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UK Window Cleaning Forum => Window Cleaning Forum => Topic started by: matt on December 29, 2009, 04:09:51 pm

Title: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 29, 2009, 04:09:51 pm
It seems people are crying out for hot water

we have the L5 i have made a post about my thoughts / idea's on that, the insulated tank would keep it warm for a while, look at your hot water tank in the airing cupboard

now we have all thought of using the 240 V heating element from the hot water cylinder tank, they are about 20 quid each, but you would need a stand for 1, not a major job, i am sure a metal fabricator would knock them up for you

the house opposite me keep tropical fish in a rather large tank ( it must hold 200 - 300 L of water ) they run a Aquarium heater ( search ebay , about 10 -15 quid delivered for a 200 W heater )

300 L will need 600 W of heaters to get to 15ºC warmer than the temp the water is

they are cheap to run and leave on all night

of course the main thing will be to insulated the tank well, this will help the water temps rise AND keep the water warm




Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: mci services on December 29, 2009, 04:34:46 pm
i think its a good idea and one ive been pondering on for a while now, and 15 degress above zero would suit me just fine, in fact anything above zero would do. but ive been thinking if i insulate my tank etc i might as well just get a hot tap fitted and and fill the tank in the morning with hot seeing as i am di only
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: chris@c.m.s on December 29, 2009, 05:38:20 pm
A brewbin heater would be suited to plastic fitments they come fitted with stats as well, Hmmm  got me thinking now  ::) they are 2.5 k though so you would definitely need insulation.   
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Jeff Brimble on December 29, 2009, 05:59:06 pm
600w towel rail heaters are cheap and long enough to go half way down a 25 L containers- a hot poker  ;)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: SherwoodCleaningSe on December 29, 2009, 07:41:08 pm
I've done both and all the fish tank heaters do is stop the tank freezing.  The immersion element works well, that will heat an IBC to 40c from under 10c in about 2 hours and with little in the way of insulation, then pump it to the van tank and you should be warmish all day.

Simon.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: JSMC on December 29, 2009, 07:54:31 pm
any links to these heating elements? surely you could just cut hole in lid and drop it in and turn it on and leave me thinks
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: JSMC on December 29, 2009, 08:30:13 pm
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=500w+aquarium+heater&hl=en
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 29, 2009, 08:34:56 pm
http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=500w+aquarium+heater&hl=en

only thing with a 500 W is the price, if it breaks your 30 - 40 quid down

where as if you get two or three 200 W heaters, if 1 breaks you still have something to give some heat and its only 10 - 15 quid down )

Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 29, 2009, 08:36:42 pm
oh and Titanium heaters seem to be well recommended as they do not break ( though in the tank nothing should break them )

more pricey though
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: JSMC on December 29, 2009, 08:36:58 pm
200w what temp can they get tanks too? i only ave a 400L tank so i don't need anyhting too big
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Nathanael Jones on December 29, 2009, 08:39:07 pm
I got a 500w one off ebay for about £15 with postage. :)

Took a month to arrive tho.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 29, 2009, 08:43:00 pm
200w what temp can they get tanks too? i only ave a 400L tank so i don't need anyhting too big

just pop 2 or 3 heaters in the tank ;) job done
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Nathanael Jones on December 29, 2009, 08:44:51 pm
http://cgi.ebay.ie/Automatic-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Heater-500W-105-Gallon_W0QQitemZ140367217030QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Fish?hash=item20ae89c186
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 29, 2009, 08:49:17 pm
http://cgi.ebay.ie/Automatic-Aquarium-Fish-Tank-Heater-500W-105-Gallon_W0QQitemZ140367217030QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Fish?hash=item20ae89c186

fair play, thats a cracking find

i looked last night but couldnt find anything under 40 quid online ( even on ebay )

will heat upto 32 C aswell

bung 2 of them into a tank and you will get the 32C fairly quickly surely

Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: JSMC on December 29, 2009, 08:54:59 pm
personally i think one that isn't glass would be better. Also no need for all these other fancy bits on them
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 29, 2009, 08:55:19 pm
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/New-300W-Heater-with-safe-Heat-Guard-for-all-Aquarium_W0QQitemZ250370073462QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Fish?hash=item3a4b382376

300 W for 16 quid delivered

it comes with a " Heat Guard " and heats to 34C

Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: the gedi on December 29, 2009, 10:49:24 pm
Hi can you run warm water through a di without doing
damage to the resin?
Just ordered 2 300watt heaters for tank hopefully arrive soon so can work next week
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: mci services on December 29, 2009, 10:58:17 pm
Hi can you run warm water through a di without doing
damage to the resin?
Just ordered 2 300watt heaters for tank hopefully arrive soon so can work next week


yes you can i believe
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Nathanael Jones on December 29, 2009, 11:07:40 pm
Hi can you run warm water through a di without doing
damage to the resin?
Just ordered 2 300watt heaters for tank hopefully arrive soon so can work next week


Most resin is rated to 60 deg C. Check with your supplier to be sure though.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 29, 2009, 11:25:48 pm
Nat

does your stay in the tank all the time ?  ??

from the ebay ad, its the glass version, i guess if its not knocked its strong enough to stay in the tank
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: drwindows on December 30, 2009, 01:07:51 am
It's an interesting idea, but your calculations are not quite correct.  A 200w heater is not powerful enough.

