# Melted Plastic on Heater



## FlyingGiraffes (Jan 30, 2011)

So... I was doing a water change yesterday and forgot to unplug the heater when I took it out. Minutes later, I smelled something burning and suddenly remembered the heater. I grabbed it and pulled the plastic bracket off, but it was too late. Some of it had melted onto my heater. It has since cooled off and there are 2 thin areas of hardened melted plastic about 1" x .5". Is this ok to use still?


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Part depends on the type of heater. If it has internal controls as most do, it is likely that the temperature sensing controls will no longer do the job. I would seperate the plastic but it will not hurt anything if left on. Then I would try the heater and watch it very closely for a malfunction. Once they overheat, I hate to risk using them if there are any fish of value in the tank.


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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

The one thing that can nuke any fish tank in a heartbeat is a bad heater. If there's even a hint of doubt in your mind, replace it. Buy an Eheim Jager and consider it an investment.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

If u run a canister, i recomend an inline heater. Best investment i have made on my tank.

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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

I use Hydor inline heaters on my tank but my RO holding tank has a 300 w Ebo-Jager and I really like the heater it features, shatter proof glass, adjustable thermostat, auto shut off when it is not in water. Look at Jehmco.com for great prices on these heaters.


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## Diana (Jan 14, 2010)

Ditto Bushkill:
When in doubt,
Throw it out.


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

Probably nothing wrong with the heater. If you decide not to use it get two heaters. Each a little more than 1/2 the wattage you need.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

GraphicGr8s said:


> Probably nothing wrong with the heater. If you decide not to use it get two heaters. Each a little more than 1/2 the wattage you need.


Why would u want 2 under powered heaters?
They would uave to work 2x as hard to bring the water up to temp even tho there was 2.
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## Bushkill (Feb 15, 2012)

jreich said:


> Why would u want 2 under powered heaters?
> They would uave to work 2x as hard to bring the water up to temp even tho there was 2.
> Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using Tapatalk 2


200 watts is 200 watts. The idea is to improve your chances in the case of A heater failure. One "fails off" the other won't let the tank go frigid before you notice. The same for when one "fails on". An underpowered heater shouldn't cook your tank before you notice. Not perfect, but nothing is when it comes to heaters. It just buys you time in a heater failure in that both failing in the same way at the same time is just less likely to happen.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

I totally understand redundancy, but you should not use underpowered heaters because even tho there are 2 they will have to work twice as hard, and stay on twice as long because thete underpowered. If you want to take the redundant route you should use 2 heaters that are the propper wattage for your tank, even a little more wattage than what is neaded is not a big deal, but u never should b using under powered heaters unless its for a temp emergency.

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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

I totally understand redundancy, but you should not use underpowered heaters because even tho there are 2 they will have to work twice as hard, and stay on twice as long because thete underpowered. If you want to take the redundant route you should use 2 heaters that are the propper wattage for your tank, even a little more wattage than what is neaded is not a big deal, but u never should b using under powered heaters unless its for a temp emergency.
----------------------------------------------------------------------?

Sorry, but I think you are missing the point of how heaters work and what makes them fail. 

They do not normally fail due to "working too hard". The most common failure is in the controls and making them switch on and off more often puts more wear on the contacts which leads to failure. The second most common failure is the heating element going open. We can see what happens to a heater by looking at a common light bulb. When the power goes on the element heats up. This heat makes the filament expand and contract each time it is turned on and it breaks due to the metal bending. The same goes for heater elements. If they come on and stay on for longer periods they last longer. It is not that they "burn" in two but that the flexing breaks them. 

Severe under temps may make fish ill and we need to treat them but it is a slow killing process which we have time to prevent. Severe overheating can happen in less than eight hours, depending on tank size and heater size. Hot water kills quickly as it has less O2 and ammonia becomes much more toxic. It is quick and deadly. 

Bottom line is that undersized heaters are much better and last longer. 

A smaller than rated heater is better.


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## jreich (Feb 11, 2009)

I get what ur saying, but why would u want 2 underpowered heaters that strugle to keep the water warm? Reducing mechanical wear should be the least of ur worries. Heaters are rated for a certain amount of gallons of water for a reason. Having a heater that is designed to shut itself off for a period of time is safer than overheating either 1 ur heater, or 2 melting the plug and wire because they will be burning hot from never having a cool down period. Have u ever unplugged a big pump or electric heater for a big room and notice how hot the plug can get? Reducing mechanical wear is not worth risking a fire. If im going to build a redundant heating system im going to use the wattage recomended for x amount of gallons, but to each there own.

