# DIY External Heater Housing?



## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

I didn't see anything on this subject so here's the deal. I've had some really bad luck with the Hydor ETH201 making so REALLY LOUD NOISE everytime that it cycles on or off. I tried two separate units and while the second one wasn't as loud it was still loud enough to wake me up upstairs. Anyhow now I'm looking at building an inline housing to put in my submersible heater so I can still have it out of the tank. It will be similar to the CO2 Reactors but no bioballs and slightly modified waterflow. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.

Brian


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## Aulonochromis (Jan 14, 2005)

You know I've thought about doing this before. There are PVC fittings that are designed sort of like a compression fitting, that have a rubber gasket to seal around a pipe. If you could find one that seals on your heater, it would be easy to make an inline heater. It think one for 3/4" pipe would probably fit on an Ebo. If you can't find anything that works, you could buy one of the Rainbow Lifeguard units.


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

I think you may find that some of the fittings on this page go up to 3/4", but I'm not sure. You may have to call.

I've got their "fast-n-tite" fitting for my make my ph probe in-line. But I think the "fast-n-tite"s only go up to 1/2".


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Thanks for the link. I didn't see anything that would fit. Heater is 1" diameter and the biggest size I saw was 7/8. I'm thinking I can drill a hole in a cap and silicone it in. Any other ideas are appreciated.

Brian


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## AaronT (Apr 11, 2004)

Perhaps this is a silly question, but did you have the hydor installed properly? It's says specifically to have it mounted vertically and on the return tube of the filter.


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Yeah, I know. I actually saw (I think on their website) that it can be mounted vertically or horizontally but since it said vertical in the instructions thats what I did. First by eye then when the noises started by a level. Neither position with either heater helped in the least. It seems to me that the thermostat has a problem and can't decide whether to turn on or off. So the loud click that others have described on their heater just keeps clicking and it becomes a buzz. A click I could live with but not a buzz. I'm going to do this project one way or the other so I'll post everything when I'm done. I know this current heater doesn't make any noise so hopefully it will work. On a side note the company I ordered these from has been great so far. AquariumGuys.com they quickly sent me out the same unit no charge and then sent a prepaid shipping label to send the first unit back. I was very happy with the customer service I just have to assume they got a bad batch of heaters or somethin. Any more suggestions are welcome.

Brian


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## AaronT (Apr 11, 2004)

Please do let us know if you work out a way to DIY inline. I'm thinking it would be easy enough to do using silicone, but then the heater is in there for good. What would be really sweet is if the housing allowed the heater to be removed and allowed for different sizes to be used.


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## all4funwfish (Jan 18, 2004)

what you need is a fitting that is threaded to threaded, so that you could screw one half into the pipe cap, and then still have threaded side exposed. this fitting need to be large enough for the heater body to fit through, but not the top of the heater where it gets thicker like a cap. Then you need a screw on cap that fits the threaded fitting and over your heater, drill a hole for the wire, and a hole for your temp control and add some o rings and you have a removeable, exchangeable heater unit.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v287/All4funwfish/heater.bmp


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## 150EH (Dec 6, 2004)

This probably out of line for the DIY section, but Rainbow Lifegard makes a unit and its pretty cheap, http://www.marineandreef.com/shoppro/modul-filter.html


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Yup, that's better than what I'm going to do but mine will only cost 1/4 as much. The heater will be permanently attached but if I ever need a new one I can simply replace the threaded cap that it will be siliconed into and silicone in a new heater. The price is really the issue here because now I can get the pressurized CO2 (I finally talked the boss - read "wife", into it) and my tank will be done (until I decide to change it) :icon_bigg


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

briandmiles - if you do this, and it works, please take a pic or two if you can. This is definatly worth documenting, as IMO there are many people out there that would like to follow you if this works! roud:


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Scolly- Will do, I'm pretty much done now and just need to let the silicone set for a day. I'm going to take some pictures right now and if it all works I'll post them and do a little write up.

Brian


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## all4funwfish (Jan 18, 2004)

Brian that sounds like an excellent and easy idea. Much less complicated than my proposed approach.


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

What's your approach? I'd be interested to hear what it is so I can incorporate anything that might make my plans work out better. 

Brian


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

Funny this comes up now. I've been thinking about the same DIY project. What gets me is I tossed a Rainbow lifegaurd heater module and 25W UV module less ballast and bulb about 3 months ago. I just didn't think I would ever be using them and figured the price of replacing seals, boots, ballast and UV bulb wasn't worth the expense and would just buy a new UV if I ever wanted. The heater on the other hand was just plain old stupid...