To raise 1kg (1 litre) of water 1 deg C requires 4186 joules of energy.

therefore, to raise 300 litres 1 deg c requires 4186 x 300 = 1,255,800 joules

to raise 300 litres by 15 deg c would require 18,837,000 joules

Say 19 megajoules for ease.  You need to deliver that amount of energy in about 6 hours.

Since 1watt = 1 joule per second:

6 hrs = 21,600 seconds

so you need a device able to deliver 879 watts of power for 6 hours. 


So for just 300 litres, you'd need AT LEAST a 900w heater, not a 200w one.

Anyonw know how much it costs to run a 900W heater for 6 hours?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: wizard on December 30, 2009, 06:35:49 am
Put under floor heating under you tank with insulation under that the mat is 2 sq .metres and will also warm you van it will need a ply skin in top of the mat as we know then are cheap to run and can be left on all night. I am still looking for the fibre optic under floor heating I saw once this can be placed in water and would heat the tank o] to boiling it need be. Has anyone seen this product in the U K I  saw it in South Africa at a home Show it was in a glass tank of water and all the water was boiling. The tank held about 200 litres of water. It was quite safe all the people were touching the water as it was a cold day. 
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: SherwoodCleaningSe on December 30, 2009, 08:04:42 am
Just took the temp on my tank and it was 50+ after just 2 hours. Interesting point though most sub pumps are rated at upto 35c.

Simon.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Jack Wallace on December 30, 2009, 08:16:25 am
Hey guys,

I can see the reasoning behind using an aquarium heater, It’s a great way of protecting storage/process equipment such as di and pumps, but I can’t see any benefit to it that will keep me working.
The biggest problem I face is water freezing at the brush head and on the glass.
If the aquarium heater can only take the temp up a few degrees then by the time the water has travelled 50 meters or so through the hose which is lying on frozen ground it is going to be back down to almost zero, and as soon as it hits the glass, solid!
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Count Phil on December 30, 2009, 08:18:10 am
Dr windows, call 900w a thousand so you have a kilowatt. Thats how much the unit will burn in one hour. Look at you leccy bill to see your cost per kilowatt. Mine is 11p in the day and 4.5p at night. So a 1000 watt heater will cost between 4.5p and 11p per hour to run - assuming it runs at full wack.

The wattage of a device is in kilowatt hours, (how many kws it burns an hour) so 300 watts is 0.3 kwatt hrs 900 is 0.9 etc.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: STEVE-UK on December 30, 2009, 08:23:04 am
This sounds like a good idea but whats the advantage of having luke warm water in your tank?

Im no scientest but body temperature is 37 degrees and if you put a dirty dish under the tap it only takes the dirt off when the water is to hot to touch, this is probably around the 80 degrees the other units operate at

sorry to put a downer on it but i think the water will need to be 70-80 degrees and your tanks will have to be tested to see how they react as plastic goes soft under heat
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 30, 2009, 09:20:12 am
This sounds like a good idea but whats the advantage of having luke warm water in your tank?

Im no scientest but body temperature is 37 degrees and if you put a dirty dish under the tap it only takes the dirt off when the water is to hot to touch, this is probably around the 80 degrees the other units operate at

sorry to put a downer on it but i think the water will need to be 70-80 degrees and your tanks will have to be tested to see how they react as plastic goes soft under heat

mosts of the hot water users are running it at way below your 70-80 degrees, most have said they run it luke warm to lower the risk of cracking the window

i have ordered 2, just for a play to see if it alters the ball game a little



Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: ccmids on December 30, 2009, 09:53:37 am
Just took the temp on my tank and it was 50+ after just 2 hours. Interesting point though most sub pumps are rated at upto 35c.

