# Aqueon Pro Heater blinking light.



## Dexter. (Oct 23, 2012)

So we just came home to my girlfriends house to find her 75G at a low 73 degrees. First thing we turn to is the heater. It's a 300watt Aqueon Pro and it's maybe a month old if that. It's just blinking...it doesn't stay lit for more than a couple seconds. Now I know they don't stay on, I'm not unfamiliar with aquarium equipment. It will come on sometimes for about 10 seconds or so, turn off, turn on for a second and turn off, then blink every second or so and stay off. Then it kind of repeats this weird inconsistent cycle. We've tried unplugging it and plugging it back in, didn't change. There's no excessive build up on it, as I said it's only been in there a month or so.

The next issue is we don't have the receipt. I've had (as well as my brother) this exact heater for quite some time now with no issues. Keeps my 75G at nearly the exact same temperature within .3-.4 degrees. The only thing I can think of is with her tank being in the basement, it's gets pretty cool down here until someone is around and turns the heat on. The room has it's own heat source as it's in the basement, so the room temperature does fluctuate a bit. This is exactly why I wanted to get this heater though, because I know it works **** well. Thankfully her Jack that's in the tank is a couple years old and full grown, so he's quite hearty and is doing okay.

Does anyone know what could be wrong with it? Is it just a dud? I'm not sure what to look for, heaters are fairly straight forward.

Any help is appreciated.

(My 75 is currently broken down so I have another one I can bring in ASAP but we may just go get another one tomorrow anyway.)

I should also add, in it's past being in the tank it has kept the tank between about 77-82 just because of the room temperature fluctuation...this is why I know something is going on because it has never been this low.


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Is the water above the fill line on the heater? It must stay submerged or it will power on and off.

Also with this heater you should always have a light on. Green means it is at temp and red means it is on trying to reach set temp.

Also...what is the size tank, does it have good circulation and what is the room temperature?

If everything is within reason meaning you have good flow, the tank isn't too large for the heater or the room isn't too cold then yes...you likely have a bad heater. I will say if the light is coming on and off and it is below the water line that you probably have a bad heater. I would take it back if it is not too old and tell them you don't have your receipt and hope for the best.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

Razorback is right. For this model the light should always be on. It may be that the circuit that powers the LED is faulty and is preventing the light from illuminating properly (although the heater is still heating properly) or it could be another problem. In any case Aqueon has a very good warranty program and you can contact Aqueon at 1-888 255 4527 and they can help you out.

Andy


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Narwhal72 said:


> Razorback is right. For this model the light should always be on. It may be that the circuit that powers the LED is faulty and is preventing the light from illuminating properly (although the heater is still heating properly) or it could be another problem. In any case Aqueon has a very good warranty program and you can contact Aqueon at 1-888 255 4527 and they can help you out.
> 
> Andy


Yep....I had one do something similar while a vacuum cleaner was plugged into the same circuit. The light would completely go off and stay off and eventually come back on. I think from what I was told by a rep when I called that this heater uses a electronic thermostat instead of the old style method with contacts opening and closing. I honestly have no idea but Andy I am sure you could shed some light on that being in R & D.


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

It does have an electronic thermostat instead of contact points. This is because of the epoxy fill that seals it and would have prevented contact points from working properly. I have seen this failure mode before and it is probably a failed electronic component that is shorting out the light. It may still be heating ok but it's worth replacing.

Andy


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Narwhal72 said:


> It does have an electronic thermostat instead of contact points. This is because of the epoxy fill that seals it and would have prevented contact points from working properly. I have seen this failure mode before and it is probably a failed electronic component that is shorting out the light. It may still be heating ok but it's worth replacing.
> 
> Andy


OK....thanks.

One other quick question. I was told that the electronic thermostat eliminates the the problem other heaters have when the contacts become stuck and corroded forcing the heater to stay on thus frying the fish. Is that true?


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## Narwhal72 (Sep 26, 2006)

> One other quick question. I was told that the electronic thermostat eliminates the the problem other heaters have when the contacts become stuck and corroded forcing the heater to stay on thus frying the fish. Is that true?


That is true but also can be misleading. Yes an electronic thermostat does eliminate the problem of contact points remaining in contact when they should have separated. However, an electronic thermostat can also fail for any number of reasons that can result in the heater overheating. Basically you are trading one method of failure for another. Although IME most of the time when an electronic heater fails it fails in to a shut off mode and stops heating entirely.

Most heaters today have a thermal cut off device built into the heater to prevent a fire in a run dry situation. Some heaters use switches that will reset when the heater cools down and some use fuses that permanently disable the heater. If you have ever done a water change and forgotten to unplug your heater first you probably have activated the thermal cut off. If the heater died afterwards then that heater likely had a fuse. The lights may still function but the heater will no longer heat.

Andy


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## 13razorbackfan (Sep 28, 2011)

Narwhal72 said:


> > One other quick question. I was told that the electronic thermostat eliminates the the problem other heaters have when the contacts become stuck and corroded forcing the heater to stay on thus frying the fish. Is that true?
> 
> 
> That is true but also can be misleading. Yes an electronic thermostat does eliminate the problem of contact points remaining in contact when they should have separated. However, an electronic thermostat can also fail for any number of reasons that can result in the heater overheating. Basically you are trading one method of failure for another. Although IME most of the time when an electronic heater fails it fails in to a shut off mode and stops heating entirely.
> ...


Thanks Andy


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