# Heater explosion- what now?



## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

So, I get a phone call while getting my hair cut that one of my tanks is smoking and that the whole house smells of sulfur.  I told my partner to unplug everything and I raced home. Here's what I found:










Apparently it made quite a bit of noise when it popped, and the smoke was actually some type of escaping gas. I pulled the heater as soon as i got home, and did an 80% water change. Does anybody know if I need to worry about what was released in the tank? Is another WC on the menu for tomorrow? So far the fish are looking/acting normal...


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Wow! That's a new one on me. What kind of heater is it? From here it looks like a neoprene sleeve with sulphur inside. I see patent pending on the side. Maybe a new idea that has problems? Interesting case, tell us more, please. Is it fully submersible or did it get water too high on one not meant for that? Did it kick your breaker when it failed? Is that powder throughout the unit or just from electrical corrosion?


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

I'm pretty sure this is my fault- not the manufacturer's. The heater stopped heating last week sometime, and I didn't unplug it. Bad idea. It was just lucky that someone was home to hear it blow. It was fully submerged, and probably 3-4 years old.

I have had this brand of heaters in my tanks for years, and up until now, they fail simply by not heating, no overheats/explosions. The white stuff might be a hard water deposit from an existing crack- or could be the innards of the heater.


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## Hanafuda (Mar 31, 2010)

What kind of heater is it? Please, do tell.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Yeah what kind?


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

That is a steath visitherm by marineland.


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## LSBoost (Jan 21, 2010)

Must be an old stealth, doesn't look like the new one.


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## Bearbear (May 8, 2010)

Marineland does have a lifetime warranty on their heaters and is usually very easy to deal with.

The "stealth" heaters have had an issue with failure, specifically the 250. 
Saw pictures of one that blew up and took out the side of a tank. The guy said Marineland did warranty his heater and paid for damages caused by the heater failure - tank and carpet issues.

I have never dealt with ML specifically, but seems like they honor their warranty with little hassle. Worth a phone call at least.


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## krfhsf (Dec 25, 2008)

Here's the thread about the heater that blew up.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equip ... eater.html


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Somebody should point out that there are a good number of people who do not think this happened the way it is told. Very old story with very dubious proof. To me the obvious answer is the rock fell over and broke the glass. It is possible the heater was broken as well by the falling rock. Believe what you want but I've met too many scammers to believe the story here.


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## Dj823cichild (Mar 30, 2009)

Stealth's are terrible!!!!! Another example :-?


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## RyanR (Apr 29, 2008)

krfhsf said:


> Here's the thread about the heater that blew up.
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/equip ... eater.html


I agree that this is a legit case: that heater exploded.

I'm actually shocked (no pun intended) that there are folks running these heaters that leave them *on* when doing water changes. That's a huge WTF? red-flag to me. The auto shut-off is a safety feature... not an ease-of-use feature. Much like an airbag in a car, you're not really supposed to see if it works.

All of our tanks have various Stealth heaters running (none of the fancy new ones, though). I've not had a lick of trouble with any of them. Rock solid temperature for years. Though, they're all on power strips with the filters.... and everything gets shut down for water changes. Just flip the switch.

-Ryan


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

Woah- easy folks. If you wish to write a review of the equipment, there's a separate section for that. The topic of this thread was to find out if anybody knew what was inside the heater that could be problematic for my fish.

I have had many of these heaters over the years in many tanks- for 1000s and 1000s of hours they have worked properly.

On a more cheerful note- we're at 28 hours after the blow out and there's no sign of any trouble.


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## Bearbear (May 8, 2010)

I'd contact Marineland with the model and other info just to be on the safe side.
Good news is everything is fine so far, but I'd contact just to sleep easier.
Problem is it is a holiday weekend.

http://www.marineland.com/sites/Marinel ... px?id=1814


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## smellsfishy1 (May 29, 2008)

triscuit said:


> I'm pretty sure this is my fault- not the manufacturer's. The heater stopped heating last week sometime, and I didn't unplug it. Bad idea. It was just lucky that someone was home to hear it blow. It was fully submerged, and probably 3-4 years old.
> 
> I have had this brand of heaters in my tanks for years, and up until now, they fail simply by not heating, no overheats/explosions. The white stuff might be a hard water deposit from an existing crack- or could be the innards of the heater.