Simon.

how big is the tank in ltrs?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Nathanael Jones on December 30, 2009, 09:57:53 am
Nat

does your stay in the tank all the time ?  ??

from the ebay ad, its the glass version, i guess if its not knocked its strong enough to stay in the tank

Look again,.. its a stainless steel one! :)

I have it in my static tank in the shed at the moment as I found that 500w wasn't powerful enough to heat my 650 litre tank much at all when it was just plugged in at night and I was worried about my L5 freezing,..
The aquarium heater heats the 1000 litre static tank just enough to keep the frost away from the shed & RO - DI setup, but its not really even what I'd call lukewarm. A 2nd heater would defo be required for that.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 30, 2009, 11:04:21 am
Nat

does your stay in the tank all the time ?  ??

from the ebay ad, its the glass version, i guess if its not knocked its strong enough to stay in the tank

Look again,.. its a stainless steel one! :)

I have it in my static tank in the shed at the moment as I found that 500w wasn't powerful enough to heat my 650 litre tank much at all when it was just plugged in at night and I was worried about my L5 freezing,..
The aquarium heater heats the 1000 litre static tank just enough to keep the frost away from the shed & RO - DI setup, but its not really even what I'd call lukewarm. A 2nd heater would defo be required for that.

cheers mate

i thought it looked like the glass type

a even better price then

i ordered 2 of them, double the output, twice as fast to get warmer

i only have 250 - 300 L in the tank most of the time anyways, so should get it up to 32 C over night
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Nathanael Jones on December 30, 2009, 01:05:36 pm
You have to get an adapter or change the plug on them & the cable is only 4',.. apart from that they're great.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 30, 2009, 02:04:58 pm
You have to get an adapter or change the plug on them & the cable is only 4',.. apart from that they're great.

no probs

i am thinking to wire them in a pair and fit a external socket in my van

Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Window Washers on December 30, 2009, 04:32:57 pm


How long would it take to heat up 2000l of water with these heaters and at what cost ?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 30, 2009, 04:50:39 pm

Unfortunately, if you have two x 200W heaters on overnight, assuming 300 litres and a night 12 hours long, you're going to get a rise of 14 degrees at best even if your tank were perfectly insulated (which it can't be).

As Scotty used to say, "Ye canna break the laws of physics, Captain".

Of course, that temp increase might be enough for what you're looking for.

PW

Just reread, and I think you might be saying you've bought two 500W heaters.  In that case, overnight (12 hours) will raise it 34 deg (assuming perfect insulation, etc).  Assuming decent insulation, you might be there.

It'll use 12KwH, so you're looking around £1.32 in electrickery.  If it saves you a minute or two per job, that should easily pay for itself.  If you could heat it with gas, it'd be about a third of the cost.

PW

indeed 2 X 500 W heaters, @ a few quid, its not going to break the bank

the gas option is the L5 and filling a 100 L holding ( insulated ) tank while i get the kit out

for the cost, it must be worth giving the Aquarium a whirl to see if hot / warm water changes anything
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Spruce on December 30, 2009, 04:57:56 pm
Dr windows, call 900w a thousand so you have a kilowatt. Thats how much the unit will burn in one hour. Look at you leccy bill to see your cost per kilowatt. Mine is 11p in the day and 4.5p at night. So a 1000 watt heater will cost between 4.5p and 11p per hour to run - assuming it runs at full wack.

The wattage of a device is in kilowatt hours, (how many kws it burns an hour) so 300 watts is 0.3 kwatt hrs 900 is 0.9 etc.

We are on a standard electric meter as most of us are, so the cheap rate electricity doesn't apply as the meter can't decide how much electricity you use at different times of the day.
A multimeter is what you require to take advantage of a cheaper electrical rate (economy 7) at night, but you will be charged for the priviledge of a multimeter- how much though I am not sure.
Spruce
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: JSMC on December 30, 2009, 05:03:56 pm
for me it's not about getting hot water onto the glass but stopping the water from freezing in tank and tank elbow and leading into the strainer. Ice block in my strainer today when i inscrewed it off.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on December 30, 2009, 05:05:42 pm


How long would it take to heat up 2000l of water with these heaters and at what cost ?

Cost wouldnt be too much of an issue, I think you guys'll find that trying to heat 500 litres adequately overnight is going to be like pi$$ing in the wind let  alone 2,000.

If it was that easy to heat water up why do we have feck-off great immersions in our houses powerful enough in an electrical sense to blow your brains out and fry your under-carriage at the same time?

Arent there any other fish keepers on here?

Im just setting up a 2000 litre marine system right now, I dont expect to be able to heat the water overnight to 28 °C let alone 40 °C  or more for window cleaning.

Didnt we go down this avenue about 6 weeks ago?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 30, 2009, 05:27:46 pm


How long would it take to heat up 2000l of water with these heaters and at what cost ?

you just need a immersion heating element ,well i expect for that amount of water you would need 2 or 3

Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: drwindows on December 30, 2009, 08:31:31 pm
Quote
mosts of the hot water users are running it at way below your 70-80 degrees, most have said they run it luke warm to lower the risk of cracking the window

Thats not true matt, i use mine at about 60 deg c, thats the whole point, its nice and hot.  The glass cracking baloney is a myth, I've never had such a problem.

