Electric Current in Water Monitor/Probe

DSDoyle · 10/15/2017, 05:10 PM

Hello,

OK, I finally figured out why I was getting electricity in my system . . . the bleepin' heater (as almost everyone said would be the problem). It is a Finnex 800W Titanium heater.

I have now put everything on GFCI outlets. When I first put everything on the GFCIs, the one for the heater did pop. I took resat the connection with the heater still attached and the GFCI did not pop again.

1. Has anyone had experience of these heaters acting up? I have only had this one for a little over a year.

2. Is there such a thing as a monitor/probe that detects electricity and alerts me like my Apex system regarding other things?

Thanks for your help,

Don

mcgyvr · 10/15/2017, 05:55 PM

Yes heaters of all brands can/will/do fail or act up intermittently..

I thought apex had some heartbeat function that could alert to a power loss.. (not an apex user so I'm not sure)

DSDoyle · 10/15/2017, 06:04 PM

Yes Apex does, but this is not about a power outage, but electricity leaking in the system.

der_wille_zur_macht · 10/15/2017, 07:12 PM

The GFCI is essentially your alert that there is power getting loose in the tank.

We are on the verge of a full-on nerd debate here, but IMHO you don't need or want a ground probe or sensor for this function. Just use quality GFCIs, and if or when one trips, find and solve the problem.

I don't know Apex equipment, but if they do have a "you just lost power" function, then you're all set. Run the controller on the same GFCI circuit as your tank, and if it trips, the controller will lose power and you will be alerted.

And yes, titanium heaters are a common source of these kinds of issues, and that brand has several reports of issues in the forums.

DSDoyle · 10/15/2017, 07:19 PM

So what brand is less susceptible to leakage?

der_wille_zur_macht · 10/15/2017, 08:09 PM

I've used Eheim Jager heaters exclusively for maybe 15 years or so. I've never used a titanium heater so if that's what you're looking for I can't help.

mcgyvr · 10/16/2017, 04:44 AM

I second the Eheim Jager...
Good quality/proven brand..

I will recommend that you never fully submerge a heater even if its rated to do so.. Just keep the control section above water and you are much less likely to have an issue as then its just the glass and that won't ever leak.. Its the upper control section where the seals eventually fail that causes the problems..
Those titanium though are different in that they don't have a control section and require an external controller.. But most others do.. so my recommendation applies to those..

alton · 10/16/2017, 05:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mcgyvr

I second the Eheim Jager...
Good quality/proven brand..

I will recommend that you never fully submerge a heater even if its rated to do so.. Just keep the control section above water and you are much less likely to have an issue as then its just the glass and that won't ever leak.. Its the upper control section where the seals eventually fail that causes the problems..
Those titanium though are different in that they don't have a control section and require an external controller.. But most others do.. so my recommendation applies to those..

x3
Eheim for heaters, keep the controls dry. If you can't do that then place your heater with a ground probe on its own gfci receptacle because it is going to fail, its just a matter of when. I gave my son a glass Marineland heater that is over 10 years old, but the controller has always stayed dry, and it still works flawlessly. I can't say that about the newer Marineland heaters, I went though a bunch including the famous Stealth!

10/15/2017, 05:10 PM	#1
DSDoyle Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 52	Electric Current in Water Monitor/Probe Hello, OK, I finally figured out why I was getting electricity in my system . . . the bleepin' heater (as almost everyone said would be the problem). It is a Finnex 800W Titanium heater. I have now put everything on GFCI outlets. When I first put everything on the GFCIs, the one for the heater did pop. I took resat the connection with the heater still attached and the GFCI did not pop again. 1. Has anyone had experience of these heaters acting up? I have only had this one for a little over a year. 2. Is there such a thing as a monitor/probe that detects electricity and alerts me like my Apex system regarding other things? Thanks for your help, Don

10/15/2017, 05:55 PM	#2
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	Yes heaters of all brands can/will/do fail or act up intermittently.. I thought apex had some heartbeat function that could alert to a power loss.. (not an apex user so I'm not sure) __________________ Who me?

10/15/2017, 07:12 PM	#4
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	The GFCI is essentially your alert that there is power getting loose in the tank. We are on the verge of a full-on nerd debate here, but IMHO you don't need or want a ground probe or sensor for this function. Just use quality GFCIs, and if or when one trips, find and solve the problem. I don't know Apex equipment, but if they do have a "you just lost power" function, then you're all set. Run the controller on the same GFCI circuit as your tank, and if it trips, the controller will lose power and you will be alerted. And yes, titanium heaters are a common source of these kinds of issues, and that brand has several reports of issues in the forums. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

10/15/2017, 08:09 PM	#6
der_wille_zur_macht Team RC Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: NY Posts: 17,749	I've used Eheim Jager heaters exclusively for maybe 15 years or so. I've never used a titanium heater so if that's what you're looking for I can't help. __________________ Inconveniencing marine life since 1992 "It is my personal belief that reef aquaria should be thriving communities of biodiversity, representative of their wild counterparts, and not merely collections of pretty specimens growing on tidy clean rock shelves covered in purple coralline algae." (Eric Borneman)

10/16/2017, 04:44 AM	#7
mcgyvr Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2003 Location: North Carolina Posts: 20,050	I second the Eheim Jager... Good quality/proven brand.. I will recommend that you never fully submerge a heater even if its rated to do so.. Just keep the control section above water and you are much less likely to have an issue as then its just the glass and that won't ever leak.. Its the upper control section where the seals eventually fail that causes the problems.. Those titanium though are different in that they don't have a control section and require an external controller.. But most others do.. so my recommendation applies to those.. __________________ Who me?

10/15/2017, 06:04 PM	#3
DSDoyle Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 52	Yes Apex does, but this is not about a power outage, but electricity leaking in the system.

10/15/2017, 07:19 PM	#5
DSDoyle Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2015 Location: Indianapolis, IN Posts: 52	So what brand is less susceptible to leakage?