Here's my plan: I have a dozen fittings that were sold to me as "gland fitttings" they aren't large enough for a submersible heater like a Ebo Jager to fit but will seal pressure tight down to a very small opening. They are made for wires so my plan is to have my heater set and tested to the temp I want then (unplug it  )put the wires through the fitting and seal it tight. I will then screw it into a unit much like some of the DIY Co2 reactors that are at an angle. If I ever need to change the temp I will have to unscrew the lid but that's not a big deal. What wouldn't work with my plan? Yes you would have cut the cord but you can use heat shrink to fix it almost as good as new.

Found a link to what I have: http://www.sensorex.com/products/ph_electrodes/accessories/fittings.html

This is another option I have been considering. I know of a Ca reactor design that uses these and are used under preasure...this maybe the easiest way to go? This site is also has a heck of a lot of stuff a DIY'er can use.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/iid/8600/cid/2009


Snowman


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

Snowman - unless I'm missing something, these are the same thing as the "Fast-n-tite" fittings I linked to in my prior post. Your link points to couplings for inserting hard, round instruments approximately 1/2" in diameter, not "wire". At that kind of diameter, you could use it for some types of "cable".

Is is possible that you have found something else that works with significantly smaller diameters? Like 6 mm or less? I'm dying to find something like that and having a very hard time. Thanks.


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

Scolley

I ran a Google search on Gland fittings and found these...I found ones that went smaller too. I think I saw one that listed 6mm to 8mm but don't remember where. How far down can you crank the ones you have? If you don't have any I can send you one to try. 

Snowman


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

Thanks for the kind offer Snowman. :smile: But since my post I did some more measuring and found I need something that ranges between 7 and 8.5mm. And I found them here at Heyco. So I ordered a few to try.

It looks like they have things that will work up beyond 1" in diameter, so maybe they'll work for heaters too.


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## travdawg (Mar 16, 2005)

Snow,

To clarify it for me, are you talking about a length of PVC with both ends closed off... Then cutting your submersible heater power cable, threading it thru a small hole in one "cap" then sealing it off? If thats the plan, how would you center the heater?

Might seem like a stupid question, but I am trying to get a mental image of the build.


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

I think my fittings are Heyco's I didn't buy them from them but believe they manufactured them. I haven't found the listing where they have stuff past or up to 1" so I may need a little assistance with a link.


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

Travdawg

I don't think the heater would have to be centered to get good heat exchange but it should be fairly easy to do so if you wanted to. It would however be a good idea to have it held in place so it doesn't bang back and forth allowing it to break. You could tank a piece of acrylic drill a hole the size of your heater in the center, remove the majority of remaining material and glue it to the inside of the pipe. I'll try and discribe it... take a disk draw say a 1/4" wide X on it and a 1/4" wide line around the disk. Drill the center of the disk to the size of your heater then remove the area that isn't part of your 1/4" lines. You would then be able to glue it in place allowing water to flow around it. Did I do an OK job of giving a mental picture?


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

snowman said:


> I think my fittings are Heyco's I didn't buy them from them but believe they manufactured them. I haven't found the listing where they have stuff past or up to 1" so I may need a little assistance with a link.


Take a look at the "specs" tab on the web page. But even then it only goes up to 1.2". So a 1" heater is the max.

Another alternative is to _fully _ insert the heater into your housing, mounted as appropriate, and use a smaller sized fittings like these to accommodate the AC cord, reinforced with a bit of silicone on the inside (needs to be inside to better fight the pressurized water). That would probably mean cutting off the male wall plug, and attaching a new one after the AC cord was threaded trough everything. But replacement AC plugs should be dirt cheap.

I suggest it as an alternative to trying to make a partially enclosed heater work.


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## travdawg (Mar 16, 2005)

Yeah, I think I have it... The external heating is something that I REALLY want to do. But with a 90 gall tank, I would need to have 2 Hydors (~$100) or one rainbow heater module + 500 watt titanium heater & controller for about the same. I just wonder if in the long run it would be better just to go with the rainbow modular for a few dollars more than what I would spend on DIY & still ending up having to buy the heaters.


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

travdawg said:


> I just wonder if in the long run it would be better just to go with the rainbow modular for a few dollars more than what I would spend on DIY & still ending up having to buy the heaters.


That's why I have a Hydor. roud:


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## travdawg (Mar 16, 2005)

Well, I was fairly certain I was going to get 2 hydors, until I read this thread & the problems with them being noisy.


