# Questions About Heaters



## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

In my opinion, if the heater touches wood or other hardscape it should not mater as long as what it touches does not break the glass. The glass portion of the heater will get warm, but it is certainly not going to burn something under water (and thats assuming everything is under water - I have burnt heater holders because the water level went below the horizontally mounted heater). I would also suspect a plant, such as an anubus, would have no problem being near or touching the heater. A delicate plant may have an issue thou. 

As for breaking a heater, I have not done that yet. Melted heater holders, yes. But that heater is still working.


----------



## VinceIII (Mar 3, 2016)

Immortal1 said:


> I would also suspect a plant, such as an anubus, would have no problem being near or touching the heater.


My anubias has rested against the heater without any problems.


----------



## Immortal1 (Feb 18, 2015)

VinceIII said:


> My anubias has rested against the heater without any problems.


Kinda what I thought. In my 75g tank, I have an Amazon Sword right in front of the heater. I'm sure some of the leaves touch the heater but I have never noticed any "burnt" or odd leaves because of it.


----------



## thedood (May 30, 2015)

I have 2 250 watt heaters in my 75 and both have plants touching them with no issues.


----------



## Bandit1200 (Dec 11, 2010)

I've had a submersible heater that I put in the sand in one tank for a while. No issues with it while I was using it. I stopped using heaters a long time ago though.


----------



## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I think of things touching heaters as more of a thing that "could/might" effect the circulation around the heater. The most common type heater doesn't sense the temperature directly but senses the temperature of the air inside the heater tube. This temperature is changed by the water temperature directly around the outside of the tube. So if there is not good circulation of the water right next to the heater, it will not be able to tell what the temperature six inches or a foot away is doing. 
Like having a house thermostat in the kitchen? Every time you cook, the thermostat thinks the whole house is warm and the bedroom may be freezing! 
Look at a heater to see why they may break when only part way in the water. The coil of wire that actually gets hot and glows is often at the bottom of the tube and the controls are at the top. So is the heater is half in the water the controls think it is too cold and turn the heating coil on. The bottom part overheats and the top is still cool. Hot bottom part heats and expands while the top is cool so it splits. 
That glowing red coil of wire may be somewhere like around 400 degrees!


----------



## thedood (May 30, 2015)

@PlantedRich I think just made the case for heater controllers with the probe placed as far away from the heater as is reasonably possible.


----------



## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

For the main question of whether it is a problem to have something next to the heater? I sometimes ignore what I know to be best, just to make things look the way I like. 
Heaters are an eyesore to me and I like to hide them. So being a wood guy, I cut and fit wood to cover/conceal the heater. I know that having something close around the heater will make the heater work a little less than is best but I take the risk to get it out of sight. 
One thing I do work on when cutting and fitting wood is to make the circulation close around the heater remain as good as possible. So if I can fit the heater in behind wood and at the same time put the intake of the canister in the same spot, I can hide two items but still have the circulation due to the filter sucking in new water around the heater tube. Getting both set in without having plastic intake actually touching the heater is a problem at times. I don't know that it would melt but then I don't want to find out I guessed wrong either.


----------

