# DIY Reactor Heater Combo



## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Scroll down to post 12 for a revised method of putting this together and you will avoid any pitfalls or leaks.
I wanted to have a in-line heater and a reactor for my little 10 gallon build, this would give me heat and a super efficient reactor on a small tank and keep all the clutter out of the tank and stand. I borrowed 2 designs, the first being a Rex Grigg style reactor and I have no idea who did the first heater like this but I've seen home made in-line heaters.

Here's the parts list:









First primer all your connections, this is the bottom, parts A & B and here it is together but upside down.
















Now glue the together the clear PVC, the bottom and the second part B as the top and you can see how parts G & C go together keeping them flush at the top, also think about how much primer is needed here to keep it neat looking. Part G should get the modications mentioned below and it should be siliconed to part G and allowed to cure before glueing it up to the other components.
















Now install the bottom barb fitting and make sure to use 6 to 8 winds of Teflon tape before you make the install, leave out the top barb fitting until you tape a hole for the CO2 barb fitting. You can see I made the mistake of installing the top barb and I had to remove it to tap the plastic for the brass barb, you'll need a 5/16" drill bit, a 1/8" PT tap and I place the CO2 intake right under the reactor intake so the bubbles will rise into the water flow and get broken up.
















I also chose this spot so I would have a thick area for the tap as you cut through the Tee fitting and the clear PVC on the inside, keep a light amount of pressure on your tap and don't cut and clear like your cutting steel, it's just plastic and it will cut like butter so you need to keep moving forward so you don't get a jumble of cross threads. Next you'll see the ring you installed into the reducer, it will need to be sanded to fit the heater so sand a little and check so it's not too big. Afterward rinse out the unit to remove the dust from sanding and plastic from cutting the threads.
















now it should look like this but I really didn't like how the heater sat down on a wide flat surface because you are going to silicone the heater into the unit and you might not be able to change the temperature.
















So I made a little modification out of the extra piece I had but you can do this in the prior steps and get it right the first time, the ring can actually be up to a inch long on Ebo-Jager heaters just so you don't cover the water line symbol on the heater, I cut a thin edge on this with same sanding drum on the Dremel. Now you can leave just a little of the heater sticking out and after the silicone has set up 24 hours you can use a razor to cut away any silicon that it attached to the dial. Also while you are letting the silicone dry the unit need to be standing so the heater is centered, you could use a small wire tie under the heater dial to prevent the heater from slipping in the wet silicone then just remove it after the silicone has cured, you could also silicone this ring to the heater the day before your build and it would be much easier to position the heater properly, good luck and I'll let you know how mine works.

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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

It looks like the silicone sealed up good and the dial turns fine while the heater stay stationary and I'll pressure test it tomorrow, here it is in the stand and with the addition of a 2 inch clamp I will affix it to the cabinet.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

A Heyco fitting would make me feel better about your connection of the heater to the reactor. Silicone doesn't seal all that well to plastics IMO.

Craig


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

Whats a Heyco fitting and who sells them. 

The heater feels very solidly set in the pvc after only an hour or two I cleaned off the excess silicone, it should be rock solid by morning.


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

http://www.heyco.com/Liquid_Tight_C...-Cordgrips-NPT&section=Liquid_Tight_Cordgrips


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## pandamonium (May 14, 2012)

look great!  the solution i used with regards to the temp knob being too close to the top was to put 2 rubber bands right under the dial. this gave about 1 or 2 mm of space between the bottom of the dial and the top of the PVC reducer bushing where the thermometer sits. this way you can turn the knob. i siliconed the thermometer into the bushing then i used PVC cement to glue together. after it was dry and centered, i took a knife and cut the rubber bands. this gave a good amount of room to turn the knob and prevent me from siliconing it in place. just a thought 
had to use paint since i didn't take pictures of this step in my build.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

Very nice! I'm looking forward to seeing it in action.

What will you be using to power the whole thing? A canister or something with less flow?


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

150EH said:


> Whats a Heyco fitting and who sells them.
> 
> The heater feels very solidly set in the pvc after only an hour or two I cleaned off the excess silicone, it should be rock solid by morning.


If you run into problems with silicone not holding tight, you can also try JB Weld. It's like steel in a tube.

http://jbweld.net/products/jbweld.php

_"Use J-B WELD as an adhesive, laminate, plug, filler, sealant, and electrical insulator."

