Twigflinger Posted December 2, 2022 Share Posted December 2, 2022 Hey guys. I just ordered the 100 watt heater and am testing it in a cold garage in a 20 gallon tote to see if it will maintain temp. I have a small filter running for water circulation and a plastic lid. To help hold in heat. This morning the heater read 81 however a mercury thermometer I dropped in yesterday reads 70. I have not read anything yet about the heater being that far off in accuracy. Could the mercury thermometer be inaccurate? Should I just set the heater to 91 and see what happens. I am doing testing to see if I can maintain water temp as I need to move betta fry to the garage for more space. I do plan on adding a second heater as a backup in case 1 of them fails. What do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigflinger Posted December 3, 2022 Author Share Posted December 3, 2022 Good point. I will try putting my other heaters in and see what they read. I do intend to insulate around the tub as much as possible with foam board and maybe some of that thin shiny aluminum looking insulation stuff. This is certainly not the expected use case for an aquarium heater and I’m sure it will affect its lifespan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dangerflower Posted December 3, 2022 Share Posted December 3, 2022 I like to have a probe thermometer (like the kind used in kitchens) on hand for verifying water temps. You can check the calibration in ice water to make sure you're getting an accurate read. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigflinger Posted December 4, 2022 Author Share Posted December 4, 2022 Dang.. So i put in one of my other heaters and it is reading 75 while the coop heater was reading 88. 75 corresponds exactly with the mercury thermometer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigflinger Posted December 6, 2022 Author Share Posted December 6, 2022 Problem solved I think! All a matter of water flow. I swapped it to a bucket back inside and it was reading correctly. Took it back outside and placed it in the tote and watched it. temperature rose to 85 which is what it was set at then kept climbing. I moved it up against the filter intake and watched numbers fall back to 85. It seems I simply underestimated the amount of flow it needed to work properly? I am going to continue monitoring though. I dont understand how in a 14 gallon tote the water temp would not all equalize? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twigflinger Posted December 6, 2022 Author Share Posted December 6, 2022 I agree. It is laying flat on bottom and up against intake now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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