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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

jreich said:


> I get what ur saying, but why would u want 2 underpowered heaters that strugle to keep the water warm? Reducing mechanical wear should be the least of ur worries. Heaters are rated for a certain amount of gallons of water for a reason. Having a heater that is designed to shut itself off for a period of time is safer than overheating either 1 ur heater, or 2 melting the plug and wire because they will be burning hot from never having a cool down period. Have u ever unplugged a big pump or electric heater for a big room and notice how hot the plug can get? Reducing mechanical wear is not worth risking a fire. If im going to build a redundant heating system im going to use the wattage recomended for x amount of gallons, but to each there own.
> 
> Sent from my HTC Inspire 4G using Tapatalk 2


Your "logic" in this case is illogical. The heaters will not work any harder. If your tank requires 200 watts to heat it doesn't matter if it's 1 200w heater 2 100w heaters or 4 50w heaters. It's still 200w. The plugs get no hotter than a single heater just because it's lower wattage. Run time for each heater is the same to slightly _shorter_ in reality than a single heater. Most heaters between 50 and 200w use the same gauge cord. A 200w heater will draw just under 2 amps.
Your comparison to a motor is inaccurate at best. A heater is purely a resistive load whereas a motor has resistive and inductive loads plus friction and work load.
For a large heater conditioning a room you are borderline hardwire. Space heaters would be a better example but plug heating has been accounted for and the insulation properly sized.

BTW This isn't a new idea. I've used it for 32 years so far. I learned it from my aunt who owned Sumac Tropical Fish Hatcheries in Miami from 1950-1980. So that's what? 60+ years?


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

The two heaters are not the same. We assume the tank heater will be in the water. The water carries the heat away so that they do not overheat more than the controls allow. When you say mechanical wear is not a problem, you are missing what often causes failures. It is the mechanical wear causing many failures. The next time you have a heater failure, tear it down and see what has happened. Many times it is mechanical failure which leads to what appears to be electrical failure. Contact points stick, condensation gets in and causes corrosion leading to internal shorts between the legs on the power transister and all kinds of mechanical failures. 

What you may see as a heater struggling to keep a tank warm is really just a more efficient way to make the heater last longer. 

Think of the times when you have seen light bulbs "burn out". It is usually when you turn them on rather than when they are setting there in a stable situation. It is not the heat of working that burns them out but the flexing from warming and cooling which breaks the filament. Tank heaters work much the same way. They fail when turning on/off, not when just setting there in the water running. The reason for using two small heaters is as stated above. When one fails ( and they surely will), the second will shut down and the tank does not overheat quickly. The fish will live another day!


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## GraphicGr8s (Apr 4, 2011)

PlantedRich said:


> The two heaters are not the same. We assume the tank heater will be in the water. The water carries the heat away so that they do not overheat more than the controls allow. When you say mechanical wear is not a problem, you are missing what often causes failures. It is the mechanical wear causing many failures. The next time you have a heater failure, tear it down and see what has happened. Many times it is mechanical failure which leads to what appears to be electrical failure. Contact points stick, condensation gets in and causes corrosion leading to internal shorts between the legs on the power transister and all kinds of mechanical failures.
> 
> What you may see as a heater struggling to keep a tank warm is really just a more efficient way to make the heater last longer.
> 
> Think of the times when you have seen light bulbs "burn out". It is usually when you turn them on rather than when they are setting there in a stable situation. It is not the heat of working that burns them out but the flexing from warming and cooling which breaks the filament. Tank heaters work much the same way. They fail when turning on/off, not when just setting there in the water running. The reason for using two small heaters is as stated above. When one fails ( and they surely will), the second will shut down and the tank does not overheat quickly. The fish will live another day!


Most of my heater failures have been when the contacts stuck closed. I've only had one element fail.

What you're saying also applies to motors like a well pump. It's better to have enough sprinklers going to keep the motor running. Failure will usually occur during the start not during the run. And the reason is simple. It draws more amperage during start.


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## PlantedRich (Jul 21, 2010)

Stuck contacts used to be the far greatest failure in heaters. Now there are several brands which have done away with the contacts. Understanding why the contacts stuck made it simple to see why one would want the heater to come on and stay on rather than switching. Each time the contacts open or close there is a tiny electrical arc. Over time this arcing pits the contacts and eventually they weld together and the heater stays on to cook the fish if the heater is large enough. 

The heaters that now use more electronics like IC's and transisters don't have the problems with stick contacts but I'm still finding they have problems. With any heater that has a control shaft through the seal, there will eventually be a small amount of moisture inside the glass tube. Chips with leads that are only a hair apart can't stand even a small bubble of water on those leads. Once you short out the leads on an IC, you are dead!


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