so that does not seem very reliable

 

[Neo Jeo]

Redundancy is best. One heater is risky. I have three 100 Neotherm heaters on my 53G ( all one year old, no problems)all. If one gets stuck ON, the other two will likely go OFF and one stuck ON is unlikely to overheat my tank. If one goes bad, the other two will keep my tank warm enough to not harm the animals until I replace the bad one. At least this is my theory, LOL.

I should probably have a Ranco controller, but I feel pretty comfortable with what I'm doing now.

I've read a several posts about Inbird failures and temp drifts, so that does not seem very reliable

If one got stuck on you will have a problem. The Neo Therm goes to 98D. Get a inkbird heater controller.

 

[Ariel V Rosa]

Maybe Abyzz will make a heater with a 10 year warranty! Would be awesome if some company would build one using only the best components/materials!

It is very hard ti make something so simple be cheap and lasr more than 5 years. I personally have been running jager heaters these things almost bullet proof. In my new build I am running two 300 watt Neo therms. If you look at the price if these things you will quickly see the cost of putting the best components available into a heater. 110 to 120 dollars a peice for a 300w heater but rock solid.

 

[Neo Jeo]

You may have a heater work flawlessly for years only to replace it for no reason and have the new one get stuck on and potentially cook the tank. Is it a "Best Practice"? Perhaps... Does it mitigate risk? Not so sure.

This coming from a guy that found out this week his 1 year old Neotherm was garbage. Pulled an old Apex Lite off the tank, got tied up and didnt get to install the replacement that night. Woke up to 101 degrees, A dead Anemone and Clown pair.

One night with no controller led to destruction. Who knows how long the Apex had been protecting me?

I have 2 old ones that work great, I got a new neotherm for my water change station and after a month it got stuck on to 98d. So happy that one did not go in my tank. Even new ones can be defective.

 

[b4tn]

Redundancy is best. One heater is risky. I have three 100 Neotherm heaters on my 53G ( all one year old, no problems)all. If one gets stuck ON, the other two will likely go OFF and one stuck ON is unlikely to overheat my tank. If one goes bad, the other two will keep my tank warm enough to not harm the animals until I replace the bad one. At least this is my theory, LOL.

I should probably have a Ranco controller, but I feel pretty comfortable with what I'm doing now.

I've read several posts about Inbird failures and temp drifts, so that does not seem very reliable

I like that idea. I have run two heaters in the past that on their own where undersized but worked well together.

 

[ubasu]

I change mine out every two years. The old one goes to heating water change water or qt tank.

 

[joec]

If one got stuck on you will have a problem. The Neo Therm goes to 98D. Get a inkbird heater controller.

I started with two 100W and they would not heat the water volume in my tank beyond 75 degrees even when I experimented (before animals) and set both of them as high as they go. After speaking with Cobalt, they advised adding a 3rd to maintain 78