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

I guess it depends on what you like to do...I really like DIY projects and have plenty of good heaters. On the other hand if DIY is a stuggle for you or you want the look of Rainbow then by all means go for what makes sense for you! The only reason I would go with a heater controller setup is if you fear having a stuck heater...I've never had a Ebo Jager stick but I'm sure some have.



travdawg said:


> Yeah, I think I have it... The external heating is something that I REALLY want to do. But with a 90 gall tank, I would need to have 2 Hydors (~$100) or one rainbow heater module + 500 watt titanium heater & controller for about the same. I just wonder if in the long run it would be better just to go with the rainbow modular for a few dollars more than what I would spend on DIY & still ending up having to buy the heaters.


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

As to the "clicking", my Hydor does click. And you _can _ hear it with the cabinet door shut. But the fan on the light is _much _ louder (and I have a quiet fan), and I could never hear that click in the next room, much less upstairs.

I would think that if Hydors were all noisy they would have a bad rap here. Or maybe I'm just deaf.


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

I think the only problem with the straight through connectors is that I want to be able to adjust the temp without taking everything apart. Also even if they had a 1" fitting (I couldn't find one but didn't look too hard) the heater has to be emersed right up to the top end of the glass tube that's where the minimum water level line is at so unfortunately siliconing it in is still the best solution that I can see. I'm glad to see that this has fostered a good discussion.

As far as the noise goes I'm sure I've just had the bad luck of getting two bad units in a row. It has sort of soured me on Hydors but the submersible I'm using is one and I don't have a problem with that. 

Brian


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

briandmiles said:


> I think the only problem with the straight through connectors is that I want to be able to adjust the temp without taking everything apart.


In the interest of leaving no stone unturned, you could put the heater(s) completely inside an enclosure if you purchased a separate single-stage temp controller($$) to turn them on/off. Then you could go el cheapo on the heaters themselves to reduce cost. But you'd also have to have to find a way to get the controller's probe into the water.


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

scolley said:


> In the interest of leaving no stone unturned, you could put the heater(s) completely inside an enclosure if you purchased a separate single-stage temp controller($$) to turn them on/off. Then you could go el cheapo on the heaters themselves to reduce cost. But you'd also have to have to find a way to get the controller's probe into the water.


I think the controller would eat up the money I've freed up for the pressurized CO2. However it may be a future purchase.

Brian


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

Speaking of heater controllers, I have one of these it has two female plug recepticles and can handle up to 500W. I'm thinking I might give it a try. What do you guys think? What other heater controllers are out there? I'm thinking the only one's I've seen have the heater with them.


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

snowman said:


> It has two female plug receptacles and can handle up to 500W.


Two plugs is a strong indicator that it is a dual-stage controller, one plug to run the heater when it's too cold, and one to turn on a chiller (or surface fan) when it's too warm. Something like this.

But either a single or dual stage would work nicely to control one to many heaters, as long as the wattage limit was not exceeded. Just turn your heater(s) up full throttle and let the controller do the on/off work.

But my apologies Brian - don't mean to hijact your thread. By all means, save the money for that CO2 controller!


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

I acutally have one a Ranco dual stage controller but don't plan on using it in this application...hadn't actually thought of using it. I'll try the reptile heater then the dual if it doesn't work. Home brewing is another hobby I have and use the Ranco for a freezer controller.

Brian, I too didn't plan to hijack your thread. I would save the money for the Co2 controller as well, the inline heater is nice but won't make your setup any easier like the controller will.


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

I didn't consider it a hijack so much as a stroll through the many possibilities that I have with my aquarium. As always the information is more than welcome even if it isn't pertinent to the current situation. Besides what would I do without you guys?

Brian


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

Thanks Brian. But I think the question is what would we all do without _each other_. Everybody helps! roud: 

Do  let us know what you do. And how you do it. And take pics. Good luck!


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

scolley said:


> Thanks Brian. But I think the question is what would we all do without _each other_. Everybody helps! roud:
> 
> Do  let us know what you do. And how you do it. And take pics. Good luck!


I couldn't have said it better myself...how am I other than just another guy making posts! I like the diversity of people sharing personal insight and experiences.


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## all4funwfish (Jan 18, 2004)

i am building one tonight for an ebo jager. try out one idea, and see how it works. I will post pictures when its completed.


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

Great we have our first guinea pig...please post pictures of your project if you can...Were waiting with much anticipation.

Best of luck,
Snowman


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

All right here it is...

