Help!!! Tank shocked me. A little buzz that is...

[cjsparky]

I went and got a multimeter today. My heater is throwing roughly 15 volts into my tank when it is on. All of my electrical devices are adding some fraction of 1 volt when on, but the heater is adding 15...

This normal?

CJ

 

[cjsparky]

Yikes...correction. The heater is throwing 45 Volts into the chamber where it sits... That can't be normal.

 

[jennm]

Time to replace the heater.

Anybody else see the irony in your screen name and this thread? :lol:

Jenn

 

[james s_]

Yes quite Ironic! Voltage present in your tank is pretty common, I would do your best to try and reduce the voltage by replacing the heater and checking to make sure your powerheads,etc... are not contributing to it.

 

[cjsparky]

Yeah, all the other components are barely adding any electricity to my tank. I have replaced said heater with a Aqua Heat 200 Watt picked up at Keen Reef today. I like the fact that this heaters control unit is not submerged...

Problem solved. Now I wonder if that heater leaking 45 Volts into my tank had anything to do with killing all of my fish 6 months ago or so...

CJ

 

[jennm]

Titanium heater?

 

[tim8111]

JennM;451587 wrote: Titanium heater?

Yes, this is a titanium heater. I have started using these in the systems in my store.

 

[jennm]

I quit using them a few years ago - too many shorts and failures. In fact during the cold snap, we added extra heaters to the systems to keep the temp up - Scott found an old titanium heater in a junk box, and put it on our reef system. Came in the next day and the breaker was tripped and the pumps etc., on the same circuit were off. It was plugged into the Ranco we keep the chiller on in the summer. Tried to reset the breaker - tripped each time. Unplugged the heater - breaker back on (Ranco was still plugged in). That heater is in the trash.

I've tried several different brands of Titanium heater - same issues with them all, sooner or later. It's too bad - I like the idea, I like the separate controller and all that but I have yet to find one that works. I suspect they all come out of the same overseas factory

Jenn

 

[ichthyoid]

JennM;451622 wrote: I quit using them a few years ago - too many shorts and failures. In fact during the cold snap, we added extra heaters to the systems to keep the temp up - Scott found an old titanium heater in a junk box, and put it on our reef system. Came in the next day and the breaker was tripped and the pumps etc., on the same circuit were off. It was plugged into the Ranco we keep the chiller on in the summer. Tried to reset the breaker - tripped each time. Unplugged the heater - breaker back on (Ranco was still plugged in). That heater is in the trash.

I've tried several different brands of Titanium heater - same issues with them all, sooner or later. It's too bad - I like the idea, I like the separate controller and all that but I have yet to find one that works. I suspect they all come out of the same overseas factory

Jenn

Made in China- can they even spell quality?

Oops...did I really say that? (IMHO)

 

[tim8111]

Considering it is a sunlight supply heater, not some cheap company, I will give it the benefit of being a good product. I have been using them for 5 months or so and so far they are working fine.