"Like metal, J-B WELD can be formed, drilled, ground, tapped, machined, filled, sanded, and painted... It's water-proof; petroleum-, chemical-, and acid-resistent; resists shock, vibration, and extreme temperature fluctuations, and withstands temperatures up to 500° F."_

Bonds to _"virtually any combination of iron, steel, copper, aluminum, brass, bronze, pewter, porcelain, ceramic, marble, glass, PVC & ABS, concrete, fiberglass, wood, fabric, paper -- just about any porous and non-porous material."_


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I really think the silicone is fine, it has about 3 square inches of surface area and it has a small bead on the top and bottom, so it's like a wedge plus silicone sticks to everything.

It will be powered by a Eheim classic 2215 with 2217 impeller, this canister was in service for 8 years and the flow was getting a little weak so it should be slow enough for 10 gallon, look at my 10 gallon Metaframe tank journal to follow the progress.

After a bit of thought I'm not sure it could be done any other way because water needs to get to the top of the heater, about a 1/4 inch above the glass tube.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I actually have some JB Weld in my tool box but I didn't know it was water proof and non toxic until I used your link, they also make a water weld and marine weld, interesting.


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## Complexity (Jan 30, 2008)

That's why I mentioned it. Even if you don't need it for this project, it's good to have handy for different projects. I've been using it for various things in my tanks for years.


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

If you use this method to build the unit you will have no leaks and it will work perfectly the first time, I learned a thing or two with the prototype and cleaned up some water too. This the 3rd generation since the prototype.

Here's the parts list:








Before you start glueing (GE silicone I)this up make sure to clean it to remove the oils from your hands and after it has cured clean it up again, an Exacto knife will come in handy to remove any excess silicone.

First of all cut the 1-1/4 inch plug to a length of 1 inch then run a medium sized bead of GE Silicone I inside the piece approximately 1/4 inch from the top, now slip it on to the heater and turn in gently as you push it on. This will insure you have silicone everywhere and keep it away from the temperature dial but if you have silicone coming out of the bottom just leave it as is and let this dry for 24 hours and then you can clean it up with a utility knife, but make sure to leave a bit behind to insure a good seal. 

An added note: all of these plugs are not made the same, some will slip right on to the heater and some will need to be sanded to enlarge the piece, on this last one I had to use the Dremel with a sanding drum, then hand sand to get a tight fit.
















Now you can primer all you pieces and set them aside to dry briefly, now you can glue them up and start to make a reactor, I like to put a bead of glue on each piece that is no wider than the applicator brush and as I put them together I give the two pieces a quarter turn to ensure good glue coverage, then I hold the two pieces together for a minute and wipe away any excess glue with a paper towel.

































By this point you should have all your pieces glued and you are ready to install the threaded barb fittings, make sure to wrap these with no less than 3 full winds of Teflon tape or use a quality Teflon pipe dope to seal the joints, using an adjustable wrench you should be able to screw the fitting all the way in making the threads disappear.

















Now use a 5/16 drill bit to make a hole for the CO2 barb fitting, you can put this anywhere on the tee that makes it convenient for your setup. Now use a 1/8 inch pipe thread tap to make the threads, make sure to use even pressure for the duration of the cut as plastic is very soft and there is no need to clear the threads like when you are cutting steel. I like to hose the unit out at this time to remove any plastic shavings that could clog something up later. Now using a small amount of Teflon pipe dope on the threads of your 1/8 brass barb fitting and install it with an adjustable wrench until the threads are no longer visible.

















Now that the heater has had 24 hours to let the silicone cure you can prime and glue the unit and push it into the reactor. Now you can hook up you tubing and I would recommend some quick release shut off valves so you can check it for leaks or so you can remove the unit if need be. But you are now ready to install the reactor/heater combo and enjoy the space savings of the combination.

I built and use mine on a 10 gallon tank and got great results with fast accumulations of gas in the water column along with warm water for the fish, Rex Grigg gets all the credit for the reactor and pandamonium gave me the idea with a in-line heater, give it a try my total cost was about $85 including the Ebo-Jager heater and I don't know if other heaters will work unless that shoulder is 1-1/4?


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