DIY Heater, build your own 2000 watt heater for $20 ***DONT USE COPPER OR NICKEL ELEMENTS!

[Rob Nash]

submersible virsion... http://community.theaquaponicsource.com/forum/topics/diy-heater-sub... ...this how-to has the link for the stainless elements.

After many variations, this is the simplest heater I've been able to build. I had to come up with this last year while waiting for my $600 heater to be built and delivered. when it finally arrived, I just left it in the box and continued to use the home built unit.

DO NOT USE THE COPPER ELEMENT FROM HOME DEPOT!  YOU MUST ORDER A STAINLESS STEEEL ELEMENT.   ....This is a 2000 watt element from Home Depot, a 1-1/2" to 1" reducer, a 1-1/2" uniseal, and a fitting with net pots to keep the fish off the element. I found that a heavy duty timer works for a thermostat. I run it for 15 mins on the hour to keep my 150 gallon tank toasty. this would be adjusted according to your needs. i have used this on as much as 600 gallons, but would recommend going to the 240 volt, 4000 watt for anything over 400 gallon. Note - the 2" net pots slip right onto a male threaded 1-1/2" nipple.

The top pipe is optional, i like to keep it as tall as the water level will allow. This will create a convective flow of water across the element. Works great!

here is the newer version...

[Two Jay]

Nice job Rob, thanks for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us aquapons.

 

[Paul Westberg]

Love it! Clean installation and functional. Thanks, I was just looking into a heater when I found this.

[Ivy Kogan]

This is awesome invention!

[Gina Cavaliero]

Awesome Rob!  Thanks for sharing this!  When you run this are you pumping through out the system?

[Rob Nash]

Gina,

yes, this tub connects to my little seedling tables (media beds). As it gets colder, i plan on not circulating the water through the beds at night.

this example is in a small 50 gallon tub for some fingerling i have on hand. i have used one of these in the Rubbermaid 300 gallon tub with two media beds the most. here is a pic of a an inline version i have on my seedling nursery raft. with a system in the thousands of gallons, i suppose you could have multiple units at different points of the system, which would be all bad.  Somewhere i have a submersible one, ill try to find a pic.

 

 

[bleu and em (New Urban Farmers)]

Thanks, Rob!

 

[Sahib Punjabi]

Execellent idea...thank you for sharing ;-)

 

God bless

[wes]

Awsome work dude!!!!  Hey just wondering could you have used the already made drain fitting in the rubbermaid tank for this application???? or is it not the right size??????

[wes]

Rob said Somewhere i have a submersible one, are you for
real you can also make them submersible??? I used to be a plumber and what you
have done here is border line genius, please show the submersible version, you
have my curiosity sparked to the nines with that one.

[Kelee Gonzalez]

 

Nice!  Thanks for sharing this Rob!

[Rob Nash]

i ment to say multiple units in a larger system "wouldn't" be all bad.

 

[Rob Nash]

 

Wes, here is the newest submersible style im trying. this is a 2" to 1" threaded reducer with the edges filed off. in this example the coupler is pvc, i didnt have a rubber 2" but would recomend one like the 1-1/2" shown. The cord is pushed through a flex hose "slip" fitting. (you have to find a cord that fits into the hose fitting just right. in this case i think this one is 3/8)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 this shows the reducer before and after filing the edges off.