However, if you're just looking to prevent freezing and want luke-warm water it might work.  But for me, if you're going to go hot water, then its worth getting it properly, and being able to use it nice and hot (not luke warm)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 30, 2009, 10:32:33 pm
Quote
mosts of the hot water users are running it at way below your 70-80 degrees, most have said they run it luke warm to lower the risk of cracking the window

Thats not true matt, i use mine at about 60 deg c, thats the whole point, its nice and hot.  The glass cracking baloney is a myth, I've never had such a problem.

However, if you're just looking to prevent freezing and want luke-warm water it might work.  But for me, if you're going to go hot water, then its worth getting it properly, and being able to use it nice and hot (not luke warm)

only a post from yesterday / today

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=87070.0

Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: mci services on December 30, 2009, 10:45:10 pm
Quote
mosts of the hot water users are running it at way below your 70-80 degrees, most have said they run it luke warm to lower the risk of cracking the window

Thats not true matt, i use mine at about 60 deg c, thats the whole point, its nice and hot.  The glass cracking baloney is a myth, I've never had such a problem.

However, if you're just looking to prevent freezing and want luke-warm water it might work.  But for me, if you're going to go hot water, then its worth getting it properly, and being able to use it nice and hot (not luke warm)

only a post from yesterday / today

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=87070.0


i was going to quote the same post but couldnt be bothered ;D
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 30, 2009, 11:25:19 pm
Quote
mosts of the hot water users are running it at way below your 70-80 degrees, most have said they run it luke warm to lower the risk of cracking the window

Thats not true matt, i use mine at about 60 deg c, thats the whole point, its nice and hot.  The glass cracking baloney is a myth, I've never had such a problem.

However, if you're just looking to prevent freezing and want luke-warm water it might work.  But for me, if you're going to go hot water, then its worth getting it properly, and being able to use it nice and hot (not luke warm)

only a post from yesterday / today

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=87070.0


i was going to quote the same post but couldnt be bothered ;D

 ;D ;D ;D
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: drwindows on December 31, 2009, 12:21:18 am
yeah i saw that. he's doing something wrong.  Dunno what, but I've never had that problem.

And you said "mosts of the hot water users are running it at way below your 70-80 degrees, most have said they run it luke warm to lower the risk of cracking the window"

Which just isnt true.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: A & J Owen Window Cleaning on December 31, 2009, 06:04:04 am
would this work with heating elements and plastice barrels with water attached and a car battery for power source
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: karygate on December 31, 2009, 09:38:22 am
used one last year in my 250 litre tank and it wass great. needed to be turned on at teatim e and left on nice warm water in the morning that lasted about 3 hours. m ine was 30n quid from the local aquarium shop . its made of plastic casing so it wss permanently in my tank.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on December 31, 2009, 10:56:18 am
used one last year in my 250 litre tank and it wass great. needed to be turned on at teatim e and left on nice warm water in the morning that lasted about 3 hours. m ine was 30n quid from the local aquarium shop . its made of plastic casing so it wss permanently in my tank.

how big is yours  :o :o :-[

heater i mean

nice to hear that it works
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: karygate on January 01, 2010, 09:01:30 am
it is the 500w i think and i put the temperature up to the max . am going to try it this weekend on my 400 litre tank to see if it does the trick . will let you all know.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Jeff Brimble on January 01, 2010, 09:43:03 am
My IBC is heated by a 600w oil filled rad and was accidentally left off over night, but its insulated. I was expecting it to be frozen. It was not, the temp outside is -5 inside the insulation it was +5  ;)

Its getting the temprature up the first 4 degrees that takes most of the power, the rest is easier, and if you insulate any tank over 10L (all my containers are 10L as I only use 100L/day)  it will stay warm all day.

So you only need large current/Btu consumption for the first few degrees  8)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: John Walker on January 01, 2010, 09:46:20 am
Cheapskate Version

I put my drums against the hall radiator overnight.  Not hot but means i can still work on frosty mornings - quite a few degrees above freezing and that's all i'm concerned about.  :)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on January 01, 2010, 09:49:28 am
My IBC is heated by a 600w oil filled rad and was accidentally left off over night, but its insulated. I was expecting it to be frozen. It was not, the temp outside is -5 inside the insulation it was +5  ;)

Jeff can you explain the setup of how you heat the IBC water with this rad please? Im trying to envisage it but cant  ??? :'(
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Jeff Brimble on January 01, 2010, 11:17:18 am
Yours is probably full, but when its empty  :'( mount  it on vertical concrete blocks so that its 18" plus off the ground.
Then the rad and 25L containers etc just slides underneath, maybe some of you could also put your RO/DI under there but its not that accessible. Then you only need 1 heat scource. I use 3 One in the van, 1 for RO and the small one for the IBC.
I boxed it in with 4 side sheets of 3/4" polystyrene and held to gether with duck tape which comes unstuck so now have 3 bands of string and knicker elastic going horizonatlly around the tank. The top is 3 sections of Kingspan alu coated 2"board from builders merchants.
Mine is all under a galvanised lean to.