It was a user issue to a certain extent.
Triscuit even accepts at least partial credit for that one.  
Even the best heaters can faulter...


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## Gerry Binczik (Jan 30, 2005)

PfunMo wrote:


> Somebody should point out that there are a good number of people who do not think this happened the way it is told. Very old story with very dubious proof. To me the obvious answer is the rock fell over and broke the glass. It is possible the heater was broken as well by the falling rock. Believe what you want but I've met too many scammers to believe the story here.


- In the thread linked at The Planted Tank it is apparent that the "good number of people who do not think this happened the way it is told" is really only *one doubter*, though maybe a whopping one or two others expressed at least some uncertainty about the story in the many pages of the thread.

- The "very old story" is just over *one month old*.

- The "very dubious proof" included a *detailed eye-witness account and photographic and other evidence*. Moreover, quite a few people chimed in with firsthand accounts of their own experiences with the heaters in question that supported various aspects of the original poster's story, and in at least a couple of cases documented similarly devastating results. (We're not just talking overheating here!)

So who is attempting to scam whom here - and why?

We now return you to the thread actually in progress... :wink:


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## kuhliLoachFan (May 30, 2010)

I personally have heard of several people in different cities who have had Stealths explode on them.

I have one in my tank for more than 2 years, and had no problem (old model). The most recent stealth that exploded was the NEW design. Mine is the old one, without any indicator lighting.

I have heard of both of them exploding, in some cases. I am curious if a GFCI outlet could have prevented the explosion. I am a bit surprised that there is not some kind of overheat-disc or fuse inside these heaters.

W


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## triscuit (May 6, 2005)

My exploded heater was probably 3-4 years old, and was plugged into a surge protector and then into a GFI outlet. I suppose that might have been useful if the current going to the heater came in contact with the water. I don't think there was- no electrocuted fish.

Good news is that there were no losses in the tank- none of the fish even seemed to notice.

Bad news is that I haven't been able to get the manufacturer on the phone or by email. After waiting on hold for 10 minutes, there's an option to press "1" to leave voicemail. You can press one to your hearts content and you'll still be on hold. :roll:


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Try to fill a 75 with water and throw a heater into the side hard enough to break the tank. If you can do it , I will start to believe but so far what I see is one person saying it happened and asking for a good deal of money from a very good company. His story is based on his word and fuzzy cellphone pictures which seem to change over time. It is still my opinion that this is not a true story. No scam as I'm not asking for even you to believe different.

Triscuit is quite a different story. His story is quite believable and he is asking for little. The two stories should not be confused. Triscuit is asking for little more than an explanation. I find scammers often shout very loud and ask for a great deal more than they deserve.


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## Gerry Binczik (Jan 30, 2005)

PfunMo said:


> ... so far what I see is one person saying it happened and asking for a good deal of money from a very good company. His story is based on his word and fuzzy cellphone pictures which seem to change over time...


Wow, PfunMo, still more falsehoods from you about that other thread? What's the deal? :-?

Folks, I encourage you to read that thread yourselves if you're interested (someone provided a link earlier in this thread), as you're certainly getting an outrageously distorted view of it here from PfunMo.

(And no, I have no relationship whatsoever with anyone involved, in either this thread or that one. I just have an intense dislike of blatant dishonesty by anonymous posters to internet forums.)

Glad to hear your fish and tank are all right, triscuit!


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## Bearbear (May 8, 2010)

triscuit said:


> Good news is that there were no losses in the tank- none of the fish even seemed to notice.


Good to hear. :thumb:


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## Imaconvict (Feb 1, 2010)

I read the post on Planted tank and see no reason to doubt the guy, could the energy from 120 volts in water blow out the tank wall? why not. If it were the rock and he knew it would it be wise to take pictures showing the rock nearby? and lastly the quote below from the guy says 'nothing' about try to get a large amount of anything from Marineland it simply states that he contacted them.

Quote from poster on Planted tank: I have contacted Marineland. Just wanted to give everyone a heads-up


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

Matters not to me. Just that if he scams a company, you pay more for their product.


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## Imaconvict (Feb 1, 2010)

triscuit, I found this post and thought it may interest you.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showt ... p=16964405


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## rafa214 (Jun 8, 2010)

never seen that before


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