ONO! I did PWC and forgot to turn my heater off!!

[MickieFish]

I did a 25% water change last night, and forgot to turn my heater off!!! It is up near the water line, so I don't have to get wet when I wanna adjust it. So far the tank is still holding at 78 degrees (what it is set on). How can I tell if it's broken? It never feels warm to me when I touch it, so that won't work, unless there is a certain place on the heater that feels warm? I have a glass heater made by whisper I got at Wal Mart. Thanks!

 

[QTOFFER]

Inspect the glass for cracks and water inside- that's usually what happens when a glass heater is on while it's outside the water.

 

[MiamiFishy]

I got a sumersible heater from Petsmart, a small one for my fry tank, in the instructions it recommends to turn it off, and add the water at least 15 afterwards. I did a couple of water changes with out turning it off, and the worst that can happen is that it will still heat up the water, but it might over heated ({in my case : ( }, but that again, was because I did it a few times not to mention, probably my mother disconnecting the heater with out realizing it and reconnecting right away...

My advice, is just keep an eye on the heater and the water temp. Use a good floating thermometer or a glass one, the sticky to me are not that good.

Good luck.

 

[Guest]

If it's broke and waters getting into it. You'll will know trust me. Your fish will start getting a shock treatment and if you stick your hand in the water. YOur going to know fast if it's cracked and is getting water to the inside of it.

 

[malkore]

what brand heater?

many higher quality heaters will shut themselves off before they get hot enough to break or cook their thermostats.

 

[tropicfishman]

turn the heater up and see if the orange light clicks on on the body of the heater ( part in the tank ) I have the same heater, its a pretty durable heater actually, i've dropped it, forgot to unplug, hit with things and it still works and looks brand new lol

 

[MickieFish]

Thanks guys! I stuck my hand in the water and didn't get a shock, and the temp is still holding at 78.. so I think I'm ok!!

 

[mr funktastic]

lol i have never turned off the heater but i have always had good heaters like marineland so maybe they have the shutoff. how can u tell?

 

[lovemybarbs]

8O Well that's good you didn't get shocked. I'm picturing this and you're cracking me up. I have mine all plugged into one extension cord so I can unplug the entire system when I clean.

 

[MickieFish]

BZZZZ!! Guess that was kinda stupid, huh? My heater is a whisper 100W from wal mart.. I really don't like it, I'd rather have one with the controls on the outside of the tank.. I will upgrade soon, I think!

 

[RoK]

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of whisper.
Visi-therm heaters are awesome, I'd go with a stealth one.

 

[DeFeKt]

. Your fish will start getting a shock treatment and if you stick your hand in the water. YOur going to know fast if it's cracked and is getting water to the inside of it.

FYI your fish do not get shocked. you got a boot because you were probably earthed

 

[aquanewbie72]

Just FYI from experience - always remember its easy to do the OPPOSITE too - a couple weeks ago I forgot to turn my heater back ON after a PWC. Didn't notice until the next day and realized the tank was down to 74 (I usually keep it up around 80-82). thankfully everyone survived the ordeal.

 

[donttaptheglass]

Yep, this is why my tank is all plugged in to one power strip . . . just before I do a water change I flip the switch and the whole tank shuts off . . .everything. The worst I've ever done was forget to unlatch the canister check valve and had to re-prime the filter when I was done. Kinda hard to forget to turn it all back on when you're done when there's no air pump noise, no bubbles, my canister doesn't make any noise so thats not a good indicator . . . but my tank is always lit with either the regular HO lights or the moon lights . . .so complete darkness is a pretty good sign too . . . lol

I worked as an electrician many years ago, so my respect for electricity is quite high. I won't stick my hand in a tank full of water with anything that is plugged in . . . whether its functional and working or not.

It's like riding a motorcycle . . . if you don't respect it and have a little bit of fear of it . . . .you shouldn't go near it. The minute you think you have complete control over it, it'll knock you off your pedestal.