Too much bother ?here is the next 10 days forecast http://www.meteox.com/world-weather-fc.aspx?c=United%20Kingdom&latlng=-3.5|53.3
Hope this helps.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on January 01, 2010, 11:41:50 am
my next project is a shed down the side of my house, its to store my work stuff , bikes and garden / allotment expensive power tools

i plan to insulate that to the hilt, then a small heat source will keep it warm enough
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: marcus hopkins on January 03, 2010, 06:36:51 pm
I have been reading this thread with great interest when suddenly i had an idea. The use of a pool heater would be a great alternative. Water is not a conductor of heat so needs to be moving enabling the heated water to mix with the unheated water. The use of an intex pool pump and heater (or similar) would be an ideal solution. A pipe from the bottom of the tank through the heater and pump and then returned to the top of the tank would be an ideal scenario to heat and mix the water. Although these pumps are 3kw they would be quite cheap to run as the water would be heated much quicker. The intex heater has no thermostat control but other brands are thermostatically operated.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SWIMMING-POOL-INTEX-3KW-HEATER-SUIT-POOLS-UP-TO-15-FOOT_W0QQitemZ110458358194QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Swimming_Pools_Hot_Tubs?hash=item19b7d4c9b2#ht_3650wt_941



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3KW-SWIMMING-POOL-HEATER-TO-FIT-INTEX-ABOVE-GROUND-POOL_W0QQitemZ300383097812QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Swimming_Pools_Hot_Tubs?hash=item45f03a53d4#ht_500wt_1182

I believe these heater will heat to around 36 degrees
Any thoughts would be appreciated as i am seriously considering this idea.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on January 03, 2010, 06:48:32 pm
good idea

i guess as its a more powerfull heater it wouldnt need to be on all night, though could be if it had a thermostat

my only thought is the cost of running the thing, as the people opposite me have a pool and allways moan at the heating costs

the Aquarium heaters cost very little to run

ref the moving of the water , i think if you had 1 heater either end of the tank, that would be enough


Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: marcus hopkins on January 03, 2010, 08:34:24 pm
I think due to it being such a small volume of water the poolheater would be on for a very short time bearing in mind a 3kw heater is capable of heating a 15ft by 48" high pool with a water capacity of 17,587 liters. I have borrowed a heater from a friend but need to source a pump with the same size tails for the pipework. As soon as i have done some trials i will post the results here.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on January 03, 2010, 08:38:33 pm
3KW thats certainly the dogs dangley bits.

(http://shop.aquakoiaquatics.com/ekmps/shops/aquakoigroup/images/prolinepluggo.jpg)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: marcus hopkins on January 03, 2010, 08:42:57 pm
Good looking piece of equipment but much dearer than the price of a 3kw pool heater and pump, and still lacking the advantage of water movement.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on January 03, 2010, 08:44:13 pm
You wouldnt need water movement or a pump, sit it in the bottom of your van-mount and the thermal currents it would create would move the water about.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: marcus hopkins on January 03, 2010, 08:45:44 pm
Very true.

Just found this on ebay though, £69
(http://qkpic.com/f681d)
Pump and 3kw heater combined


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OBlue-3Kw-Swimming-Pool-Heater-and-3000-Litre-Filter_W0QQitemZ380165550409QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Swimming_Pools_Hot_Tubs?hash=item5883a1f149#ht_5202wt_1054

Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on January 03, 2010, 09:10:55 pm
Very true.

Just found this on ebay though, £69
(http://qkpic.com/f681d)
Pump and 3kw heater combined


http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/OBlue-3Kw-Swimming-Pool-Heater-and-3000-Litre-Filter_W0QQitemZ380165550409QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Swimming_Pools_Hot_Tubs?hash=item5883a1f149#ht_5202wt_1054



75 quid delivered

worth a shot i guess, i have order 2 Aquarium heaters to try

marcus, when you try it out, let us know, could be a nice little heater that only needs to be on for a couple of hours to get warm water

when the doubters get on this ( and they will ), ignore them  ;)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: marcus hopkins on January 03, 2010, 09:30:01 pm
lol
I know where you are coming from matt I am admin on another forum so know how to treat them :)
I am only sharing what could be my resolution to my personal problem, but it may prove a valuable solution for others too.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: karygate on January 04, 2010, 10:33:47 am
my aquarium heater has been in overnight and the tank has not frozen but it is cool. it is a 300w one and my tank is 400 litres. worth every penny.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on January 04, 2010, 06:08:23 pm
my 2 were despatched today

so next week they should be here

Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: d.ward on January 04, 2010, 06:24:23 pm
can you just throw them in the tank overnight then take them out in the morning ?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on January 04, 2010, 06:25:09 pm
Yes but leave it for 2 minutes after you turn it off to allow it to cool down.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: d.ward on January 04, 2010, 06:27:46 pm
The garden centre near me should have some - dont want to order anything on the internet because of delivery times. Would i be able to work all day with that matt?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on January 04, 2010, 06:44:41 pm
Depends what temp you can get your water up to.

