Need a Water Heater

[Jim Kamen]

First, Hello from a newbe.  I am in Florida and yes I need a water heater.  I lost all of my first purchase of Tialpia last week. The guy shipped on the coldest day of the season. Water temp was 54 and my goldfish were the only fish that made it. I can't believe he thought I had a 220 gal. pond in my house.

This week we had three cold fronts and this morning my water temp was 48. I think that's too cold!

I purchased a 250 watt heater but it turns out to be a de-icer and does not work. So does any one know of a heater I can purchase that will keeps my temps up in the 60's?

I have looked at the home made here on the forum and I can build one except for the fact that I would have to drain my pond to put a fitting through the side.

Jim

[Alex Veidel]

If you're "friends", you can communicate through private messaging. Go to his profile page and under his profile picture, there should be a "send friend request" option.

Jim Kamen said:

Thanks John,

I am in Stuart all the time as my wife works up there.  Being new, How do we get contact info.  Is there a private  thingy we can use?

[Jim Kamen]

Thank you.  BTW my pond is only 220 Gal. so don't need anything big.  I use wood for smoking or wood turning making all kinds of nice things.

[Jim Fisk]

Name one source that is free and does not have some effect on the environment.

It is definitely not for everyone. It requires equipment, common sense (for oh so many reasons. I was on fire rescue for 7 yrs. in N ME and I saw some really dumb people burn their houses down doing some really dumb things), a good hardwood grove and a sophisticated woodstove that burns clean so as not to drive out the nearby neighbors which is a big pet peeve of mine. We chose a farm without nearby neighbors. The rest is common sense. Well so is that.

I cringe every time I see one of those smoke belching "outdoor woodboilers" completely smoking out a neighborhood (and wasting about 1/3 the btu value of the wood). I know as I foolishly bought one and after one season I sold it and went back to my own wood gasification burners. Our daughter and significant other moved into our cabin recently with the future son in laws woodstove so I got a great comparison between the clean steam coming out of my GH wood stove that I built and their "grey brown smoke" belching stove. I should take a picture before I replace theirs. That smoke tells it all.

It is one of natures few renewable resources. We have been here 4 yrs now and have yet to burn a tree that didn't need burning due to rot or disease or just plain being in the way. For example the cherry trees I felled for the GH got us thru last Winter in style. My kids grew up on wood heat and are very grounded as a result. It is an important part of growing up that most kids never get. If they complained they were cold they knew our answer: "go throw another log in". They also know where eggs and that steak come from as they collected the eggs and fed the chickens and sheep or hogs, etc. Gee I wonder why they turned out so well and so unspoiled. One is an ME and the other a Paramedic saving lives.

A gallon of gas for the chainsaws and splitter and half a gallon of diesel for the farm loader and some good old sweat equity = about 1200.00 - 2000.00 in electric heat per month. Not to mention the great exercise that would cost another 50.00 at the gym. We love it and I have been doing it for 50 yrs now and I don't ever remember cutting down a tree just for heat. For us it is just a part of farming. We grow and harvest our energy along with everything else that we can.

Alex Veidel said:

Wood can be expensive too; it all depends on what's available. And even if it's free, it's not free for the environment. Not that electricity is any better, but it's just an angle of thought that has always intrigued me.

Jim Fisk said:

Sale going on there right now as well Alex. Another great source. Personally I use wood but I know lots of people that could use one or more of these. Judging by how much wood we are using right now at these near 0F nights to keep our 24x24' gh heated along with the water I would hate to see the bill if we were trying to heat with electric. OMG

[Jeff S]

Jim K, I have a 300 gal. IBC and live in Michigan. I played around with multiple 300 watt heaters and while they will work I wound up building a 2000 watt heater and couldn't be happier. This is the link to the how to video...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DMiYSoffBA. If I were doing it again I would go with a 1500 watt to lower the load on my circuits. The controller is the expensive part but the whole thing still comes in at the cost of about 3 good 300 watt heaters and works much better. http://www.amazon.com/RANCO-ETC-111000-Digital-Temperature-Control/.... I know a few modifications that will work out better for you if you decide to go this route.

[Jim Kamen]

Thanks Jeff, I purchased two 300 watt heaters and they are doing fine.  Florida is not at all like Michigan and no offense, I hope it stays that way.  LOL