Heater question

[Fred13]

Hello guys,

My tank is approximately 85 gallons (33 liters) and I am looking forward to find the appropriate heater.
I have found JBL external heater and it has 2 versions.
The 300 watt and the 500 watt.
My house isn't that warm, especially in winter btw.
At the same time I want to make a smart choise so the elecriticity bill remains viable.
Any suggestions?
Thank you !

 

[MichaelJ]

Hi @Fred13 85 gallon (US) is 321 liters ... 32 liters is 8.5 gallons.... I assume you mean 85 Gallon / 321L... if so, given the size of the tank I would go with the 500 Watts. It will cost more per hour, but heat your tank faster and thus runs less. It's a wash in terms of cost just make sure you have good circulation around the heater - and Athens in the winter is not that cold as I remember it Hygger or Jager offer good choices in that range and are very reliable.... I own or have owned both. Both my 151 L tanks are are heated with 200W Hygger and in a room that sits around 22 C / 72 F all year around... regardless of the outside temperature, be it -40 C or +40 C which is not an uncommon temp range here in Minnesota... and the heating cost for the tanks is negligible, of course I am in the US where we tend to be more nonchalant with energy consumption unfortunately.
Cheers,
Michael

 

[idris]

I've run a 250L tank with a 300W Hydor EHT heater for years. It's similar to the JBL Protemp e300 I suspect you're looking at. I don't know if it would be up to a 380L tank in a cold house, but as the 500W is only slightly more expensive, worst case scenario, you'd probably just end up with it heating for fewer hours a day.

 

[Fred13]

Hi @Fred13 85 gallon (US) is 321 liters ... 32 liters is 8.5 gallons.... I assume you mean 85 Gallon / 321L... if so, given the size of the tank I would go with the 500 Watts. It will cost more per hour, but heat your tank faster and thus runs less. It's a wash in terms of cost just make sure you have good circulation around the heater - and Athens in the winter is not that cold as I remember it Hygger or Jager offer good choices in that range and are very reliable.... I own or have owned both. Both my 151 L tanks are are heated with 200W Hygger and in a room that sits around 22 C / 72 F all year around... regardless of the outside temperature, be it -40 C or +40 C which is not an uncommon temp range here in Minnesota... and the heating cost for the tanks is negligible, of course I am in the US where we tend to be more nonchalant with energy consumption unfortunately.
Cheers,
Michael

I've run a 250L tank with a 300W Hydor EHT heater for years. It's similar to the JBL Protemp e300 I suspect you're looking at. I don't know if it would be up to a 380L tank in a cold house, but as the 500W is only slightly more expensive, worst case scenario, you'd probably just end up with it heating for fewer hours a day.

Hello guys and thank you for your answers!
Indeed, Athens isn't that cold except of a few months during the year. We may have some snowfalls but not something special.
I hope you had a great time during your visit
I will buy the 500 watt as you suggested. It will be almost the same with the 300 watts in terms of cost since it will use more energy but for less time. I suppose..

 

[MichaelJ]

I hope you had a great time during your visit

For sure! We will go next year, in August, to celebrate a friends 50th bday with his family, who is originally from there. Can't wait.

will buy the 500 watt as you suggested. It will be almost the same with the 300 watts in terms of cost since it will use more energy but for less time. I suppose..

I think that's a good call for a tank that size.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[ceg4048]

Actually, the major factor in heaters failures is their repetitive ON/OFF cycling. That happens when the heater is over-powered for the tank. It's better to have a lower powered heater that stays on for a longer period and which experiences fewer cycles.

Cheers,

 

[NotoriousENG]

Ah finally a topic I feel qualified to contribute to in an actually useful way.

Assuming the tank is well mixed, there is no difference in energy usage/operating expenses for a 300 w vs 500 w heater. For any given tank and room temperature heat loss from the system is pretty much fixed and the heater wattage only determines how much the heater is on. The big stipulation here is that both heaters can input energy at a rate equal to the loss to surroundings.

For example, if at at given room and tank temperture the tank leaks 150 watts to the surroundings the duty cycle (percentage the heater is on) would be 50% for the 300 w heater or or 30% for the 500 w heater. The overall energy consumption is the same for both, but the 500 w cycles more often.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk

 

[idris]

That's me told. 🤣🤣🤣 Ignore my suggestion.
FWIW I've had two 300W EHTs in about 10yrs (the second has failed in the last few days) so in light of Ceg's insightful comment, a 300W might last longer for you.

 

[idris]

[Deleted]

 

[aspmos]

I would go with the lower one, 300W should be enough.
In terms of efficiency the system that makes the slowest change is the more efficient. Less power is used that way and you would get the same temperature.
Of course for a 300lt tank the cost would be extremely difficult to tell, but in theory it is for sure.
Compare it with a car that wants to accelerate from 0 to 100km/h, you could press the pedal all the way down for some seconds or you could press the pedal gently for a longer period of time. Less gas would be consumed with the gentle press.

I am from Athens too and it feels a little strange that we speak in English.

 

[MichaelJ]

Actually, the major factor in heaters failures is their repetitive ON/OFF cycling. That happens when the heater is over-powered for the tank. It's better to have a lower powered heater that stays on for a longer period and which experiences fewer cycles.

Cheers,

Hi Clive, I wonder what the typical point of failure would be on a modern aquarium heather. I do remember back in the old days with bimetallic strips(I think?), that they could wear out, but in this day and age with solid state thermostats, I am not sure that is big a concern. That said, with good flow around the heater I don't think frequent cycling will be that big of a deal 300w vs 500w for a +300 L tank.

Cheers,
Michael

 

[jaypeecee]

I wonder what the typical point of failure would be on a modern aquarium heather.

Hi @MichaelJ

It could be the temperature sensor or the device (possibly a triac) controlling power to the heating element. I believe that some modern aquarium heaters also have an additional safety feature over and above the heating controller. This is to protect the heater and user in the event that the heater is inadvertently removed from water whilst power is still connected.

JPC

 

[MichaelJ]

(possibly a triac)

Yes, that can possibly wear out I suppose.

 

[zozo]

Old/top/bimetalic vs new/bottom/electronic heater design.

From
Aquarium Heaters: What you need to know! | BeanAnimal's Reef



Using an external thermostat with a more robust relay is never a bad idea, then set the heater 2°C higher than the external thermostat, this cuts the main power and the heater is set to constant on, its internals never will switch that way. What doesn't switch doesn't wear out.