Partially assembled. I made it pretty long just to facilitate hookup with my 2026.









Here it is assembled...









Here it is next to the new reactor...
http://www.kodakgallery.com/PhotoView.jsp?&collid=30515899307&photoid=60515899307

Sorry I couldn't get them to show in the actual post. If anyone can tell me how to do that I'd appreciate it.

Brian


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## all4funwfish (Jan 18, 2004)

hmmm...links not working for me...takes me to kodak site, but no pictures


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

Here's how to post pics, if you don't have a hosting site for your pics (Kodak's not working' for non-Kodak members).

But, to post pics on PT, I believe you have to be a member.


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Sorry, I knew this place was too good to be free. Anyway it's definitely worthy of my support so I coughed up the dough and here are the pics.
Before assembly.

Assembled.

Next to my reactor.
Yeah, they're big but as I said before (I think) it was to facilitate hooking everything up under my tank. Plus between these and my 2026 I have and extra 2.5 gallons of water. Let me know what you think

Brian


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

Thanks for the pics! How are you attaching the heater to the PVC? Snug hole and sealant? 

Now for the all important usage testing...


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

I wouldn't know why it wouldn't work...I hope you let the silicone cure well.


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Ok here's the write up and I'll post pics once it's in service tonight. I used 2" pvc, female adapters and threaded caps. I used pvc cement to connect the female adapters. I have a 1" diameter heater (that's what the website said but its actually closer to 7/8") I drilled a 1" hole in the top of the cap and siliconed it in from the inside and outside. The diameter difference worked out nice because I could drop the heater inside a little more and make sure all the glass was in water. 
I then drilled 3/4" holes in the sides of the caps as close to the top as possible to avoid having air trapped at the top of the tube. The 5/8 barb to 3/4 threaded fitting was able to screw right into the pvc and those were sealed with silicone from the inside and outside. 
I permanently capped one end of the tube with a cap and hose barb and sealed it with silicone on the outside. Ithen masked the threads on the other end and made a silicone gasket so the cap could be threaded on and removed in the future should I need to clean it out. 
The overall plan is to run the outflow of the 2026 into the top of the CO2 Reactor out the bottom and then into the bottom of the heater module and out the top. I'll let you all know how it works out tomorrow.

Brian


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## Laith (Jul 7, 2004)

And....?

Curious to see how this worked!


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## travdawg (Mar 16, 2005)

C'mon Brian!!! Ya linked here from another post & no results??? Lets hear about it!


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Sorry, the wife had the camera last night so I couldn't get any pictures but I'll be sure to take care of the problem tonight. roud: 

Brian


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Alright, I'd like to thank everyone for the many suggestions that I received while I was working on this project. Here are the pictures of the DIY inline heater housing installed and working (flawlessly) on my tank. IMO it is far better than an in tank heater for several reasons. First, it's more efficient. When the heater was in the tank with the same temperature setting the tank thermometer read 2-3 degrees below what the heater was set at. Now it reads 2-3 degrees above what it is set at. Second the temp is absolutely stable at 77 degrees for 3 days now and since it runs through the spraybar the whole tank is that temperature. Third it just looks better without the heater hanging in the tank. Fourth it was 10 bucks to make the housing and my DIY C02 reactor wich is 1/4 the cost of the Hydor ETH. Fifth it is absolutely SILENT. Yes, even more silent than the Eheim I'm running it inline with, not even a click when it cycles on or off. Lastly I don't know about you but there is a certain sense of accomplishment anytime I can make something with my own two hand and I'm pretty sure anyone with a drill and a little time could make one of these for themselves.

I just tried to post the pics but it won't upload. I'll try again in a few minutes.

Brian


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

Good deal Brian! That's a lot of good reasons to love it! Looking forward to the pics. And even more looking forward to your long term results!

So please do keep us posted on how this works out over time. I think the level of confidence your long term observations would provide could be just what it takes for a solid number of people to try this themselves. roud:


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

I agree the sense of accomplishment having hand made something for your tank adds pride. At the same time we save money making something for the tank we can learn how are tanks work or maybe how to make them work better. Really looking forward to the pictures! I haven't been able to start building my inline yet but have the details locked up in my head...hopefully I'll make the time soon. If I do get it made I still have to learn to post pictures as that's probably going to be the hard part for me


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

OK, here's the pics. I had resized them but they were just a little too big so it wouldn't upload. Comments/questions are welcome.

Brian


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## snowman (Mar 17, 2005)

Very nice that's the general look I was going for as well! Nice DIY I bet many more will be following. You do nice work!