Basically all fishtank heaters will get water up to about 30C or so. The wattage of the heater simply affects how quickly this occurs. Overnight my 300W heater (300W is about max for domestic fishtank) got my tank up to 24+, at dinnertime this had cooled to 16+ but I had NO probs re: icing up of hose or pole.

Im getting a 3KW tank heater this week, hoping to get the temp upto about 45-50 once I have that  ;)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Jeff Brimble on January 04, 2010, 06:46:27 pm
Could I suggest that 35-40 is warm enogh in this weather.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on January 04, 2010, 06:48:55 pm
You certainly can jeff  ;D

Once its out the pole though it'll be 30 surely if heated to 45?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Jeff Brimble on January 04, 2010, 07:01:57 pm
Starting with 35 degrees I lose 10 degrees throgh a 30m length of algarde microbore 1/4"
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on January 04, 2010, 07:04:12 pm
Cheers Jeff, Ill bear that in mind.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Nathanael Jones on January 04, 2010, 07:11:08 pm
I've just put a 2nd 500W aquarium heater in my static tank,.. my plan is to fill the van last thing at night and the tank of hot water will keep the van frost free overnight. :)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Jeff Brimble on January 04, 2010, 07:13:44 pm
The Victorians kept ice in underground ice houses from winter right through the summer, heat is not that much different, go for it.
Go for it  8)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on January 04, 2010, 07:14:45 pm
I've just put a 2nd 500W aquarium heater in my static tank,.. my plan is to fill the van last thing at night and the tank of hot water will keep the van frost free overnight. :)

What temp does your water get up to with a 500W heater?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Jeff Brimble on January 04, 2010, 07:16:19 pm
How about your own thermal borehole supply. Not good with a DI or Ro because of the tds, but you could use it as a resevoir to pre heat your tank through a pipe system !
Ill get ma coat. ;D
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on January 04, 2010, 07:22:05 pm
Jeff what setup have you got to heat your water?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Nathanael Jones on January 04, 2010, 07:22:05 pm
I've just put a 2nd 500W aquarium heater in my static tank,.. my plan is to fill the van last thing at night and the tank of hot water will keep the van frost free overnight. :)

What temp does your water get up to with a 500W heater?

Its a 1000 litre tank and its not insulated, so not very hot,.. barely lukewarm to be honest. 2 heaters should do the trick though. Tonight is the first night with 2 heaters so we'll soon see.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: JSMC on January 04, 2010, 07:46:21 pm
which ones been bought by most of ye so far?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on January 04, 2010, 08:29:00 pm
which ones been bought by most of ye so far?

a link is on this thread at the start, its from ebay
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: suds window service on January 04, 2010, 10:01:40 pm
matt would two 300watt aquarium heaters warm up my 400 litre tank and how long would you leave them on?
i was looking at them today in pets at home £21.99 each
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: steve a on January 04, 2010, 10:28:01 pm
What about installing a cheap electric shower as a transfer pump and then the water would be heated on the way to the van.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on January 04, 2010, 10:34:07 pm
matt would two 300watt aquarium heaters warm up my 400 litre tank and how long would you leave them on?
i was looking at them today in pets at home £21.99 each

from this thread by Polish Windows

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=87069.0

personally i think its worth a go, even if you put 300 L in your tank, your going to be out and working ( for a shorter day, but still out working )

i would just leave it on all night, as its got a thermostat, it will stop heater when it gets to 32 C ( or whatever the max is )



Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: suds window service on January 04, 2010, 10:45:42 pm
matt would two 300watt aquarium heaters warm up my 400 litre tank and how long would you leave them on?
i was looking at them today in pets at home £21.99 each

from this thread by Polish Windows

http://www.cleanitup.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=87069.0

personally i think its worth a go, even if you put 300 L in your tank, your going to be out and working ( for a shorter day, but still out working )

i would just leave it on all night, as its got a thermostat, it will stop heater when it gets to 32 C ( or whatever the max is )

32c i would settle for that lol cheers dave


Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: d s windowcleaning on January 04, 2010, 10:58:21 pm
if gazza reads this post he will back me up on what i write .
ive used aquarium heater in my van tank 400 ltr for the last 3 years , i gave gazza the same type of heater i use which is a 300w  this will get your water to a luke warm temp but you will never miss a days work by using 1 , allso as the water heats up  in your van this gives a radiator effect so keeps the rest of your stuff from freezing .
im just in the process of having a static system frame built which runs off my central heating ,it will never get my water to a boiling temp but it will never freze either .
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gsw on January 05, 2010, 10:38:06 am
http://www.do-it-yourself-pumps.com/livestock-tankheaters.htm


anyone tried anything like this and can you get them in the uk?? i need to heat 1000l.

