Aquaponic Gardening

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

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...

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Thank you guys so much for your quick responses.  Thank God you didn't lose your house Randell!  I know what a controller is, but what is the ground fault circuit interrupter cords or outlets?

http://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/GFCI

http://home.howstuffworks.com/question117.htm

There are also GFCI chords as well...

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&...

Kym roberts-Hardesty said:

Thank you guys so much for your quick responses.  Thank God you didn't lose your house Randell!  I know what a controller is, but what is the ground fault circuit interrupter cords or outlets?

Thank you John!  Hope you have a great day.

Yea I have had MANY pumps fail It's amazing the fireball they create even under water... I've even had a timer fail that caught my wall on fire....Def use a GFCI... But make sure you have a backup pump or air stone on another circuit in case you are away or sleeping when you lose power.... or wake up to dead fish... They have a habit of tripping at the worst possible moment....

Thank you Craig!  Once I saw what it was I understood the importance! 

Craig Mullins said:

Yea I have had MANY pumps fail It's amazing the fireball they create even under water... I've even had a timer fail that caught my wall on fire....Def use a GFCI...

These are amazing! But I'm a girl with no electrical or plowing experience lol!
Can I buy some already built from you ?
Thanks!! :D

I use a GFCI on my DIY heater to kick out when the heater leaks. I also put a ground wire in the FT and run directly to ground to help protect the fish. My heater is submersible and I have had problems with water leaking in and shorting the circuit. I'm going to rebuild it and just glue everything together and when it wears out I'll just build another .

Jeff, you might try something like 3M 5200 instead of pvc cement...it should create both a seal and adhere...but would allow you to take it apart later...it comes in a semi permanent version (I forget the numerical delineation)...

Thanks Vlad, I'll give it a try.

I am looking to use this same idea to run tubing around the room of my greenhouse and heat it that way, how small a heater coil can I get? and where?

I use a small plastic tank with a fountain pump and a single fish tank heater right now running under my plants to try to keep temperature up to 65 degrees.

Any advice is welcome.

I'm not sure it would give you the heat your looking for with out costing an arm and a leg.

these will run you about 50/month, if its heating an insulated tank with a lid on it.. if your heating a greenhouse, you should buy an electric heater with a fan etc.

For the record.. by heating the water in the fish tank, I haven't ran a heater in my greenhouse in years.

Rob, how cold does it get where you live?

Rob Nash said:


For the record.. by heating the water in the fish tank, I haven't ran a heater in my greenhouse in years.

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