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

Brian - yours is done now! Congrats! roud: But if you find it doesn't work as well as planned, or if other people are looking to follow you, I think I may have located and _outstanding _ fitting. Free too!

Take a look!


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Yeah, I saw your post earlier. What I've done is working great and I would still be a little worried about the lack of water flow at the top of the glass tube where it says "minimum water level". Nonetheless I've ordere two free "samples" to use in the future. One will be for my inline pH probe (hopefully arriving this week) and the other? who knows but it never hurts to have one.

Brian


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

Well I just linked to this post for another post and thought I ought to give an update. The heater is still working great. I've had no leaks and no problems of any other sort. The temperature is rock solid with this setup and it will likely be something that I will repeat on future tanks. 

Brian


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## Curare (Sep 15, 2004)

Okay, a few things... 

Firstly, why have it in such a large gallery that it's not heating?

I would have thought it would have been better to go for say, 4 inch pipe, and keep it about 4" longer than the heater, and just keep good water flow over it, surely this would make more sense?


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## briandmiles (Feb 23, 2005)

The length of the pipe was chosen primarily for ease in hooking it up to the DIY CO2 Reactor that I was also building at the same time. I think the fact that it still works so great goes to show that you could make it virtually any length you wanted. Also I feel (I have NO PROOF) that the length allows less turbulence, but adequate flow near the heater so that the heat transfer will be more efficient.

Brian


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

To get the best heat transfer you want turbulent, not laminar flow. So, you would do best with a diameter that keeps the water in motion, but is large enough not to have any worries about pockets of water getting too hot. The length wouldn't be critical, as long as the heater fits. Alternatively, a very large diameter would make it act like a sump - the heater would slowly increase the temperature of the water, which then would exit to the tank, warmed. Just brainstorming --- a sealed sump would seem to be the best overall approach. Yes, I know this is a completed project, but one can build lots of these in one's mind, test them by thinking thru what will happen, then decide on the best approach. (Just a retired engineer musing about this!)


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## nillo (Jan 15, 2004)

I'm afraid that your silicon seal at the top will fail. IME, silicon doesn't maintain a bond to PVC for very long. I am a devot DIYer, but I would pony up the $40 for the heater module from AquaticEcosystems part VF13. It is a generic version of the Rainbow module. It comes in three sizes. It is just the bare module no heater is included, but it accepts heaters 3/4"-1" and up to 1000w.

Another, untested, option would be to use AquaticEcosystems part L6450, which is a 1" cord grip. These are supposed to provide a liquid-tight strain relief for cables. that particular one can accomodate a cable up to 1" in diameter. These things look like bulkheads, but also have threaded fittings. At $10 they have DIY all over them.

Let me take this time to say, "Every DIYer needs the AquaticEcosystems catalog."

Shawn


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## madman280 (Jul 9, 2006)

I just joined this forum today and Holy crap talk about deja vu...I built a very similar combination external heater and co2 reactor for my 75 gal bow front. Eheim filter, black stand, reactor heater even on the same side of the cabinet. I built mine from components I picked up in one trip to Home Depot.
Its a combination of white plumbing and grey pvc electrical fittings. 
The main body is 4" pvc drain pipe. A standard cap on the bottom with a cleanout cap and fittings on the top.
The inlet and outlet are 1/2 pvc electrical conduit to electrical box adapter fittings. They're threaded on one end and have a spigot on the other that fits the 5/8" tubing of my external filter outlet.
The cheap standard glass tube heater passes through a compresion type pvc electrical fitting (used to pass cable into an electrical panel) It's glued into a drilled and tapped hole in the cleanout cap.
The CO2 inlet is a small (1/8" or 1/16" I believe) lawn sprinkler head and extension that passes though a similar fitting to the heater but smaller. 
The inlet and outlet pass through drilled and theaded holes in the side of the main tube top and bottom.
It's filled with 1" to 2" long peices of 1/2" pvc conduit to mix the co2 and create a turbulant flow to allow eficeint heating of the water.
I stuck it all together with standard PVC solvent cement with aquarium safe silicone for extra security at the compresion fittings for the heater, Co2 inlet and the external parts of the inlet and outlet.
It's worked fine with no leaks in the past 2 months of operation.


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

madman280 said:


> I just joined this forum today and Holy crap talk about deja vu...I built a very similar combination external heater and co2 reactor for my 75 gal bow front. Eheim filter, black stand, reactor heater even on the same side of the cabinet. I built mine from components I picked up in one trip to Home Depot.