greg
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: suds window service on January 05, 2010, 12:14:02 pm
if gazza reads this post he will back me up on what i write .
ive used aquarium heater in my van tank 400 ltr for the last 3 years , i gave gazza the same type of heater i use which is a 300w  this will get your water to a luke warm temp but you will never miss a days work by using 1 , allso as the water heats up  in your van this gives a radiator effect so keeps the rest of your stuff from freezing .
im just in the process of having a static system frame built which runs off my central heating ,it will never get my water to a boiling temp but it will never freze either .
Dave do you dangle it in because don't think i will be able to get my arm in to fix it to the side of the tank
                                        cheers dave.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: suds window service on January 05, 2010, 12:17:39 pm
I've just put a 2nd 500W aquarium heater in my static tank,.. my plan is to fill the van last thing at night and the tank of hot water will keep the van frost free overnight. :)

What temp does your water get up to with a 500W heater?
nath how did last night go with the two heaters?

Its a 1000 litre tank and its not insulated, so not very hot,.. barely lukewarm to be honest. 2 heaters should do the trick though. Tonight is the first night with 2 heaters so we'll soon see.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: d s windowcleaning on January 05, 2010, 12:22:15 pm
if gazza reads this post he will back me up on what i write .
ive used aquarium heater in my van tank 400 ltr for the last 3 years , i gave gazza the same type of heater i use which is a 300w  this will get your water to a luke warm temp but you will never miss a days work by using 1 , allso as the water heats up  in your van this gives a radiator effect so keeps the rest of your stuff from freezing .
im just in the process of having a static system frame built which runs off my central heating ,it will never get my water to a boiling temp but it will never freze either .
Dave do you dangle it in because don't think i will be able to get my arm in to fix it to the side of the tank
                                        cheers dave.

i use a 400 ltr flat tank in my van so it just stands up but when i use in my 1000 ltr static tank i just dangle it , theres a few good pond heaters that float that keeps the water warm they wont get it red hot but they prevent freezing .
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: suds window service on January 05, 2010, 02:31:13 pm
OK thanks Dave just dropped two 300watt heaters into my 400lt upright tank also set thermostats for 34 degrees.
hopefully the water will be warm enough to work tomorrow?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: d s windowcleaning on January 05, 2010, 03:19:44 pm
OK thanks Dave just dropped two 300watt heaters into my 400lt upright tank also set thermostats for 34 degrees.
hopefully the water will be warm enough to work tomorrow?
you will notice a big diffrance with using the water at that temp , i use just 1 heater in mine temp roughly gets to around 28 degrees over night so with 2 heaters you should get upto 34 degrees , let us no how you get on with 2 heaters mate .
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on January 05, 2010, 05:05:29 pm
OK thanks Dave just dropped two 300watt heaters into my 400lt upright tank also set thermostats for 34 degrees.
hopefully the water will be warm enough to work tomorrow?

should get upto the max tongiht then

let us know how it works out
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: suds window service on January 05, 2010, 05:12:30 pm
will do unless we get the full 16inches of the white stuff :-\
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on January 05, 2010, 05:17:03 pm
i want snow

still got my sledges to use  ;)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: wezzy32 on January 05, 2010, 05:18:50 pm
http://www.do-it-yourself-pumps.com/livestock-tankheaters.htm


anyone tried anything like this and can you get them in the uk?? i need to heat 1000l.

greg



u could email them to see if they ship to the uk or ask if there is a uk seller
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: JSMC on January 05, 2010, 05:20:43 pm
most of the heater son ebay are from hong kong. i wonder what the quality of these ar elike and also what connection will be on them
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on January 05, 2010, 05:28:17 pm
most of the heater son ebay are from hong kong. i wonder what the quality of these ar elike and also what connection will be on them

quality will be cheap

BUT

the heaters you buy in the UK will have started off in china, just rebadged and boxed in english


ref the connection, just whip the plug off and rewire
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: craig jwc on January 05, 2010, 05:35:21 pm
Been reading through all the post and probably missed it, but surely it will only warm the water in the tank and not the hose reels unless it is been circulated.
I also thought warm/hot water freezes quicker than cold water, so once you start working with it this is where the problems start.
I've just been using a green house heater which frost control, in the van which has kept everything including the windscreen from freezing.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: JSMC on January 05, 2010, 05:42:22 pm
Been reading through all the post and probably missed it, but surely it will only warm the water in the tank and not the hose reels unless it is been circulated.
I also thought warm/hot water freezes quicker than cold water, so once you start working with it this is where the problems start.
I've just been using a green house heater which frost control, in the van which has kept everything including the windscreen from freezing.
i'd imagine it would ony get water warm as far as pump strainer.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Steve Thomas on January 05, 2010, 06:19:55 pm
I have just been out and got a 300w  fish tank heater after reading all the posts on this, I have had it running from about 3 pm today, and just been out to van to check on it to find that the water is not as cold as it was, so have wound the temp up full and will check it when i get back from skittles about 11.30pm if ok will leave on till the morn.

I'll keep you all posted.

Steve  :)
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: traps7 on January 05, 2010, 07:59:00 pm
Can you leave an aquarium heater running while you're out working via a power invertor?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: matt on January 05, 2010, 07:59:39 pm
Can you leave an aquarium heater running while you're out working via a power invertor?

no, the power drain will kill a large battery
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: nathanharrison on January 05, 2010, 10:02:26 pm
Hot water freezes quicker than cold water? ??? ???  ??? ??? ???

I've seen quite a few posts saying this but surely that can't be true?

If you put water on the floor at say 50deg it will loose its heat quicker than water at 8deg. But, say the warm water cools down to 2deg in 5mins and the 8deg water cools to 2deg in the same time, are you seriously saying that the water that started off warmer is going to continue cooling at a faster rate and, in effect, overtake the other cool water in its fall to freezing point???!!!

The logic and Physics in this process seems quite simple to me or am I missing something?
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: suds window service on January 05, 2010, 11:19:18 pm
these aquarium heaters OK to be left on through the night?
just been out and checked the temp of the water by touch and can feel the difference to this morning.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Steve Thomas on January 06, 2010, 09:44:37 am
Hi all,
Just thought I'd let you all know how I got on the Aqarium Heater in my tank last night,
I checked it last night b 4 going skittles at about 6.30 pm, the water still cold,
 then at 11 30 pm when i got back and the water was better than b 4 but not brill.

I have been out and checked it this morning about 09.15 and it is warm ish.

The hearter is a 300w and has been on since 3 pm yesterday, the tank is 250ltr flat.

I still cant go to work today as like alot of you, I got up to see 6 /8  inch of snow  ???

Have a good day in the snow guys

Steve.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: suds window service on January 06, 2010, 02:27:35 pm
results of my two 300watt aquarium heaters in my 400lt tank.
OK water this morning was 17degrees which meant i went to work.
so for an outlay of 40 quid thats great!

today i will only put 300lts in the tank and hope for round about 25degrees.
i have rescheduled work for the rest of the week (half days really) and will be chuffed to do that.

conclusion......40 quid spent ......£400 of work done would be a great result.
                                 regards suds.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: gewindows on January 06, 2010, 02:28:36 pm
these aquarium heaters OK to be left on through the night?
just been out and checked the temp of the water by touch and can feel the difference to this morning.

Well Im sure the fish'd be pi$$ed off if they wern't.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: traps7 on January 06, 2010, 07:01:55 pm
lol

Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: JSMC on January 06, 2010, 08:10:35 pm
bought a 200w one for my 400l tank. i just want water not too freeze basically
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: mci services on January 06, 2010, 10:09:58 pm
bought a 200w one for my 400l tank. i just want water not too freeze basically

i am picking up 2x300w tommorrow for my 400l tank, this week ive been using hot water from the tap through my di to backpack and sticking containers next to radiator in the hall, it brings them up to a nice 24/28 degress and at lunch time i am still getting a healthy 10 degrees at the brush. bit hard going trying not to fall but it works
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: pingu on January 06, 2010, 10:17:06 pm
I am been looking at pool heaters

http://www.aspectspools.co.uk/elecro-evolution-stainless-steel-electric-pool-heater

So for those that have have IBC's and a van tank do you think that in these time of very cold temps...perhaps it is possible to link the ibc storage tank and the van tank a then pump the heated water around the complete system.

Just a thought...this way the whole system could be heated and kept warm and ice free for the whole night and I would imagine the van would also get a little warmer..so nice to get into in the morning.

Perhaps you could fit an old radiator into the back of the van and that would then also keep the van warm.


Cheers
Dave. 
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: d s windowcleaning on January 06, 2010, 10:42:32 pm
take a look at this site for the eco friendley ways  www.reuk.co.uk
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: Jack Wallace on January 07, 2010, 08:45:48 am
Does anyone know if its possible to run an aquarium heater of 12v?
I have an inverter but fear this will drain my vehicle battery but was wondering if it was possible in some way to hard wire directly to the pump battery.
I figured the drop in voltage may not be enough to run it but am hoping I am wrong. perhaps it might be enough to just keep it warm therefore stop the tanks cooling so quickly.
Title: Re: Aquarium heaters
Post by: traps7 on January 07, 2010, 09:07:24 am
Can you leave an aquarium heater running while you're out working via a power invertor?

no, the power drain will kill a large battery

Already been asked.