Cool! And welcome to PT!

Do you have pictures? That would be great.


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## markdem (Jan 20, 2005)

Hi All, i built a external heater one month ago. It has two heaters in it as my tank is 780L. I have found that the bigger i made it, the better it worked. It must have something to do with how long the water spends in the pipe. i will post some pics later tonight.\

Mark


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## madman280 (Jul 9, 2006)

nope ..sorry no digital camara right now. Its still going stong, keeping things warm and the plant pearling nicely..now if I could just keep up on trimming the hygro :S


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## questor (Jan 7, 2008)

Well, I just had a bout of ich, and needed to toss a heater in my 10g to get rid of it.
The only one I had I hand was 150w Ebo Jager that was way to long for the small tank.

I had been meaning to make a DIY Co2 reactor, and then I see this thread, so I combined the two.

Here is a picture of it on the side of my tank/table. I didn't bother tucking it away out of sight behind, as I am going to transfer this over to my 75g, and make another smaller one for this tank. I also plan on moving the co2 tank to the basement and plumping lines up through the floor to all the tanks.

It's "L" shaped, with Co2 coming in at the top, and the heater in the bottom leg. I used PVC compression fitting from Lowes that I had modified to fit into a 2 x 1-1/4" bushing.

The second pix shows the fitting after I did the mod.

The heater fits snuggly in this and the temp adjusting dial is right at the end. The third pix shows that.

All works extremely well, and the Co2 levels along with the tank temp are right there, quick and easy.

Thanks for all the great insperation from all the DIY'ers here. 

ps: I have these modified fittings available if anyone is interested.
I also have some of the clear 2" PVC available.


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## questor (Jan 7, 2008)

Wanted to add a shot of the tank this reactor/heater is feeding.


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## swylie (May 10, 2007)

questor said:


> It's "L" shaped, with Co2 coming in at the top, and the heater in the bottom leg. I used PVC compression fitting from Lowes that I had modified to fit into a 2 x 1-1/4" bushing.
> 
> The second pix shows the fitting after I did the mod.
> 
> The heater fits snuggly in this and the temp adjusting dial is right at the end. The third pix shows that.


That looks really nice, and it's certainly more easily available than the cordgrips that other people are using. Do you think it's coincidence that you were able to get the compression fitting to clamp down on your heater, or do you think other people could get this to work too? I'm not sure about the diameter of the ebo jager, but I assume it's pretty close to other heaters.


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## scolley (Apr 4, 2004)

swylie said:


> That looks really nice, and it's certainly more easily available than the cordgrips that other people are using.


Agreed. And a WHOLE lot cheaper than a Pentair heater module!

I hope people are paying attention to this... it looks like a great external heater solution. Cheaper than a Hydor too, and not so limited in the mounting angles, or stand mounting possibilities.

Good job! :thumbsup: Thanks for sharing that!


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## questor (Jan 7, 2008)

swylie said:


> That looks really nice, and it's certainly more easily available than the cordgrips that other people are using. Do you think it's coincidence that you were able to get the compression fitting to clamp down on your heater, or do you think other people could get this to work too? I'm not sure about the diameter of the ebo jager, but I assume it's pretty close to other heaters.


I was ready to go the cordgrip route, but saw someone else use this thing. I looked for the thread to give them proper credit, but couldn't find it.

It's a compression fitting that I think is meant to join two pieces of pipe. The other gentleman cut it in half and used a dremel to reduce it down to fit in a bushing. I have a lathe and it made short work of that job. I turned it down to a nice slip fit that glued right together. If anyone wants one to make one of these, let me know.

They come in different sizes, I guess the smaller ones may fit on the glass tubes like the cordgrips do, but I like it better on the top piece. On the Ebo that is a harder sturdier plastic that seems to take a tight grip well. Not sure about other brands, or their diameter. I'll take some measurements next time I'm at the LFS and Lowes.

I like the mod someone did with the colored acrylic tube lined up with the indicator light to let you know the heater is powered. I am going to add that to the second one I make.

For this 10g, I can get away with a smaller heater and a shorter reaction chamber, so it could be a lot smaller/shorter. This one will be perfect for the 75g. I would guess it would do a quite larger tank that that too.


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## kasslloyd (May 28, 2007)

Heyco makes cord grips in the size you one, model M4524 for example is for "cords" .875" to 1.260" and has a NPT fitting of 1 1/4", it's a little harder to come by but if you request free samples from the company they may send you a couple.


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